Duties of an American Scholar in "The American Scholar"

Question: Find out the duties of an American scholar in the essay “The American Scholar” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Answer: “The American Scholar” may be divided into two parts. The first part contains an account of the influences operating upon the American Scholar to educate him. This part is further divided into three parts, one part dealing with the influences of Nature, the second, with that of books and the third with that of action.  The second part contains Emerson’s view of the duties and functions of the American Scholar. The American Scholar should above all be self-reliant which makes him a hero. He should also be a man of action and he should act entirely according to his inner light or inspiration of the over-soul. Then, “A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men.”

The first duty of the scholar is to cheer, to raise and top guide men by showing them facts amidst appearances. He does the slow, unhonoured and unpaid task of observation. He must observe and study men and their psychology and must not mind if fame does not come to him at once. He must be prepared to accept not only poverty and scorn of the people, but also solitude. His chief consolation should be the fact that he exercises the highest functions of human nature. He is a man who rises himself above private consideration, and lives on public and illustrious thoughts. He is the world’s eye, and also the world’s heart. In other words, he sees and feels for others. He must preserve and

“Communicate heroic sentiments,

noble biographers, melodious verse and the conclusion of history.”

Self-trust and self-realization must be acquired by the scholar. It is his most important duty. It is the scholar’s duty not to submit to popular opinion, even if respectable leaders of society support it. At the back of the single self-reliant man is the ‘one soul’ which animates all men. Emerson points out that the self-trust for an individual is the most important, no matter what his nationality may be. Working with self-confidence he must cheer, raise and guide man by showing them the truth which is often hidden under appearances, often false and deceptive. The scholar must free himself from such deceptions.

“Self-confidence and conviction are the keys to success in every sphere of life.”

The scholar should be free and brave. He should not tolerate any hindrances except those which arise within him. He should be brave because fear is a thing which a scholar by his every definition puts behind him.

“Fear always arises from ignorance.”

He should face the world boldly because the world belongs to him who can see through its pretences. He must not lead a sheltered life, but must face boldly the vexed problems of the day whether political or social. He should face such problems like a man. It is for those who are lacking in self-confidence to feel afraid of this world. The scholar must have so much confidence in himself as to be able to influence the world with his ideas, and free others from fear.

Man generally hankers after money and power because they think these to be the highest good. But it is the duty of the scholar to bring about such an awakening. Such a revolution in the minds of people can be brought about by the gradual spreading of the idea of culture. The main enterprise of the world should be the up-building of a man. Because a man, rightly viewed includes the particular natures of all men. Each philosopher, each poet, each actor has only done for us what one day we can do for ourselves.  

“It is one soul which animates all men.”

It is one light which shines from a thousand stars. The scholar must understand this truth and develop his own spiritual faculties. He must concentrate on the divine that permeates all Nature and all men.

Historically, different ideas are thought to predominate in different periods of time. For instance, we speak of the classical age, the romantic age and the reflective of philosophical modern age. Emerson believes in the oneness of all, and so he does not attach much importance to such superficial differences. It is generally regretted that the present age is the age of introversion. But it is not altogether bad to see things clearly through introversion. However it is the period of revolution. So the present time, like all times, is a very good one if we only know what to do with it. There are sings of such a revolution in poetry and art, in philosophy and science, in Church and State. A golden age seems to be at hand. The scholar must contribute his bit to the ushering in of such an age of golden possibilities.

The lowest class in society is being given more and more impotence in literature. This is a healthy sign and it points to the birth of a new age. The low and the common are now being explored and are becoming the subject of poetry. “The literature of the poor, the feelings of the child, the philosophy of the street, the meaning of household life” – are the topics of the new age. It is a great step forward. It is a sing of vigour. It is good thing to embrace the common, to explore and sit at the feet of the familiar and the low. One design unites and animates the most distant height and the lowest trench. The lowest trench, the common man, must, therefore, receive equal attention. The American Scholar must try to bring about such a revolution in literary taste as we see in the writings of Goethe, Goldsmith, Burns, Cowper, Wordsworth and Carlyle. Their perception of the worth of the low and the vulgar is a welcome development and the scholar must do his best to further this change.

An individual is important. So the scholar is the man who must take up into himself all the ability of the time, all the contribution of the past, all the hopes of the future. He must be a university of knowledge. He is a man who has understood that the world is nothing and that the man is all important. In man himself is the law of al Nature. He must know that Reason slumbers within him; he must awaken it and apply his reasoning faculty to understand the truth about the union of man with man and with Nature and God.

The scholar must rise above the greed for worldly power and pelf. Every individual should, with full confidence, rely on his own instincts and should make those instincts prevail for the good of the world. He must work patiently to achieve his noble aims. If that is done the American people will walk on their own feet, will work with their own hands and will speak their won mind. They will acquire self-confidence and independence of outlook. A nation of men will then for the first time exist, the divisions of the North and the South will give way and each will believe himself to be inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men. The scholar must carry out this noble task with patience, courage and determination.

In fine, we can say that if a man possesses all the requirements proposed by Emerson in his essay, only then he should rightly be regarded to be an American Scholar and he would be the eye and heart of the world.

Md. Saiful Alam

B. A. Honours and M. A. in English

Lecturer of English

Queen’s College, Dhaka

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