When one reads Ralph Waldo Emerson's writings they should keep in mind of three things: nature, God, and New England. All three of these things listed are shown in numerous essays, letters, poems, etc. Another thing that comes to mind is Emerson's politics, he basically was one of several American philosophers who was nether a liberal or conservative but more likely a libertarian. Founder of the transcendentalism movement the core ideas seemed to be finding nature in God and the importance of individualism. ( )

Like probably lot of people, I read an Emerson essay for a high school English class many years ago. I liked it, and actually went out and bought this collection, but I never read much of it, and it sat lonely on the shelf for decades, until just recently I decided to open it up again. Although I did like what I read in high school, I had little understanding of just how good Emerson's work really is. Reading his essays now, I understand why he has endured. He was insightful, but lots of people are. What elevates Emerson into another realm is his beautiful, moving prose style. Sometimes I have to stop reading after just one or two paragraphs, or even just one or two sentences, to absorb the beauty and freshness of his writing. So glad I lived long enough to discover Emerson a second time. ( )