ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society… But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars”( Emerson 2). Ralph Waldo Emerson means that humans need retiring or ignoring the distractions of society and to relax and let one’s mind run free.

Detailed explanation-2: -Emerson concludes ‘Society and Solitude’ by arguing for the need for a balance between society and solitude. He admits that total solitude is impractical, but encourages society in moderation, stating that ‘people are to be taken in very small doses.

Detailed explanation-3: -Emerson asserts throughout Nature the primacy of spirit over matter. Nature’s purpose is as a representation of the divine to promote human insight into the laws of the universe, and thus to bring man closer to God.

Detailed explanation-4: -Individualism “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”