The American Scholar

What do you think Emerson dislikes about the time in which he is living? What about it do you think he finds hopeful? Do you see any similarities between his “modern age” and our world today?

Emerson often speaks of the importance of action for a scholar, and of his belief that a scholar should be a part of the world. At the same time, he cautions the scholar to cultivate “self-trust” (Paragraph 32) and to not be too swayed by public opinion. Do you think that he is contradicting himself? Why, or why not? 

Emerson states: “One must be an inventor to read well” (Paragraph 19). What do you think that he means by this?