Kent's Thoughts

Kent Kachigian 

Mr. Pendergast 

Vocation and Mission 

3-18-20

  Emerson Divinity School Address Response:

1. “But when the mind opens, and reveals the laws which traverse the universe, and make things what they are, then shrinks the great world at once into a mere illustration and fable of this mind.” (Paragraph 2)

What I believe Emerson is saying here is that the mind can expand the ideas and laws of the universe. However, Emerson is also saying that the brain can also be tiny and have a negative effect on the universe and its laws. I think that the entire point of the quote is to show that the mind has high power. Emerson is probably pushing the students to live life with an open mind. 

1. “A more secret, sweet, and overpowering beauty appears to man when his heart and mind open to the sentiment of virtue.” (Paragraph 3)

This quote is the message of Christianity. Emerson is saying that you will live a better life if your heart and mind are open to being the right person. The quote is excellent advice for a group of newly graduated divinity students because priests should embrace being virtuous. Emerson means that we should always strive for what is morally right. 

1. “That which he venerates is still his own, though he has not realized it yet. He ought.”(Paragraph 3). 

Emerson is explaining that a lot of young people still do not know the purpose of life. He wants people to understand that they must embrace virtue. Emerson also reveals that people are taught that they are evil in the beginning and that they must grow out of their evil to be happy in life. 

1. “They will not be written out on paper, or spoken by the tongue. They elude our persevering thought; yet we read them hourly in each other's faces, in each other's actions, in our own remorse.” (Paragraph 4) 

Emerson explains that most of our moral laws are unspoken. I believe what he means is that people happen to be smart enough to know when they are doing right or wrong. He is saying that we can judge an action as being morally right or wrong. Emerson is also saying that we can know when we are wrong because we can accept our wrongdoing by being remorseful. 

1. “Thus; in the soul of man there is a justice whose retributions are instant and entire.”(Paragraph 5)

Emerson is explaining the idea of a man's conscience. We are rewarded when we do something good and not rewarded when we do something terrible. Emerson wants us to understand the idea so that we live the life of a good Christian. Our conscience always guides us in the right direction. 

1. “Thefts never enrich; alms never impoverish” (Paragraph 6)

Emerson is explaining the results of life's actions. He is saying that theft leaves a negative mark on the soul and therefore, does not enrich you. On the other hand, he is saying that almsgiving leaves a positive mark on your soul and thus enriches you. 

1. “It is mountain air. It is the embalmer of the world. It is myrrh and storax, and chlorine and rosemary.”(Paragraph 8)

Emerson is explaining that religious sentiment embodies all things. It was always said that God is found in all things, so this quote makes a lot of sense to me. The point of this quote is to exemplify the largeness and powerfulness of religion. 

1. “This sentiment is divine and deifying. It is the beatitude of man. It makes him illimitable.”(Paragraph 9)

Emerson explains how powerful religious sentiment is to a man. If someone fully embraces religion and virtue, they are perfect and do not do wrong. By saying that man is illimitable, Emerson means that man is free when he embraces religion and morality.

1. “These general views, which, whilst they are general, none will contest, find abundant illustration in the history of religion, and especially in the history of the Christian church.”(Paragraph 12)

Emerson is saying that the rules that he previously stated cannot be found in the written record of the church. The universal laws are universal, meaning that they don't have to be written down because people are naturally brought to embrace them. Emerson seems to find some fault in western religion through this observation. 

1. “Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of prophets. He saw with open eye the mystery of the soul.” (Paragraph 13)

Emerson is showing that he regards Jesus Christ as one of the greatest prophets ever. Emerson says that Jesus was great because he could see within the soul. Because of Jesus’ ability to perceive the complexity of the soul, he was able to solve the question of human existence. And then because Jesus knew the purpose of human life, he was able to preach the truth. 

I generally believed and agreed with most of what Emerson said. I fully agree that the human mind and soul are capable of maximizing and minimizing the power of universal law. An Emerson point that engulfed me was when he mentioned that the universal rules are figuratively and literally unwritten. The reason why Emerson’s comments on law interested me so much was that it made sense to me that we often obey the unwritten rules of society. 

Emerson’s comments about Jesus Christ were also very important to me. Emerson recognized Jesus’ ability to perceive the human soul, which is something that made him very powerful. I heavily admire Jesus for his ability to see through the first layer of a human and not to judge them. In conclusion, Emerson’s comments about religion make me think differently about the way that we practice it, and the way that we view Jesus.