He is a transcendentalist of the most advanced school. Where he wishes to be clear, no one can be clearer, but he often chooses to clothe his thoughts in mystery. This trait is also noticeable in his poems, some of which glitter like diamonds, while others are enigmatic and baffling. His poetry is like his essays in being pointed and laconic, but while this may be a merit in the essay, it is not so in poetry, and his verse can hardly be considered first class. Few people read his poetry except as an adjunct to the study of his essays. He had no reasoned and complete system of philosophy, but, like Bacon, merely gave birth to grand principles from which a new philosophy was to spring. He resembles Bacon also in that he oftentimes does not reason, but utters the truth oracularly. THE MAN 1. Where was Emerson born? 2. What can you say of his antecedents? 3. With what religious denomination was he at one time connected? 4. What part did Emerson take in public life? 5. What pseudonym is often applied to him? 6. For what two things is Concord equally famous? I, 340; V, 59. 7. How do the circumstances of his life contrast with Ruskin's, Carlyle's, Plato's, Marcus Aurelius's? STYLE AND WORKS 1. To what school of philosophy did Emerson belong? 2. What effect had Emerson on the thinkers of his generation? VI, 332-334. 3. Did Hawthorne prize his philosophy highly? His poetry? VI, 333. 4. How does he rank as an essayist? 5. Why are some of Emerson's thoughts so hard to grasp? 6. To what may his poems be compared? 7. Does he rank high as a poet? 8. What standing has Emerson among foreign critics as compared with other American authors? 9. How does his style compare with Ruskin's and Carlyle's? with Plato's? "WORKS AND DAYS" 1. How does Emerson define the nineteenth century? Why? 2. "Works and days were offered us and we took works;" does Emerson belittle the value of work? 3. Name some of the 'illusions' that hide values from us at the present time. 4. "'Tis the measure of a man,--his apprehension of a day;" how is this true? 5. Does Emerson prove his statements, or do you think that he is playing the oracle in this essay? 6. "What has been best done in the world ... cost nothing;" do you agree wholly with this doctrine? 7. Do we live up to the teaching of the last paragraph; should we attempt to do so? "FRIENDSHIP" 1. Give Emerson's definition of friendship. 2. Why are most so-called friendships of short duration? 3. Does age, sex, individual character, or circumstance influence the formation of this compact? 4. What are the two most important elements in friendship? 5. Can a perfect friendship exist between more than two people at one time? 6. Does friendship necessarily require an intimate personal association of the participants in their home life? 7. Must friendship be reciprocal?