A Close Study of Ralph Waldo Emerson
             Thesis: Throughout his life, Emerson was influenced by many intelligent people which enabled him to go far beyond his dreams.
             A Close Study of Ralph Waldo Emerson
             The American lecturer, essayist, and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson {1803-1882} is generally considered as a seminal figure in American literature. Emerson was born on May 25,1803 in Boston, Mass. He was the fourth child of an old and respected, though not wealthy, New England family. His father, William, was a minister at the First Church in Boston, the sixth generation of Emerson's to serve as ministers (Perkins 124). At home William and his wife, Ruth Haskins Emerson, provided a stable though cautious and strict home life for their eight children, of whom three died at infancy. The family's financial situation was irritated by the father's declining health after 1808, ending in his death three years later (Merriam 298). During those years Emerson's relation to his father seems to have been troubled, though perhaps not more so than might have been expected from any boy in his situation. The central figure of these years was Emerson's paternal aunt, Mary Moody Emerson, who after the father's death, moved in with the family to help Ruth raise the children and run the boardinghouse that increased their scanty income (Myerson 332). His aunt was an influence upon his young life, as was the firm background of the ministry in his family. Throughout his life, Emerson was influenced by many intelligent people which enabled him to go far beyond his dreams.
             Emerson's schooling was traditional for someone of his social standing. In 1812 he began to prepare for college at the Boston Public Latin School. Five years later, at fourteen, he entered Harvard, the youngest member of his class. He twice won second place in an essay competition and was named class poet-after classmates refused the honor. He graduated in the middle of his class, thirte...