Journal 8: Emerson's Aphorisms

In skating over thin ice, our safety is our speed. 
In life, you can't spend to much time over analyzing things. Life is made of many quick decisions. You need to get through situations, rather than pause and spend too much time thinking about it. I agree with Emerson's aphorism. When a person over analyzes something, it can have a negative effect on them. They spend to much time thinking about what the right thing is and get stressed out over it. Often times when a person thinks too much about something, they forget the true meaning behind it. I agree that life is made of quick decisions. Every decision you make may not be the right thing, but you learn from it and it teaches you a lesson you can use in making your next decision. 
We boil at different degrees.
Emerson is stating that everyone has there limit, and everyone's limit is different. Some people have a better temper and withstand things that frustrate or annoy them for a long time, while other people quickly snap at the slightest things. I, personally, get mad easily. My mother is very different, it takes her a long time to be angry about things. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way a person is, and everyone is different. 
All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Throughout life, a person makes several mistakes. Every mistake is an experiment. Every mistake you make helps you learn for the future. Emerson is saying that the more mistakes you make, the more you learn from those mistakes. If a person does not make any mistakes, they would never learn from what they did wrong. I agree with Emerson because I make several mistakes. I also learn a lesson from every mistake I make. I think it's very important to make mistakes in life because along with them, you learn a life lesson. If you were to not make those mistakes, you would never learn some important things that mistakes have to teach you. 

Journal 7: "To A Waterfowl" & "The Raven"

William Cullen Bryant’s “To a Waterfowl” (p.151) and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” (p.181)

Read the selections and write a detailed response to the following:

1. Compare/contrast the different views of nature that are being presented in the poems.  Refer to the list of classical and romantic characteristics and provide specific examples from the poems to support your analysis.       

In the poem written by William Cullen Bryant’s “To a Waterfowl,” the tone could be expressed as peaceful or happy. The setting takes places during sunset which is often a symbol of peace in the world. The speaker reassures the tone and setting of peace by the way he believes the birds will lead him to something great. The supernatural powers of the bird in the poem help lead him down the right path.

In the poem “The Raven,” written by Edgar Allan Poe, the tone is the opposite from Bryant’s poem. Instead of being peaceful or happy, it is depressed. The setting in this poem is midnight and represents darkness.  The speaker’s view is different from the speaker of “To a Waterfowl.” The speaker is disturbed, unsettled, and weary rather than peaceful.  The supernatural power of the bird in “The Raven” represents his lost love. The poet is grieving his loss of the one he loves.

The visionary characteristic in “The Raven” and “To a Waterfowl” are very different. In “The Raven” it’s dreary and dark and in “To a Waterfowl” the visionary characteristic is bright and uplifting. Emotion is presented in both these poems. Sadness is represented in “The Raven” and in “To a Waterfowl” happiness and hope is presented.