I was recently perusing my well-thumbed copy of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and these words jumped out at me: "The effect of any writing on the public mind is mathematically measurable by its depth of thought. How much water does it draw? If it awaken you to think, if it lift you from your feet with the great voice of eloquence, then the effect is to be wide, slow, permanent, over the minds of men; if the pages instruct you not, they will die like flies in the hour. The way to speak and write what shall not go out of fashion is, to speak and write sincerely." What do these words mean to you? I am looking forward to your answers. And, before you say it, I am not looking for someone to do my homework. I am forty-five years old and have not seen the inside of a classroom in over twenty years.
2009-01-18T16:51:57Z
My own opinion of this is that the writer must give it his/her all and risk possible censure, and not to write with the superficial aim of pleasing the masses. I think Emerson was saying the writer must be completely honest, especially with himself/herself, if anything of value is to be put down on the page at all.
Lyra [and the Future]2009-01-17T15:27:55Z
Favorite Answer
"And, before you say it, I am not looking for someone to do my homework. I am forty-five years old and have not seen the inside of a classroom in over twenty years." Funny! Haha.
My interpetation is probably the same as everyone else's- that books that leave you thinking are the ones that will last longer in history, and also in the reader's own memory, than those which do not. This is why classics make you think and aren't liked much by the younger generation.
Edit: And the last line, "The way to speak and write what shall not go out of fashion is, to speak and write sincerely." This means that timeless topics (like love, war, insanity, sacrifice, etc.) are always a safe bet while writing, because a reader 50 years after the book is written will still be able to relate to the work. Relating to a book is good, and is also part of what keeps the book alive. And if you can relate to the work, the work has touched your heart. If the work has touched your heart, it must have come from the author's heart, hence "to speak and write sincerely."
Does that make sense? I hope so. I know I often don't make sense.
I think it means that even after all of the words on the page or all of the pages in the book have been read and have sunk it to the human mind that the words still live on. Does that make sense? Like if you think about the message in the book even though the book is finished that the message the author has intended you to get has succeeded. (author has succeeded I mean) Sorry I know im not wording this right. Well I understand what im saying in my mind. lol.
To me it means like a book living beyond its pages. A book that makes you think about it after you finish and doesn't just fade out of your memory is going to last longer and is generally a better book than one that just runs together with every other book that you've read. It's a book teaching you something and making you think about something in the world or something in the way that you act. It's a book that the author thought about a lot and not something that they just slapped down on a page to make their editors happy. It's something that means something to the author and that the author manages to convey that meaning to the reader. Basically it's a classic that's been read again and again verses something that's been written recently and is just written to please the crowd as so many books today are. That's what it means to me....it was a little longer winded than I meant it to be, but oh well.
I would disagree with the 'mathematically measurable' concept - but would agree with the depth of thought. Any writing that makes one think is good - whether you agree with it or disagree with it. That is a little deeper than simple 'instruction' because the challenge when you think about a piece of writing, is first, understanding what the writer was trying to say, and secondly, deciding if you agree or disagree, and thirdly, deciding why you have taken that stance.