Question

Read the excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature:

Answer 1

In this part of “Nature”, Ralph Waldo Emerson describes seeing the starts as “in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime” or “And preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown” he portrays the contemplation of the start as such a magic event, looking at the starts can be close to a religious experience. The answer is D.

Answer 2

Answer:

People often take natural phenomena such as stars for granted is the correct answer.

Explanation:

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American poet, writer and philosopher. The excerpt belongs to Nature, an essay published in 1836 and sets the parameters of Transcendentalism, a school led by Emerson. This movement remarks the appreciation of nature.

In the excerpt, we can see how the speaker contrasts two situations: first one, how natural things are taken for granted; and second one, what would be different if these things or events were isolated. We can see these with the main element, which is the stars being observed by someone. Here, the speaker sets the nature of these events when he says that "one might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heaven bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime." He also reinforces the idea of not looking at the stars as something common (but if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars), maybe because they are taken for granted.

However, the speaker also contrasts the situation with an extraordinary one when he mentions "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown!" He also remarks the importance of seeing natural elements as something very impressive at the very end, when he says "all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence."