Review each paragraph of the essay. Then write down one statement from each paragraph that you think sums up the main idea of that paragraph? This if from Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson?

Answer 1

A more simplistic approach would be to look at the first (or near the first) and last (or near the last) sentences of each paragraph to find t summary. In standard writing techniques the topic sentence and concluding sentence should summarize the paragraph (Emerson doesn't always use standard techniques, hence why he is Emerson.) So I would suggest starting there, is the quickest most efficient way to skim for this information. (Hint: most writing follows, tell them what you are writing about, write about it, remind them what you wrote about, in an essay as a whole and within each paragraph).

Answer 2

You will do well with Mr. Emerson's work if you remember these insights about the ideology of his time period, which was Transcendentalism. Here are the main criteria:

a. All men are infused with divinity, and are capable of great growth and fulfillment if they listen to their inner voice, rather than the dictates of society, government, or religious institutions.

b. Truths that were blindly followed in the past have no relevance to today's realities; you must find your own truth by following your conscience.

c. Man will discover his true 'self' when he walks into Nature, and observes its transcendent beauty and power; God instills the same divinity in all of Nature that He does in man, and in Nature's solitude, man will find truth.

Transcendental writers did not organize their paragraphs in the DEDUCTIVE manner that we do nowadays--i.e., beginning by a topic statement, then providing evidence. Instead they proceeded INDUCTIVELY, often beginning with an example or riveting detail. Eventually the paragraph will build to a very powerful, memorable statement, often a short or blunt statement full of metaphoric language or rhetorical power. For example, in the opening paragraph of "Nature," the sentence embedded within the text beginning "One might think" captures the main idea of the paragraph. In paragraph 3, the blunt sentence starting 'But none of them...' encapsulates the main idea of that paragraph.

Emerson's writing can be densely textured and also very abstract, but if you find that one 'nugget' sentence within the paragraph, you'll be well on the way to seeing the main idea.

Answer 3

Without having the essay in front of me, it would be difficult to determine the meaning of each paragraph. However, you can easily find this out by focusing only on one paragraph at a time. Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to find the meaning of every paragraph at once. Focus on what a single paragraph says. What is that paragraph referring to? What is that paragraph implying? What can you infer from reading that single paragraph? Once you are able to answer these questions yourself, you should be able to determine which sentence best sums up the meaning of the entire paragraph. This will most likely not be the very first sentence of the paragraph. Best of luck!

Answer 4

Hi Astro! I'm a bit confused by your question. Is the assignment that you are supposed to summarize each paragraph of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson? If so, my advice is to read each paragraph slowly and carfully to yourself. It might even help to read out loud, or read with a friend! Once you've finished a paragraph, take a moment to think about what you just read. Maybe rephrase in your own words (in casual, everyday language) what you think it was about. That will help you find a statement to summarize that paragraph! If you do this carefully, it should get easier with each paragraph you complete.

Here's an example using the first paragraph: I read the passage out loud to myself. Then, I put what I had read into my own words. I would say that Emerson is talking about how today, we think too much about the past. He claims that when we think about nature, we think about how people in the past thought about nature. At the same time, he argues, nature still exists today. He asks us why we can't look at nature through our own eyes, and come up with new ideas. Based on this, I thought that a statement that summarizes this paragraph might be, "...why should we grope among the dry bones of the past... ?"

I hope this answer helps! I'm sure you can follow this example to keep working through the essay. Let me know if you have any more questions!