Nature

What is Emerson a part of when he is a transparent eyeball?

God

What are the "plantations of God"?

Nature

Who wrote this poem?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What does it mean to be "glad to the brink of fear?"

he is so happy that is scares him; he is afraid something terrible is going to happen

What does "In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature" mean?

human nature is beautiful in some ways

Where is a man always a child? Why?

in the woods where there is no stress; having stress signifies that you are an adult

How do we return to "reason and faith"? What does Emerson mean by "reason"?

its more difficult to follow reasoning when you're in society, but easy when you're in nature; reason is thinking purely

How would you define Emerson's idea of mean egotism?

petty

Why do "a decorum and sanctity reign" in God's plantations?

there is a holiness and sanctity about nature and God shows himself through nature

What does Emerson find in the wilderness?

time with God

Why do the names of close friends sound foreign and relationships become "trifle and a disturbance"?

when he's out in nature connecting to God, none of that matters

What does becoming a transparent eyeball mean?

you can see the world, but the world cannot see you