Ralph Waldo Emerson "Concord Hymn" Poem animation

Heres a virtual movie of the great American poet essayist, philosopher and transcandentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson reading his much loved poem "Concord Hymn". Emerson wrote "Concord Hymn" in 1836 for the dedication of the Obelisk, a battle monument in Concord, Massachusetts that commemorated the men that gave their lives at the Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775), the first battle of the American Revolution. One source of its power may be the author's personal ties to the subject: Emerson's grandfather was a man who fought in the Battle of Lexington and Concord; their house was called The Old Manse, which is next to the bridge that Emerson's grandfather was stationed on; and Emerson is known to have written the hymn while living there. In 1837, the hymn was sung to the tune "Old Hundredth" during Concord's 4 July celebration. Modern critic Jonathan Mardin reflected on it favorably, calling it a "Too little-known masterpiece." Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet, best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid-1800s.[1] [2] He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society. Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the philosophy of Transcendentalism in his 1836 essay, Nature. As a result of this ground-breaking work he gave a speech entitled The American Scholar in 1837, which Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. considered to be America's "Intellectual Declaration of Independence".[3] Considered one of the great orators of the time, Emerson's enthusiasm and respect for his audience enraptured crowds. His support for abolitionism late in life created controversy, and at times he was subject to abuse from crowds while speaking on the topic. When asked to sum up his work, he said his central doctrine was "the infinitude of the private man

Kind Regards

Jim Clark
All rights are reserved on this video recording copyright Jim Clark 2010

Concord Hymn..........

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to Aprils breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set to-day a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare, To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee.

(Note: This version is from The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904), edited by Edward Waldo Emerson, who noted, "From a copy of this hymn as first printed on slips for distribution among the Concord people at the celebration of the completion of the monument on the battle-ground, I note the differences from the poem here given as finally revised by Mr. Emerson in the Selected Poems

Category:

Education

Tags:

• poem
• animation
• ralph
• waldo
• emerson
• walt
• whitman
• emily
• dickinson
• carl
• sandburg
• poetry
• posie
• poeme
• poet