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Blight

A poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was an American essayist, poet and lecturer, a central figure in the Transcendentalist movement that sought spiritual truth in nature and intuition rather than in institutions or doctrines. 'Blight' was published in his 1847 collection Poems. This poem advances a critique of modern scientific knowledge as fragmentary and exploitative, contrasted with an older, more integrated mode of knowing. It reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. This text is worth reading because it articulates a Romantic and Transcendentalist objection to instrumental reason that remains live in environmental philosophy and in debates over the aims of education.

Band

Silver · First-year university levelTypical starting range: adult

Length

long · about 1508 words in 4 sections · 1 picture

Source

Poems, Ralph Waldo Emerson

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

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