the modern precept, “Study nature,” become at last one maxim. 

Emerson concludes that the role of the American scholar is one of great importance. He should actively seek knowledge rather than just reading the works of others and adopting European thought; moreover, he should seek knowledge through interaction with life and nature. In this way the scholar/writer can develop his own ideas and a style of writing that is uniquely American.

"The American Scholar," delivered in 1837, puts forth, as its title suggests, a distinctly American view. At the beginning of the speech, Emerson distinguishes American scholars from those of Europe and elsewhere and says, "The millions, that around us are rushing into life, cannot always be fed on the sere remains of foreign harvests." In other words, Americans must find their own studies and truths, separate from those of Europe, which he believes have "sere" or dry harvests and little to offer. In this way, the speech is nationalistic and calls for a distinctly American way of thinking.

The speech is also Romantic and Transcendentalist, as Emerson states, after presenting the allegory that there is one man, that "man is thus metamorphosed into a thing, into many things." He does not believe that people should be divided into their professional or occupational categories, such as farmers or professors, but instead believes that one person can be everything and all things, which follows from the Romantic and Transcendentalist idea in the potential for the perfection of humans. Also like a true Romantic and Transcendentalist, Emerson believes in the power of nature to teach people and writes, "The first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature." His belief in the ability of nature to impart eternal truths is a core belief of Transcendentalism and also follows from the spirit of Romanticism. He also believes, like Romantics, in the power of the individual and writes, "it becomes him to feel all confidence in himself, and to defer never to the popular cry." Emerson calls for people to trust their own inner truths--a core idea of Transcendentalism. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson's address "The American Scholar" was delivered on August 31, 1837 (in Cambridge, Massachusetts before the Phi Beta Kappa society). This address was meant to explain the importance of writing literature from an American point of view, not from a point of view influenced by any other country. Emerson decided that American writers needed to have their own style.

The address is didactic in nature. Didactic means to instruct or educate. Emerson's essay instructs its audience on the thinking of man (the "One Man," the "Man Thinking"), the importance of the past, and life as a dictionary.

The speech is written in first person. This allows Emerson to illustrate the fact that the ideas presented are his own (though the use of the pronoun "I"). He also uses the pronoun "you" (second person) to address the audience. The use of "you" draws the audience in, so as to say that Emerson is speaking to each and every one of them on a personal level.

Emerson also includes many rhetorical/literary/poetic devices. He uses repetition to insure his point is made ("patience, patience"), simile (the spirit to "shooting rays"), and metaphor (soul to a root).

There are several ways you could critically analyze Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar.” You could start by trying to talk about the relevance of his ideas. Many of his arguments appear to correlate to discussions and debates that are happening right now.

At one point, Emerson warns against the idolization of past writers like John Locke and Cicero. He says people tend to forget that such classic writers were people like them. You might relate Emerson’s point to how people right now might forget that politicians, celebrities, or influncers on social media with heaps of followers are also only people.

Emerson’s speech also connects to contemporary society when he emphasizes action. Remember, Emerson puts down the belief that a scholar is “unfit for any handiwork or public labor.” He believes it’s vital for a scholar to physically move around. You might link Emerson’s emphasis on action to current writers’ exhortation to engage with more than a computer or a phone.

If you’re not so interested in connecting Emerson’s ideas in “The American Scholar” to debates happening right now, you might want to do a critical analysis of what Emerson means by “life.” Near the middle, Emerson says that even when a painter no longer paints, even when a reader doesn’t want to read another book, they still have “the resource to live.” For him, living is a “total act” while thinking is a “partial act.” You might analyze what makes living “total” or complete. You could think about how if someone only paints, if they only read, or if they only labor, they might not be living a complete or “total” life according to Emerson.

The ancient precept, "Know thyself," and the modern precept, "Study nature," become at last one maxim.

Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding . . . to create is proof of a divine presence.

Genius is always sufficiently the enemy of genius by over-influence.

Life is our dictionary. Years are well spent in country labors; in town; in the insight into trades and manufactures; in frank intercourse with many men and women.

Ralph Waldo Emerson had just resigned from his position as a Unitarian minister before giving the address and was, to a degree, reflecting in it on his own role as lecturer, writer, and public intellectual. In the address, he considers what students must do to become his ideal of the American scholar. He divides the path of formation of character and intellect into three parts: nature, the mind of the past (i.e., books), and action. As a Unitarian, he saw God as immanent within nature and thus believed that by "reading" the natural world we could learn about God and morality. Books enable us to learn and build on the great thinkers of the past. Finally, we can only genuinely know moral truths by acting morally. Emerson rejects the mechanical and dehumanized world of industrial society along with a purely abstract conception of knowledge.