A Study Guide for Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Aug 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535820998

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Concord Hymn

Ralph Waldo Emerson

1847

Introduction

Also known as the Concord Ode, Concord Hymn was one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s earliest published poems, appearing in 1847 when he was in his mid-thirties. Prior to that time, he had been known primarily as a lecturer and naturalist. This is probably Emerson’s single best-known piece and has been memorized by many a school-age child. A battlefield monument that commemorates the initial battle of the American Revolutionary War and those who fought in it, the poem also celebrates the merging of the spirit of political liberty and the wonder of natural splendor that is quintessentially American.

As the subtitle—Sung at the Completion of the Battle Monument, July 4, 1837—suggests, this poem was written for a single public occasion. It was also apparently meant to be sung, not simply recited. The tune, if there ever was one, has been lost. The use of the word hymn suggests that it was a celebratory piece, composed especially for a communal event. Perhaps Emerson is consciously elevating his poem to the public sphere, to distinguish it from a work of more personal expression. This poem makes a fine companion piece to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem Paul Revere’s Ride, another great work about the American