Quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Language is fossil poetry. As the limestone of the continent consists of infinite masses of the shells of animalcules, so language is made up of images, or tropes, which now, in their secondary use, have long ceased to remind us of their poetic origin.

Language is fossil poetry. As the limestone of the continent

Summary

This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson suggests that language is like a fossilized form of poetry. Just as the limestone on the continent is composed of countless shells of tiny organisms, language is made up of imagery and figures of speech (tropes) that have lost their original poetic meaning. Emerson compares the way imagery and tropes are used in language to how fossils are remnants of ancient life forms, no longer reminding us of their original state. Essentially, he highlights how the beauty and poetic essence of language can become obscured over time through repetitive and mundane use.

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By Ralph Waldo Emerson

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