In the story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," there is the narrator, of course, and a man named Simon Wheeler. The narrator was looking for another person so he decided to ask Simon Wheeler some questions. However, the story takes a weird turn I think because Simon starts talking about things that totally does not answer the man's questions, but rather has absolutely nothing to do with anything. I think that this might relate to Emerson because of his philosophy on discipline. Discipline can be defined as "a capacity to make one's actions dependent on some key principles"(Leude). This might be kind of far fetched, but I think that this may relate to Emerson because Emerson very much so believed in discipline and it sounds like Simon Wheeler really did not have any discipline at all. When asked a question, he totally got off topic and did not answer the original question. For lack of better words, I do not think that Simon Wheeler had very much common sense. This can now also relate to Emerson because he believed something like common sense often comes from nature. I am not sure how nature relates to the story necessarily, but I do know that that is what Emerson believed and I think if Emerson had ever known Simon Wheeler, they would have definitely not been friends because Emerson seems very intelligent and thoughtful and Simon Wheeler does not sound like the brightest. I did not like this story really at all. I mean I guess it has a good point to it, but really I thought it was pretty boring and I think it could have been interpreted in several different ways. I think that we have read many other stories that are way better. But anyway, that is how I think Emerson relates.
"Update and Debate on World Religious Issues, Politics, Sociology and Cultural Mediation." World Religion Watch. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." 301 Moved Permanently. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
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