The Rhodora by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summary: In The Rhodora by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the narrator is asked where the flower came from and he answers that it came from within the poem.

Section One:

Where did the flower come from

Section Two:

The flower "Rhodora" was found in the woods by a stream
Some petals were floating in the stream, and there as a redbird there
If asked why the flower exist by someone the flower should reply (paraphrased) "eyes were made to see, so to be beautiful is enough to exist"
Rhodora is a rival of the rose in beauty
The narrator feels he should have asked the flower where it came from; The narrator suggest they came from the same unknown power

Other Notes:

Emerson shows how much he cares about nature in this poem, it is a philosophy of life for him