Emerson's Self Reliance

Emerson’s Self Reliance essay is a motivational to say the least. Several quotes from the essay challenge our current society's moral compass, even though it was written 150 years ago. The essay stresses the necessity of relying on oneself for knowledge and guidance. Unlike other writings that are often compared to the Bible, Emerson’s essay conveys the same ideas as the Bible, without using scenes or characters to get his message across.

1. The main theme of the piece “Self-Reliance” is that one should never conform to the way that society views that they should because in doing that, a person loses their individuality. Emerson believed that a person should, “Speak [their] latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense,” meaning that if a person chooses to march to the beat of their own drum, then nobody can tell them their opinion is wrong because at least they are taking a chance and speaking their mind. Emerson’s definition of self-reliance is similar to the common use because both definitions discuss how one should take care of personal needs and be independent. Emerson himself stated that, “the great man is he who

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay titled “Self-Reliance” he speaks on the topic of the individual, creating the idea that an individual being independent leads to greatness. Emerson’s writing within this memoir is relatable to young individuals who are looking for themselves, an individual must avoid conformity and false consistency while following their own thoughts making themselves an individual. Within the essay, Emerson uses a range of rhetorical devices to prove that every individual can do great by being an individual and not like everyone else, something that young people everywhere should hear while growing up with the heinous act of peer pressure.

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” Emerson calls for each person in society to be wholly true to themselves. He claims that it is most rewarding to the individual and the society for people to believe in one’s own thoughts and not in the thoughts of others. Emerson believes that conformity will ultimately lead to an individual’s demise because by living for others, people are not being true to themselves. Therefore in order to have a well-formed society, citizens should focus inward and have confidence in their own ideas before beginning to look towards other individuals; moreover, Emerson calls individuals not only in “Self-Reliance,” but also in numerous essays to act independently from conformity and to live for themselves.

There is a large abundance of controversy between individuals over certain topics and what they truly mean. An example of one of these topics is self-reliance. Although there are multiple opinions on the meaning and use of self-reliance the true definition, as found in the dictionary is “a reliance on one’s own efforts and abilities” (Merriam-Webster). Many writers spoke in their writing about their past experiences with self-reliance and what they believe it to be. A few of these writers include Doctor Zhivago, Jon Krakauer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walden, and Peter Buffett. By reading these author’s writings you can clearly understand their views and ideas on self-reliance.

The Essay on Self-Reliance. Kalpaz, 2017. First published in 1841, Self-reliance took a long time to finalize. The essay stresses the necessity of relying on oneself for knowledge and guidance through life. He believes that independent thought is vital to human well-being, and asserting yourself from other ideas. The most important idea from this essay is to Trust yourself, and follow what you feel in your heart is true.

In a paragraph, write your idea of self-reliance. Do you agree or disagree with Emerson? Why?

In MOVEME, Marcal Graham claims, “Many things affect our freedom as thinkers. We are imprisoned by others who keep our minds from growing immeasurably and unchallenged. We are challenged when we don’t question the implications and impact –negative or positive—of our decisions. As a result, many people are confined by their perceptions, attitudes, and internal mental maps of the world around them” (35). The people we choose to be in our lives have the greatest effect on how we live, what we do, and especially how we think. Graham’s comment can inspire the younger generation and reveal how the people they hang around can have a negative effect on their mindset.

In spite of his individualism, Emerson's thought is similar to the romantic nationalism of 19th century Europe, but where this nationalism focused upon collective entities such as a people, their language and culture, Emerson's focus is upon the individual. In Self-Reliance he says, "it is easy, in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." Where nationalism stresses the development of an authentic national culture free from foreign influences and takes a collective perspective more or less for granted, Emerson applies a similar approach to each individual. Emerson complains that all men hear the inner voice, but most are too scared due to peer pressure to act upon the intuitions. "Society everywhere is a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members." Emerson feels man must work on his own and be diligent and truthful in that work to produce a better society.

In their work of explaining and utilizing self-reliance, Socrates and Emerson similarly reference this idea and how standing up for one’s own beliefs will impact others. Socrates’ charges brought upon him by accusers such as Meletus and Anytus are punishable by death. Though he may lose his life, he refuses to surrender his original ideas and defends philosophy without changing his views even with the impending death sentence. In the same way, Emerson’s theme of self-reliance dictates that everyone should use it to combat conformity. I’ve always been taught that believing in yourself is key.

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” was written in 1841 in New England during the Transcendentalist Movement, which was a revolt against the “Age of Reason” and the beginning of Romanticism. Emerson’s essay is about Transcendentalism, the belief that every human has his own way of thinking and personal inborn knowledge to build his opinion, independent from the common beliefs of the community and he should believe in and express his opinion to be successful. Emerson supports the idea of Transcendentalism by urging his readers to trust their own ideas, beliefs and common sense, to listen to and to trust their inner voice and to hold the popular opinion back from influencing their way of thinking, if they want to be successful. He tells

In Chinua Achebe’s short story, “Dead Men’s Path” a young man’s unwillingness to change opinions causes him to lose the one thing that was most important to him. Achebe uses character, diction, and point of view to show that single mindedness always leads to conflict.

It is simply not easy for a teenage kid to always stay true to himself/herself throughout their entire teenage life. A statistic found on lovetoknow.com shows that “70 percent of teens who smoke have friends who smoke or started smoking because of peer pressure” (Zeiger 1). Another fact from statisitcbrain.com shows that “90 Percent of 15-17 year old girls who want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance” (Brain 1). Examples like these are the problems that 21st century teenage boys and girls deal with everyday. However, reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance, might give them useful advice on how to live a better, more happy life. The compilation of short essays that Emerson composed inspire the readers to be nonconformist, and to rely on oneself to do the right thing. These ideas are what the Transcendentalists believed in. The group thought that everyone should move away from what society thinks, to listen to oneself, and to live life the way one wants to. However, today’s society completely contradicts Emerson’s writing. Most citizens, especially teenagers listen to how they are expected live life by society, instead of being who they truly are. Emerson says staying true to yourself and not imitating others will make an individual truly happy, which would help teens make better and smarter decisions when bad influence and temptation come their way.

Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay entitled “Self-Reliance” is a short piece covering his view of society and moral standards. His erroneous view of the latter shapes the way he thinks and writes. Consequently, not all his statements can be taken as legitimate, but he does make a few points that are parallel to the Bible. Primarily, he agrees with a Biblical worldview on matters such as the fear of man and nonconformity, but deviates from the Bible on moral standards of right and wrong.

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” Emerson explains the importance of self-reliance, self-reliance in an individual and the effect society has on self-reliance. Throughout his essay he promotes self-reliance as an ideal and differentiates it with many aspects of conformity. What Emerson really tries to convey through the whole essay is to trust yourself more, believe in your potential and do not conform to society expectations. In comparison to Emerson, Plato's Apology incorporates a lot of Emerson’s notions of self-reliance. In the Apology, Socrates pleads his case to a jury and throughout his case Socrates explains how his philosophy is to teach others to become self-aware, to improve your soul and to follow your moral conscience.