Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

     One of the primary issues that Emerson tried to convey was that one must follow what they believe is true for themselves and not listen to what other people think. He states,

Emerson has issue with society. He believes that the conformity and “encroachment on peoples’ liberties [hindered the individual.] He says people should look for individual freedom, and in finding that freedom, people will achieve self-reliance” (Yanella 4, 13). More so Emerson does not trust the system that governs society. He sees society as a “joint stock company that is in conspiracy with every one of its members” (“Self-Reliance” 535). Society can be seen as a hindrance on individual thought because a lot of times people will do what society or authority tells them to do without thinking of themselves first.

Emerson is saying that people should not let others coerce their thoughts to think a different way.

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.

     Emerson’s writing focused on nonconformity and individuality. In his essay "Self-Reliance," he wrote, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind," and, "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist."

While Emerson and Thoreau certainly have difference of opinions, they recognize the need for public discussion and discourse. Emerson declares “a foolish consistency” to be “the hobgoblin of little minds” (Emerson 367). This is shown in their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience” in which they support individuality and personal expression. Despite their contrasting views of society and government, the two most

Thoreau said, "Government is best which governs not at all." For society to be able to survive without government, all members of society must be willing and able to do what is right. They must always do what is good for the community rather than for themselves and they mustn't be tempted by greed, lust, or hate. If all members of society cannot meet these requirements, then a government is needed to resolve problems that arise. Emerson's philosophy is based on the idea that people are inherently good, and will eventually make each decision based on their good nature. According to him, every person knows in their soul the difference between right and wrong, and wants to do right. However, if one member of society strays from his good nature and acts in a way that is detrimental to the community, all of society can no longer follow the advice of Emerson or Thoreau.

Another principle expressed by these writers is that of individualism. Society of the time said that the lawmakers had a sense of right and wrong and that their laws should be followed without question or thought. Emerson and Thoreau thought that people should think for them selves first. This is expressed in Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience":

The very first line in “Civil Disobedience” says “I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’” (Thoreau 1). Right from the beginning, the reader gets to know what Thoreau’s thinks of government. Within the next few lines, he states that he believes “That government is best which governs not at all” (Thoreau 1). By starting off his essay with those two phrases, Thoreau suggests that government is the institution that he thinks should not exist. Later, Thoreau says that people who have some governmental job, such as politicians and legislators, “serve the State chiefly with their heads” and they “rarely make any moral distinctions” which, in turn, makes them more “likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God” (Thoreau 3). Thoreau dehumanizes these people, which shows how much an effect government can have on an individual. He implies that these people act on impulse and never really think things through. Interestingly enough, within the group of people he mentions, he includes “ministers”, meaning that he believes that minsters speak on impulse and do not come up with legitimate teachings. Emerson also thought that ministers were “authors of a few lies” and they were also “false in all particulars” (Emerson 23). Thoreau and Emerson, in essence, convey the same message. Being a

Everyone in this planet called Earth, has their own different ways of expressing feelings, different learning strategies, and different talents. In this piece of writing, Emerson explains how and why independence is what has created today’s society. Emerson explains these thoughts by using metaphors, common sense, similes and imagery.

Emerson's views of the world are best enshrined through his speeches, lectures, publications, poems, and essays. Many of these works attacked formal religion, government, and society for their inherent flaws. Some of his writings could be described as pretenses to modern anarchism, as described in another one of his essays, “Hence, the less government we have, the better,- the fewer the

His points were for people to be themselves, thinks for themselves, and lastly, having their own virtues, in other words principles. Emerson proved his writing that people relying on others will never go anywhere. Today, everyone and every things are alway being judges and there are those, who don’t care what others think and be themselves. I thinks Emerson’s idea is a big part to be a success in life because it shows one self. Being like others, will never let you go anywhere and society will be in control of

	This statement reflects Emerson’s conflict with society. In his eyes, society was created in order to enforce rules that were generally accepted as correct. In the event that someone disagreed with these rules, he would be punished and reprimanded for his "sin." Society cannot exist if this is not true; however, Emerson saw this as a direct violation of the rights of the individual. The individual cannot succeed in society; the individual is different, and society scorns that which is different. Society is a breeding ground for

In fact, he tries to force the readers to be self-reliant in order to obtain their self-realization successfully (Liang 1). For the better understanding of the paragraphs, it is important to know the concept of self-reliance, which is the simple idea reliance of one's own capabilities, judgments and confidence in his one beliefs. Accordingly, Emerson and Mill think alike on the concept that people should impose their ideas and power over the government, not letting them being governed by ideas that they do not agree but instead, by the ideas that they have the confidence and the belief that its right. “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness” (5). In fact, people have forgotten about the importance to express their own ideas and opinions, resulting with their lives being dictated by the government interests. When this happened, they are not following the goal of the good life, which Ling defines as “the life of growth or change”(3). In order to change the situation for the better, one must to realize the problem and find a solution which can come from personal intuition. In the sense that we are all the same, everyone has the power to face the difficulties that life provides, but it requires a change on

Emerson criticizes that men do not even try to build their own opinion because they blindly trust the thoughts of the majority or they conform to the will of the community because their opinion differs from the common beliefs. They do not have enough courage and self-confidence to express their opinion since they are afraid that other men could look down at them because they do not have the same opinion. This turns them into just one, tiny, unimportant part of billions of people, whose thoughts are basically equal, but exactly the aspect of being different from everybody else, being an individual, being special and having his own personality is what a human being is all about and is necessary for having success.