Self Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, Self-Reliance, he claims that everyone can be independent; however, his argument is quixotic today because most individuals in present times are ignorant and do not value themselves as they should.

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

I believe that, essentially, life consists of a series of choices. A grouping of these choices in one direction or another makes us who we are, and ultimately we have control over our lives. What makes one person different from another is his own set of choices. When going through life’s motions, we develop certain worldviews and ideas and values to live by. We develop an opinion of what makes a person “great.” In the well-known essay “Self-Reliance”, Ralph Waldo Emerson provides a beautiful way of approaching these choices, and he reveals a very inspiring set of values centralized around going through life answering only to yourself. I love the way Emerson evaluates the society we live

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.

Throughout his life, Chris McCandless shows multiple examples of transcendental actions. McCandless does what he wants and does not care what people think about him. Chris McCandless would set up tents and live away from society because it was where he was happiest. As a child, McCandless did not like playing with other children. He preferred to be alone and entertain himself. Chris McCandless did not like to wear socks; he felt confined in them. He demonstrated Transcendentalism through reduce dependence on property, self-reliance, and nonconformity.

The book Into the Wild goes into great detail on self-reliance. In fact, it is what the entire book is based on. Krakauer follows the life of a young man, Chris McCandless, and what led to his death in Alaska. McCandless became a strong believer of self-reliance and started one of his own journeys after he finished college. During his journey, he meets many people who help him out, and he ends up making a large impact on most of their lives. With all those people there was a few of them that Chris had formed a special bond with. One of these people included a man named Ron, whom Chris wrote many letters

Thesis: Chris McCandless has found the meaning of his life with inspiration of Emerson's quote, “The foregoing generations beheld God and the nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe (“Nature” ). He has found this by trusting his decisions, living alone in Alaska, and seeing life through his own eyes rather than the eyes of others.

The concept of individualism was one of the most encouraged and sought aspects of Transcendentalism, as many Transcendentalists despised the idea of conforming to the will of society and never sharing a person’s true opinion. As noted by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his famous essay, “Self-Reliance,” “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world” (362). Emerson restates the idea that nothing is greater than thinking and acting for yourself, and letting your true opinions show as opposed to those of everyone else. Emerson also states that doing so will gain you the suffrage, or support, or the world, inferring that having an individualistic mindset will strengthen the bonds within communities around the world, causing them to give their full support for their members at any time. Unfortunately, such an idea is virtually impossible, as each individual’s desire to act for themselves would make working with and supporting the interests of others incredibly difficult, and would destroy the bonds within communities as opposed to strengthening them. This is fantastically displayed through the storyline of the movie Into the Wild, in which the protagonist, Chris McCandless, desires to break away from society and live in the wilderness of Alaska. During his journey, Chris meets a wide array of unique individuals, all of whom he begins to form unique bonds with, but is forced to separate each time because of his continuous desire to move to Alaska and completely immerse himself in nature. This is especially displayed in his relationship with Ron Franz, who becomes so attached to Chris that he offers to adopt Chris, only to have his proposal rejected due to

The first belief of Transcendentalism that McCandless follows is seeking self-wisdom. For example, McCandless urges one of his friends named Franz that he meets to seek self-wisdom. McCandless says, “Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Be nomadic make each day a new horizon” (Krakauer 57). McCandless wants Franz to be nomadic and not stay settled in one place. In Thoreau’s writings Chris McCandless finds his knowledge of discovering new things. Thoreau says, “A living dog is better than a dead lion . . . let everyone mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made” (Walden). This shows a connection between McCandless’s beliefs in going out finding himself and through this seeking self-wisdom.

To begin with, McCandless did not present the slightest interest in religion. An issue is created here due to the fact that religion was a large portion of the transcendental movement. Transcendentalists believed that there is a unity between nature and God; That one may discover God through immersing themselves in nature. They also held the belief that God is present in each individual; That humans as a whole form God because a fragment of Him is within each human being. Christopher McCandless did not share these beliefs.

Transcendental ideas filled the veins of Christopher McCandless throughout Into the Wild. Over the course of his life, especially his journey through Alaska, he came across many complex issues. However, he always seemed to find solace in the text of great, progressive minds such as Thoreau and Emerson. Through the accounts of people who once knew McCandless or those found in his journal, the keys he led his short life by ultimately shaped his character, lifestyle, and who he strived to be.

Imagine a world where there is no society. Imagine if there was no technology and everybody just lived in isolation. In Emerson’s essay, “Self-Reliance,” he illustrates his ideas on the tenet by using metaphors. Nonconformity means being mentally and physically separated from society, a quality which sometimes overlaps with the ideas behind self-reliance. In “Where I Lived and What I Lived For,” Thoreau uses personal experiences, description, and problem-and-solution. Emerson and Thoreau begin by using different techniques, Thoreau using problem-and-solution and description, while Emerson uses cause-and-effect, yet both use cause-and-effect to develop the idea that one should be independent of society in the end.

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.

In Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson claims that replicating someone else is pure suicide, because change is an inspiration that can be for the stableness of one’s well being while others may think it would be for the worse.