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Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Introduction.

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Self-Reliance

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  1. Self-Reliance Ralph Waldo Emerson

  2. Introduction • “I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional. Always the soul hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. The sentiment they instill is of more value than any thought they may contain. To believe your own thought, to believe what is true for you in your private heart, is true for all men, -- that is genius” • Great works of art, music, literature, etc., teach us to trust our instinct. • Genius is something that comes from within a person.

  3. Self-Reliance • We must trust our instincts and act on them, or “we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.” • When we “take. . .our own opinion from another,” we are blocking, or preventing, self-reliance. • “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”

  4. Self-Reliance • Emerson states through metaphor that no man can succeed without using the talents and insights bestowed to him by God. • Instinct and conscience are the same in Emerson’s mind. • Therefore, it is vital to possess self-trust and to act in accordance with what one knows to be right and true. • However, do you have the courage it takes to do so?

  5. Self-Reliance • “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members.” • “The virtue in most request is conformity.” • Society urges people to conform blindly to customs and traditions. • “Self-reliance is its aversion.” • Emerson believes that men should be concerned with behaving in ways that are consistent with one’s conscience.

  6. Essay Question • In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson writes: “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.” • In your own words, describe the person in each of those three life situations. Then explain why the first two situations might be considered easy while the third marks greatness. • Minimum of 120 words (not including “a,” “an,” & “the”)

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