"Self-Reliance"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines how Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous essay "Self-Reliance" revolves around two key ideas: conformity and consistency. The paper discusses how Emerson says that in order for an individual to be self-reliant he or she must come to terms with these two ideas. The paper further discusses how an individual must fight a brave battle and be courageous to be successful in achieving self-reliance. The paper concludes that once people have learned to trust their innermost hearts and have been individuals in the face of society, then they are ready to follow their own principles.

From the Paper:

"Even Emerson recognizes that sometimes the individual will fail. In a section that might surprise some readers, Emerson criticizes charity. He is not insulting charity for charity's sake. However, he is saying that people fail in their attempts to achieve self-reliance in the face of the many charities that exist. If the charity is not something that a person believes in, the person should be under no obligation to contribute. Nevertheless, society pressures individuals, imposes guilt on them until they do contribute."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ed. Stephen E. Whicher. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960.
• Haines, Nancy. "Books and Man Thinking: Edification or False Idolatry? A Caution in Emerson's 'The American Scholar'". 13 January 1998. 11 November 2006. http://itech.fgcu.edu/&/issues/vol1/issue1/emerson.htm
• Lewis, Jone Johnson. "The Oversoul." Emerson Central. 1996-2001. 11 November 2006. http://www.emersoncentral.com/oversoul.htm

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