Notes On Self Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

Dynasty Allen English 2270 10/3/2016 Journal Entries (1-5) Analytic Journal #1: Self- Reliance Self-Reliance is a transcendentalist essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The essay was published in 1841 during the transcendentalist movement. It was a way for writers to respond to or protest the general state of intellectualism and even spirituality. He speaks in this essay about ways to avoid conforming and also how each person should follow their own instincts and ideas. Emerson split many of the topics in this essay into different sections. In one of the sections he speaks of the relationship between each individual and non-conformity and how each person can be self- reliant. Self-Reliance favors individualism, which promotes that people use their own thoughts and desires rather than that of a group. In the beginning of the essay Emerson says, To believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius. His statement captures the essence of what he means by self-reliance, namely the reliance upon one s own thoughts and ideas. He mentions that people like Moses, Plato, and Milton, were so important because they spoke their minds and did not only recite what was written in or memorized from books. Emerson tells his readers to Trust thyself. Emerson also preaches for people to become nonconformists. In the essay, he explains that for a nonconformist, No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. GoodShow MoreRelatedNotes On Self Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pages10/3/2016 Journasl Entries (1-5) Analytic Journal #1: Self- Reliance Self-Reliance is a transcendentalist essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The essay was published in 1841 during the transcendentalist movement. It was a way for writers to respond to or protest the general state of intellectualism and even spirituality. 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Self-reliance is part of a movement called transcendentalism led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other famous figures in history such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Emerson discusses society, and individuals, and how they relate to the idea of self-reliance. He also recounts the business, religious, government, and family implications of this concept. Through his use of vivid language