Else, to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry of voices is on the other side. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost,- and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment. To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius. The sentiment they instil is of more value than any thought they may contain. The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional. Through this essay, Emerson emphasizes the value of independence, self-discovery, and personal growth. He argues that people must be honest with themselves and seek to understand their own thoughts and feelings, rather than blindly following the expectations of others. Emerson also stresses the importance of being self-reliant, relying on one's own abilities and judgment, rather than external validation or approval from others. He argues that society encourages conformity and stifles individuality, and encourages readers to live an authentic and self-sufficient life. In the essay "Self-Reliance," Ralph Waldo Emerson advocates for individuals to trust in their own instincts and ideas, rather than blindly following the opinions of society and its institutions. ![]() ![]() Published in 1841, the Self Reliance essay is a deep-dive into self-sufficiency, as a virtue. Transcendentists despise the corruption and conformity of human society and institutions. Emerson, a Transcendentalist, believed focusing on the purity and goodness of individualism and community with nature was vital for a strong society. The essay “Self-Reliance,” written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is, by far, his most popular piece of work. Ralph Waldo Emerson Self Reliance Summary
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |