Self-Reliance - a Review by Kalai Selvi Arivalagan (free ebook reader for iphone TXT) 📕

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, in Boston, Massachusetts. After his education at Boston Latin School, Emerson went to Harvard College. At Harvard, he studied Greek, Latin, History and Rhetoric. After graduating from Harvard in 1821, he started working at a school run by his brother. In 1825, Emerson enrolled at Harvard School of Divinity and then appointed as pastor in 1829.

Emerson married Ellen Tucker in the same year. When she died of tuberculosis after 18 months of married life, he resigned his position at Church. During his trip to Europe in the year 1832, he met the Romantic poets William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer. His interaction with the romantic poets helped him to form his views on nature and self-reliance.

After his return from Europe, Emerson gave his first public lecture on November 15, 1833, in Boston. This lecture paved the way for his new career, as he became a lecturer for the next fifty years.  

Emerson’s aunt, Mary Moody Emerson, had a profound influence on Emerson. For Emerson, she was a blessing which nothing else in his education could give. Thousands of letters and journal entries written by her became one of Emerson's most important books.

Transcendentalism

“Transcendentalism” was a literary, cultural, and philosophical movement that began in the mid 19th century in New England. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, influenced this movement.

The word “transcendentalism” describes a simple idea that goes beyond normal human senses and receives the guidance through intuition and imagination. VAGUE DEFINITION

Rudolf Waldo Emerson led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Emerson wrote most of his important essays first as lectures and then revised them for print. His first two collections of essays, named “Essays: First Series,” and “Essays: Second Series” were published in 1841 and 1844. The essay “Self-Reliance” was published in “Essays: First Series.” It was considered one of the finest examples of his prose.

The essay “Self-Reliance” consists of many entries that include journal entries and lectures delivered by Emerson. There is no formal thesis statement or well-organized paragraphs. The essay lacks a formal structure.

The essay is divided into three sections: the importance of self-reliance, self-reliance and the individual, and self-reliance and society. The essay discusses self-reliance as a virtue and compares it with different modes of agreement.

Transcendentalism dominated the thinking of the American Renaissance WHAT’S THAT?. Emerson discusses with relevant examples about individualism, confidence, self-reliance, non-conformity, and importance of nature, which are the main characteristics of transcendentalism.

Today everyone believes in “following your heart.” But these words were revolutionary during his time. Young people looked for new values. He encouraged young people to have an attitude that is dependent upon their individual beliefs and ideas.

The following quotes from the essay stress the importance of self-reliance.

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.

Insist on yourself; never imitate.

Discontent is the want of self-reliance: it is infirmity of will.

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

In the essay “Self-Reliance,” Emerson tells his readers to trust their instincts. Every individual is a genius and he/she is capable of discovering this through intuition.

Emerson discusses two facts that discourage people from trusting themselves: one is society's disapproval and the other is foolish consistency.

Publication Date: 04-22-2020

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Dedication:
Self-Reliance