Self Reliance Ralph Waldo Emerson What do you

“Self Reliance” Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you think? What kind of impact did this essay have on you? • Share reactions

Which does Emerson value more – original thought or traditional wisdom? • He values original thought. • “imitation is suicide” • “Whose would be a man, must be a nonconformist”

According to Emerson, which virtue does society demand most – truth, conformity, creativity, or selfreliance? • Conformity • “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure”

What is the only law that Emerson says can be sacred to him? • His own nature • “No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature” • Emerson believed in the basic goodness of humans, that they would do the right thing if given the chance to make their own decisions.

Summarize Emerson’s main ideas • Do your own thing – “imitation is suicide” • Trust your own ideas – “Trust thyself” – “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist” – “No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature” – “What I must do is all that concerns me”

Summarize Emerson’s main ideas (cont. ) • It’s hard to be a nonconformist – “For nonconformity the world whips you” – “the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude • Don’t let consistency keep you from trusting yourself – “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”

Describe parts of your own life in which Emerson’s ideas might apply • Nonconformity • Disregard for consistency • Peer pressure

If you had heard this essay as a public lecture, what questions would you have liked to ask Emerson directly about his philosophy?

Bonus: identify at least two aphorisms from this essay.

Transcendentalist Literature Chart

Self-reliance/intuition • Title: “Self-Reliance” • “Trust thyself” • “No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature”

Importance of nature • Human nature • “No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature”

Free thought and expression • “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist” • “Speak what you think now in hard words and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again”

Importance of individual/nonconformity • “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. ” • “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. ” • “…the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude…. ”

Confidence • “Speak what you think now in hard words and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said today. ”