Ralph Waldo Emerson Influence On Society

Words: 1186
Pages: 5
Open Document
Self Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is a piece of literature that shows us what Emerson believes an ideal society should look like. Emerson believed in a society that is supportive of individuals following and trusting their own beliefs instead of conforming to social expectations. Emerson encouraged individuals to be independent by listening to their own voice and to be true to themselves. I believe that an Emersonian society could be an amazing society. However, this society could definitely have negative results on its members. Therefore, in this essay, I will be analyzing Emerson’s attitudes toward law, family, and education.

Emerson’s attitude towards law stresses that an individual has a right to follow whatever law that they …show more content…
Everybody is different and unique in their own ways and nobody is perfect and this conclusion is the message that he tries to convey to his readers. “envy is ignorance, that imitation is suicide.”. Here Emerson wants to advise everyone that being jealous of another person is unnecessary and that it actually hurts you more than you think “imitation is suicide” declares that imitating others is a way of killing your self esteem and your uniqueness. Through self reliance, this can be avoided. There is no reason to envy others when all of us have our own paths to take in life. This relates back to Emerson’s overall message that an individual should listen to their own voice and be true to themselves, following someone else’s footsteps and trying to be someone you are not goes against his words. Emerson also once said “a man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace.” Through this quote Emerson wants us to know that effort is key. To be able to attempt perfection is by putting time, dedication, and originality into what you are doing, whether it is learning new things or trying to accomplish a goal you must throw yourself into it. Whether or not the results are what you expected the most important thing is how you got to the final results. Success is not measured by results, but instead is measured by the amount you have tried something, with the intentions to do your best. Education plays a major role in this moral because as you are trying to succeed something you will definitely have ups and downs from which you can learn
Show More

Related Documents: Ralph Waldo Emerson Influence On Society

Transcendentalism Research Paper

movement that celebrated the inherent greatness of humanity and the beauty of nature. With its roots in the ideas of thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, Transcendentalism urged people to trust their intuition and self-reliance while seeking a deeper connection with the universe itself. But what exactly is Transcendentalism, and how did it influence American literature and culture? Transcendentalism is grounded in the belief that individuals possess an innate understanding of…

Words 1171 - Pages 5

Individualism Vs Transcendentalism

Once quoted by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “ Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” is one of many influential quotes said by Ralph. This quote can be inferred as, it is not necessary to follow successful people to become successful, instead become a leader yourself, do something that no one had never done before and inspire others. The writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, poet and led the transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century…

Words 281 - Pages 2

Ralph Waldo Emerson And Self Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 and is famously known as an American writer and poet who influenced the transcendentalism movement in the 19th century. Through Emerson’s work he depicted a main idea of self reliance. Emerson’s beliefs revealed we are losing originality by conforming to society and not realizing a true genius. Emerson uses these examples to help us realize people should be their own individual. What does Emerson mean by self reliance? “For Emerson, however, the concept…

Words 724 - Pages 3

Engineering Essay

The perfect human would be disease free and have no “flaws”. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist philosopher during the 19th century and one of his best known essays is “Self­Reliance”. John Locke was an English empiricist philosopher who hypothesized that all individuals were born with a blank slate or Tabula Rasa. Using the works of philosophers Emerson and Locke, genetic engineering would be unethical to them. If genetic engineering were promoted into society to eradicate human “flaws” and create a perfect human physical state…

Words 876 - Pages 4

Essay Two Idealists

infamous Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the same room from their pasts and had them critique your life? Well, I believe that Thoreau and Emerson would highly disagree with the way I am living my life because I am living a complicated life, I do not question the ways of authority, and I aim to be well known as a hockey player. To start with, both Emerson and Thoreau would disagree with my abstruse life. Henry David Thoreau tests the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson about nature by living alone…

Words 660 - Pages 3

How Does Transcendentalism Impact On Society

large impact on society because many people are hiding their Transcendentalism views through music, poems, speeches and literature. It is reasonable to teach Transcendentalism to the students because it gives us life lessons and a piece of history to remember. The belief where all man is individual is something I will carry everyday because we should not always depend on someone forever. Another belief that I will carry is breaking something that we think is wrong. This belief influences us to speak…

Words 490 - Pages 2

Rought Ledgens Essay

be traced as the root of a change. It is something that the newest generation had which the older generation did not. In most cases, the newer generation embraces the technology, whereas the older generation may not. This can be found in today’s society as well. For example, the day my father decided to get an iPhone, was probably the last time he was able to receive a phone call on the first try. He is not used to a change that may make life easier for most, for something he has been doing for his…

Words 1105 - Pages 5

Essay 2

Stephanie Silva ENGL 2123A Dr. Watson 9 March 2015 A Battle: Self versus Society Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” This famous quote reflects the tension felt between the individual and society for some of the later Romantic writers and is apparent in their work. Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau firmly believed that the individual should separate from society’s…

Words 2083 - Pages 9

Emerson's Self-Reliance: The Importance Of Nonconformity

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance” conveys his belief in the importance of nonconformity, by using his philosophical, religious, social, and ethic beliefs. Emerson’s view on life was very philosophical. The essay states ,“To believe your own thought, to be believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men ,- that is genius.” This quote represents the philosophical view on transcendentalism, which states that every person has an inborn knowledge or intuition that…

Words 517 - Pages 3

Chris Mccandless

Impact “The core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences.” (John Krakauer Into the Wild) With increasing pressure to live a life his parents chose for him; new experiences, a different life, Chris McCandless sought out to find who he was, without influence. To understand the impact that transcendentalism had on Chris McCandless’ journey, I must first explain what transcendentalism is. Transcendentalism noun (an idealistic philosophical and social movement which developed in New England around 1836…

Words 865 - Pages 4