Ralf Waldo Emerson an American Poet who writes “From The American Scholar” and Tom Shadyac director of the film “I am” through their work, express common views of the problems in the world and that the solution to these problems are in the hands of the people. Shadyac’s film and the quote from Emerson’s book indicate that each person has the power to make a difference in the world if they are able to recognize the problems and possess the will to pursue the solutions. Emerson writes “The world is his who can see through its pretension” to inform the reader that success in the world belong to the person who is able to recognize everything that is false, the pressures of society, the unrealistic expectations, the negative values, and is not influence by them. When he writes “What deafness, what stone-blind custom, what overgrown error you behold, is there only by sufferance…by your sufferance”, he demonstrates that people put up with or accept and do not question or challenge norms, bad behavior, wrong doing and questionable traditions that they are not in agreement with. Instead they turn a blind eye and …show more content…
pretend it does not affect them even though it does affect them. He also writes “See it to be a lie, and you have already dealt it its mortal blow” to make the point that once people identify the image that is portray in the world as unreal, unjust and make an effort to correct the wrong, they have broken the cycle of injustices. A philosopher from Shadyac’s film express the view that “Materialism is a half way to happiness” even though many people in the world think that wealth and happiness are synonymous.
People who are successful purchase big houses, go on expensive vacations and live a life of luxury only to realize that they are not happier than the time they had nothing. He gave another example of an unhappy person who is naked, hungry and outdoor in the cold. He is given food, clothing and taken inside and instantly he becomes happy. These examples complement Emerson’s quote “The world is his who can see through its pretensions” because once a person is able to see that the things society values do not bring them true happiness they will be open to sharing with others. True happiness is achieved with the fulfilment of basic needs and wants, and not with the hoarding of
wealth. Shady’s film highlights an example of the accepted norm of society where people “Needing to be significant at someone expense” regardless of the negative effect it may have on the other person. It illustrates that people compete against each other to achieve their individual goals instead of working together to achieve one common goal. The mindset of people is self interest. They ask, what do I get out of this? Instead of, what can I do? They are not willing to extend a helping hand if they are not getting something in return, even if getting something in return is at the expense of others. The example of self interest relates to Emerson’s quote, “What deafness, what stone-blind custom, what overgrown error you behold, is it there only by sufferance,… by your sufferance” because both of them speak to suffering that people endure because of others selfish actions. In Shadyac’s film, Tutu speaks about the movement against apartheid. He said change happened because someone was concern about the unjust things that were taking place in South Africa. As a result of the concern, a coalition was formed by the people and later the coalition became a movement. The movement was able to overcome apartheid. The speech by Tutu is in line with Emerson’s quote, “See it to be a lie, and you have already dealt it its mortal blow” because once the people of South Africa were able to see that apartheid was wrong, a lie, they formed a coalition that turned into a movement and the movement ended apartheid, dealt it a mortal blow.
Key Ideas and Details (a) What terms does Emerson use to describe society? (b) Interpret: According to Emerson, what is society’s main purpose? (c) Draw Conclusions: In what ways does Emerson believe people should be affected by the way others perceive them? a: He describes it in a conformist tone describing how they strive for consistency and are therefore cowards in their unwillingness to expand to new and unique ideas and ways of thinking.
One of the primary issues that Emerson tried to convey was that one must follow what they believe is true for themselves and not listen to what other people think. He states, “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps perfect sweetness the independence of solitude(Emerson 151).” One of the definitions of the word “world” is “human society.” The word “opinion” means “a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter.” By putting these words together, Emerson is implying that the “world’s opinion” is the general point of view accepted by most of society. Emerson also uses the word, “solitude” which means, “the quality or state of being alone or remote from society.” By also using the word “solitude” in this sentence, he shows a contrast between the majority (society), and the individual. What Emerson suggests is that if one can live in a world full of people who think a certain way because they were taught to believe that way, but still hold your own ground and follow what you believe, you are a great person.
“What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think.” (Emerson, 552) demonstrates that Emerson wants individuals to discover their true self that have unique way of thinking and should have a strong sense of self; The strong sense of self is also presented by “A great man is coming to eat at my house. I do not wish to please him: I wish that he should wish to please me.” (Emerson, 555) while stating that nobody’s ideas should be less valued. Through “The one thing in the world of value, is, the active soul, --the soul, free, sovereign, active.” (Emerson, 539) he shows his preference of resisting influences thinkers in past brings because he believes individuals nowadays can come up with better ideas and reading old ones will hold creativity back. In case that Emerson sticks with the stand that everybody can look into themselves carefully and bring up brand new and great thoughts to contribute to the world, he has no compassion toward poor people. If each individual has ability to be self-reliant, and then the only reason why poor people are poor is that they do not even try to manage their destiny. Therefore, unlike Franklin, Emerson questions “Are they my poor?” (Emerson, 552) to blame poor people.
Emerson states, “I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle.” (Emerson 274), one must live life doing what he believes in not for what society expects of him. In this an individual is able to achieve detachment from the “moral” chains that make an individual fake and ironically ultimately unmoral. As David Jacobson states: “Indifference is set out as a posture of immediate judgment, and moreover, the posture from which genuine verdicts derive. If the boy 's attitude is one of irresponsibility, then the effect of his attitude is evaluation of the most authentic kind.” This implies a person can only achieve a genuine conclusion if his mind is unclouded with responsibility and attachment. Once an individual caves into societies demands in the name of correctness, he then loses that integrity and becomes a biased product of society, in turn forfeiting his own self. This highlights another idea of transcendentalism which is true freedom trough a person’s understanding of himself and the connection with God and nature from such. In Self-Reliance this is viewed clearly trough Emerson’s clear criticism of philanthropist’s and those who give to others to atone for their mistakes and appease their consciences. As the author expresses, “I tell thee, thou foolish philanthropist, that I grudge the dollar, the dime, the cent, I give to such men as do not belong to me and to whom I do not belong,” (Emerson 274) one should not give to those he does not genuinely care about. transcendentalist thought showcases the belief of accepting oneself and embracing our intuition. This intuition is what is closest to nature and thus God. Likewise, Emerson praises the value of accepting new ideas and thoughts as they come along our progression through life as he states, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emerson is a firm believer of maintaining self-reliance and values rather than following the crowd. He also explains that in order to be truly successful in life, a person must make decisions and trust in his or her judgment. In today’s society, teenagers are more likely to not be self-reliant because the teens feel they will be judged for having different beliefs. People today need to realize that they should not conform to be like the rest of the world, they must not depend on the judgment and criticism of others, and people must refuse to travel somewhere in order to forget their personal problems. Through Emerson’s piece, readers are able to reflect on how people in the world today must try to be independent of others and uphold their personal opinions and philosophy.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” essay is one of his most compelling and thought provoking pieces of work. It is compelling in the sense of its lyrical condonation as he writes his feelings in an infinitesimal usage of time. It is thought provoking in that it drives the reader to believe in their own intuition and common sense rather than conforming to the comfortable and easy agreeability of popular opinion. “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” (Emerson, pp. 1). This statement reflects his notion that people should search for direction through their inner-self with separation from the influences of philosophical
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "The American Scholar." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 2nd. ed. Vol I. Lexington: Heath, 1994. 1529-1541. Retrieved from http://itech.fgcu.edu/&/issues/vol1/issues/emerson.htm
In Emerson's Self-Reliance we see the crowning work of the transcendentalist movement. In this piece Emerson explains his belief in the innate divinity of man and defines our "Self-Reliance" as the broad identity in which we personally participate. Emerson challenges his readers to not conform to traditional practices in a variety of realms. However, he punctuates just four aspects of these challenges to tradition and they are: religion, education, art, and society. I found these passages to be the best representatives of Emerson's ideology due to their poignancy and numbered paragraphs. He talks of these challenges to man as revolutions due to a greater self-reliance. The profoundness of thought in this piece is surprising to me given the historical period Emerson was bathed in. His thoughts on genius are the means of conveyance for his ideal about nonconformity and originality. Also, the personal and emotional connection with which Emerson uses to convey original thoughts and ideas is apparent in his evaluation of great minds of the past.
The theme of Self-Reliance is an elaboration of this idealist theme: "we are to follow our own lights." The Over-soul, "the only prophet of that which must be," is both "the act of seeing and the thing seen." It creates our world in depth by means of our insight and interpretations. Emerson's great emphasis upon nonconformity and integrity shows that this Over-soul creates a world through individuals rather than through the conformity of s...
It is not a crime to want to be like other people, to fit in with the popular kids, to be accepted into society with all its glory, or is it? One of America’s most influential writer and thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson – in his essay, Self-Reliance - has a unique opinion on the idea of one’s desire to model another’s respectable actions. He believes that all people should look into themselves and follow their own heart instead of trying to be like everyone else. Emerson’s well thought out figurative language, innovative rhetorical strategies, and remarkable style helps him show the people his individualistic approach.
Emerson begins his major work on individualism by asserting the importance of thinking for oneself rather than meekly accepting other people’s ideas. As in almost all of his work, he promotes individual experience over the knowledge gained from books: “To believe that what is true in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius.” The person who scorns personal intuition and, instead, chooses to rely on others’ opinions lacks the creative power necessary for robust, bold individualism. This absence of conviction results not in different ideas, as this person expects, but in the acceptance of the same ideas—now secondhand thoughts—that this person initially intuited.
In The Happy Man’s Shirt the theme is that one is never truly and fully happy. Even when one seems completely happy, there is always a want for more. In the tale the king thought he had found a man who was the happiest man alive but when the king asked the man to be his bishop the man said “‘Oh, majesty, if only it were so!’”(The Happy Man’s Shirt 1) The king instantly threw the man out reasoning that he wants a man who is happy the way he is. A man who is fully and truly happy doesn’t need wealth fame or fortune, he is happy with what he has got. In addition, one can seem to have everything but be fearful of what to come. Such as in the italian tale, when in search for the happiest man in the land a king was found who seemed to have everything,
Although fear of change may be inherent in human nature showing it may take longer for mankind to accept innovative or enlightened ideas and inventions showing that those who created these ideas and inventions at their time most likely was seen to be insane or a heretic. These great people were ahead of their time therefore misunderstood. While this may be an interpretation of this quote, in the context of the essay “Self-Reliance” it becomes apparent that Emerson is advocating for more than what is on the surface. This quote is the heart of Transcendentalism. Using the theme of individuality to follow one’s heart and a nonconformist ideology there is a possibility of contradiction of actions and thoughts which creates a fog of
Emerson through the American scholar has encouraged writers to write with freedom that helps people research more than memorizing texts. The literature in America has changed since and many would refer to his speech as the intellectual declaration of independence like writers from Boston of his time did. The change in literature has thus helped scholars be more efficient and creative by researching on subjects rather than memorizing facts about them. Individuals working independently helps maintain self trust that contributes to unification of society in the country.
Apart from the stronger focus on the common life, the importance rendered to the individual was another political phenomenon characteristic of the time, which is in line with and also adds to Emerson’s idea of an American scholar, who has to be someone who “take(s) up into himself all the ability of the time, all the contribution of the past, all the hopes of the future” and becomes “a university of knowledges”. Emerson therefore claim that the American scholars should refuse the “courtly muses of Europe” and “walk on [their] own feet; … work with [their] own hands; … speak out [their] own minds”.