Rhetorical Devices In Self Reliance

In "Self-Reliance," philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that people shouldn't be reliant on what others in society think. The main point of this essay is for people in society to realize that the only way to be comfortable is to be uncomfortable first. Throughout the essay it can be complicating to understand what Emerson is trying to accomplish. In the first paragraph Emerson states," The soul always hears an admonition in such lines." He also writes," Watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind." Lastly Emerson claims," we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinions from another."
When Emerson states," The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may" he wants the reader to think about

this in depth. This quote is talking about how when true emotion is showed it is a beautiful thing. No words can truly describe how one truly feels, but true emotion can be shown through writing, art, etc. because it is indescribable. Through out life we try to follow what others do but it is never as good as the original. In paragraph twenty-three Emerson states," We are like children who repeat by rote the sentences of grandames and tutors, and, as they grow older." This statement relates to the statement in paragraph one because it talks about how people try to imitate what others do. It doesn't always work when one tries to imitate another because that isn't who they truly are as a person. No one can truly copy what someone else did because when people do things they put our emotions into it so when one imitates another they don't always show the same emotions the person who originally created it does.
"Watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages" (Emerson 1).

Through this statement Emerson is telling the reader to trust themselves. When one has an original thought they tend to disregard that thought because they think others will judge them. When Emerson states," Watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind within"(par. 1) he is talking about a moment of ingenious that no one can put into words. In paragraph twenty-six Emerson refers to the same exact," gleam of light." Emerson believes in a higher power, so when he is referring to a gleam of light he is talking about a moment when one truly feels that higher power. In paragraph one Emerson claims," the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. This relates to the statement," the firmament of bards and sages"(par. 1) because when Moses, Plato, and Milton first tried telling others about there moment of ingenious, others in society would treat them like they were crazy. Even though others in society thought they were crazy they still kept on sharing with other what they believed to be correct and eventually others decided to finally truly listen to what they had to say. They didn't care what other people had to say or that they thought they were crazy because they know what they experienced and nothing can change

that.
"We shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another"(par. 1). By making this statement Emerson gets the reader to think about many times when they have had this happen to them in this past. There has always been a time in everyone's life whether they'd like to admit it or not when this has happened to them. People get so caught up in trying to please others in society that they forget to listen to themselves and not follow others. In the next paragraph Emerson goes more in depth about this by arguing," that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion"(par. 2). Emerson is referring to the moments when people in society pretend to be something there aren't and that when one pretends to be someone else they won't be happy. In both of these statements Emerson is saying how one can have a moment in time when they hear another express the same way they felt about a certain moment and that other person describes it perfectly when the person listening felt the same exact way, but they couldn't describe it. No one likes to have that moment of realization that they don't know what it feels like to do something they like because they have been blinded by society and tried to follow social norms instead of relying on themselves.
Overall the whole purpose of this essay is to get the reader to realize how important it is to be self-reliant and how people have to go out of their way to stand up for what they believe in or to say what they think no matter what. In the end, it doesn't matter what society thinks about one who doesn't follow what is considered to be socially acceptable because if everyone was the same then life would be boring. People have to learn to get out of their comfort-zone because in order to be comfortable one has to be uncomfortable first to know what they are comfortable doing and not doing. Emerson acknowledges," you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other"(par. 1). This statement proves that no one has the same destiny as another and that everyone is meant to follow a different path because no one has the same exact past and one's past helps shape a person. If there weren't people in society who didn't go against social norms and just followed what everyone else did then everyone would be the same. Not everyone is meant to be Doctors or leaders, but sometimes it takes a person a while to realize they aren't following their own path. Self-reliance is an important trait everyone should have because to be self-reliant is to be able to be oneself without worrying about what others think.