Self Reliance - Society never advances "Society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other. ... For every thing that is given something is taken." Emerson, "Self Reliance", p 169 I agree with this statement, and it frustrates me to no end. Our country is screwed up in every direction one looks. People are starving while others have too much money to spend. Our population is out of control. We pollute to no end. Ours is one of the best countries in the world? Society’s tumors seem to keep growing but I want them to end. These problems disturbed me to the point of depression when I discovered them but now I can handle my knowledge. One thing that has helped me is learning about American history. I thought that we teetered on the brink of imminent collapse with budget, environmental, and social problems, but I have learned about the problems that America has dealt with over the years. Now I know that this time period is no worse than the past. Yes, no worse than the past, but like the quote suggests, no better either. We keep trying for advancement, starting new social programs and developing new scientific solutions. Sometimes we make a little headway. When penicillin was discovered, it was a great boon to the medical industry. We are well on the way to loosing that gain as anti-biotic resistant microbes invade our bodies. We have eliminated slavery and segregation but the gap between the rich and poor has grown to compensate for this victory. We make scientific progress yet there are more ox-carts in use across the globe than there ever have been in the history of mankind. Are we actually making progress? I write this on a machine more powerful than the entire computing power of the world just sixty years ago.
I agree with the statement Benjamin Anastas makes about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “self-reliance” of how it is “the most pernicious piece of literature in the American canon” (Anastas 602-603). One reason why I agree with Anastas is that Emerson believes the people are timid and apologetic and do not have opinions of their own. Another reason why I stand alongside Anastas is that Emerson thinks people are afraid of each other and the truth(s) that others have are but quotes from a saint or sage. My final reason that I believe Anastas is correct is due to Emerson believing our society does not gain anything new that makes life worth living.
Ronald Wilson Reagan served two terms as the 40th president of the United States of America. Reagan was known for having a strong faith in the goodness of people. In college he was known as, “the jack of all trades” for excelling in everything he did (“Life Before the Presidency”). President Reagan’s beliefs gave him lots of respect from citizens around the world. One of his main beliefs was that peace comes with strength. I believe that Ronald Reagan was a great president because of his leadership qualities, domestic policies, and foreign policies.
Reasons: Some of the reasons I think this statement is not true are, even thought society has improved since historical times, society still has many problems and is nowhere near being a perfect world and fixing every flaw. We see and hear about people around us getting hurt everyday from various issues that have not been solved, yet we have not made a serious effort in order to stop issues that are happening around us every day, if human beings tried harder to make change there is the possibility that society as a whole would become better place to live for everyone. If everyone honestly wanted to end all problems in the world, there should be a greater effort put in to stop them.
Reasons: Some of the reasons I think this statement is not true are, even thought society has improved since historical times, society still has many problems and is nowhere near being a perfect world and fixing every flaw. We see and hear about people around us getting hurt everyday from various issues that have not been solved, yet we have not made a serious effort in order to stop issues that are happening around us every day, if human beings tried harder to make change there is the possibility that society as a whole would become better place to live for everyone. If everyone honestly wanted to end all problems in the world, there should be a greater effort put in to stop them.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was always in the front of the public eye; Reagan’s first passion was that of an actor. From 1935-1965 Reagan was involved with in radio broadcasting, television shows and was staring in over 50 Hollywood films. Through out his early years Reagan was seen as a leader evident by his selection as the student body President in high school and later on at Eureka (Illinois) College. He enlisted in to the Army Reserve as a Private but was soon promoted to Second Lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps of the Cavalry in 1937. He was call to active duty in the Army Air Force and assigned to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City California where was involved with making over 400 training films from 1942 thru 1945. ...
The fallowing passage is about Ronald Reagan and his heroic accomplishments that made his legacy. It contains specific information on how he accomplished the things he did, and covers why he is a hero in many peoples opinion.
Introduction Reagan, Ronald Wilson (1911- ),the 40th president of the United States (1981-1989), enforced the policies that reversed a general direction of movement toward greater government involvement in economic and social regulation. Reagan as the younger of two sons, was born in Tampico, Illinois and spent most of his childhood in Dixon, Illinois. After studying at Eureka College,a small Disciples of Christ college near Peoria, Illinois, he majored in economics, and became the president of the student body, a member of the football team, and captain of the swimming team. He had special drawings toward acting, but after the graduation in 1932 the only job available related to show business was as a local radio sportscaster. In 1936 he became a sportscaster for station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa. A year latter, Reagan went to Hollywood and began an acting career that spanned more than 25 years. He played in more than 50 films, including "Knute Rockne"-All American (1940), "King's Row" (1942), and "Bedtime for Bonzo" (1951). Early political career Reagan's first political activities were associated with his responsibilities as a union leader. As union president, Reagan tried to remove suspected Communists from the movie industry. When the U.S. House Committee. Began an investigation in 1947 on the influence of Communists in the film industry, Reagan took a strong anti-Communist stand testifying before the committee. Reagan emerged on the national political scene in 1964 when he made fervent television speech supports for the Republican presidential candidate, United States Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona. Although the election was lost, Reagan's speech brought in money and admiration from Republicans around the country. After the speech a group of Republicans in California persuaded Reagan to run for governor of California in 1966. Reagan appealed to traditional Republican voters. He defeated Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, Sr., Democrat, by almost a million votes. The election of 1980 Reagan spent years making political friends at party fund-raising dinners around the country. In the election of 1980 for the president, the candidates were Carter and Reagan. The contrast between the television personalities of two candidates was very important to people. Carter’s nervous manner had never been popular to people, while Reagan’s charm and happy face was a call for return to patriotism, which appealed to the public. Many voters believed that Reagan was forceful leader who could get their lives in shape and who could restore prosperity at home.
Ronald Reagan was the true political icon of the twentieth century. The former president is one of the most beloved in American history, and was one of the most respected by foreign nations. Ronald Reagan’s political influence was unprecedented and changed the course of international history.
Skinner, Kiron, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson, eds. Reagan: In His Own Hand. New York: The Free Press, 2001.
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.
Kengo, Paul, and Peter Schweizer. The Reagan Presidency: Assessing the Man and His Legacy. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
Juliana Altman Paper #3 Dr. Cook Communities throughout Time Communities throughout time have been shaped by the change of human rights, religion, and abstruse improvements—and in this case, the status on freedom actuates a communities values, morals, and ethics. The quality of a communities could be joined to its reliance from its physical and social aspects, therefore, when parts of a community are differentiated from those qualities, they end up in danger. In the Return of Martin Guerre, Guerre himself was a prime example of the lack of individualism in the community. Clearly, there is a dilemma between collectivism and individualism within this French 16th century society.
I have recently read Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and with ample time to analyze the passages I have come to the conclusion that even though it was written before our generation it still applies to it fully. Society today has set the laws for both moral behavior, and social behavior. The current generation, just like every one before it, has followed these laws of society like a dumb, but innocent, flock of sheep. I believe it is now time for the public to be aware of its actions. It is time for a light to be shone through the darkness of conformity, and a nation to realize its own shallowness.
Emerson let us know that self reliance is hard and the hardship of trusting our own mind lies in the conspiracy of society against the individual because our society valors conformity. Self reliance requires an individual to return the neutrality and to be nonconformist. According to Emerson self reliance must apply to all aspects of our lives. In “ Self Reliance” Emerson argued that society never advance and civilization has not led to any improvement of our society. In all Emerson’s writings, he holds onto his belief firmly as the right path for all
Summarize in Emerson story “Self Reliance,” he talks about being an individual and not relying on others to shape you as a person or mold your ideas into their own. He said society has an effect on the growth of a person’s spirit. Emerson says “society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” This means society is shaping people to be the same and have the same values in life.