Self Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self Reliance" is an essay that calls on individuals to trust their own instincts and intuitions instead of falling in line with the popular beliefs of society. Throughout the essay, Emerson lays out his philosophy of nonconformity and avoiding false consistencies, while urging his readers to "trust thyself." Emerson advocates self reliance as a starting point in achieving the overall goal of being a free man. His commitment to his beliefs and philosophy of individualism can be traced back to influences that include his Aunt Mary, his Harvard education, and the personal losses that he suffered in life.

"Self Reliance" originated from a series of lectures delivered by Emerson from 1836-1837, and was first published in 1841 as a part of a collection. Emerson used feedback and audience response to his lectures to shape the final form of his essays, including "Self Reliance." While this may conflict with his advocating of nonconformity and the "following of one's own instincts and ideas," Emerson's writings have been used as an inspiration for generations of writers, and have had an influence on other writers in American literature including Dickinson, Whitman, and Frost.

Ralph Waldo Emerson's strong commitment to his personal beliefs was influenced by his Aunt Mary, who served as his principal educator and inspiration early in his life. While her Calvinism was in contrast to his free-thinking Transcendentalism, she encouraged the variety in his of reading challenged his thinking, seeding a style that would challenge the shallow ideals of institutionalism. In "Self Reliance," Emerson expresses his principles through examples, repetition, and reinforcement. Having been influenced by an aunt whose belief in preordained destiny differed from his own beliefs, Emerson would learned early to ensure that his freethinking ideas were well supported by examples.

"Self Reliance" contains references to several historical individuals such as Socrates and Shakespeare, as well as metaphorical language and quotations. This style in Emerson's writing can be attributed to his Harvard education. Emerson uses several quotations that can be seen today on inspirational posters, calendars, and heard in rousing self-help seminars: "What I do is all that concerns me, not what people think," "With consistency a great soul has nothing to do," and "Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." Emerson was obviously well educated, and it reflects in his writing.

At the time of its publishing, "Self Reliance" was regarded as rebellious in that his message was quite clear: conforming to the will of the popular majority is not the act of a free man. While Emerson was not anti-establishment, he was certainly a nonconformist. This would not be possible without a great deal