Self-Reliance Analysis Essay

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The essay "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson can be categorized as the archetype of his transcendental philosophies. Throughout the essay he defends his famous catchphrase "trust thyself". Emerson’s argument follows three major points: self-contained genius, the world’s disapproval, and self-worth. Emerson uses persuasive rhetoric and literary devices such as metaphors and parallelism to express his transcendental ideas of the dangers of conformity and the importance of being an individual in "Self-Reliance". Even through the changes that society as a whole has experienced from Emerson’s time to our own, Emerson’s idea continues to hold merit; society continues to disapprove and put down those that are individuals only to protect its-self and hold on to what is known. Emerson writes using persuasive rhetoric to stress his ideas of the dangers of the conformity that faces mankind and the importance of being an individual. "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immoral palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness." Emerson states that a man to become an individual must question every orthodox belief that he faces and must decide what he believes to be true, not what society thinks to be true. Emerson writes in this persuasive rhetoric to try and convince the reader of the potential dangers of conformity as society will harm the individuals. "Society everywhere is a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members." Emerson states that man must be self-reliant and trust themselves in order to be an individual. "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." Through this Emerson is making a direct appeal to the reader as to say that they fall into the category of those that must trust themselves to make right decisions. Emerson's style of persuasive rhetoric to convey his
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