Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and Self Reliance

1471 Words6 Pages
The transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century was a turning point in American intellectual thought. The transcendentalists believed that people needed to distance themselves from the propaganda that was being forced into their minds by the institutions and organizations that dominated society. While there is no set code of beliefs that all transcendentalists live by, the movement is typically characterized by one common theme—that the individual needs to separate themselves from the pressures and coercions of society. Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman and Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson both argue that it is vital for individuals to retain their sense of self in a society. In Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Whitman connects individuals by the means of common experiences between all people. In Self Reliance, Emerson stresses the importance of adhering to one’s individuality and personal virtues. Both of these works, while having essentially dissimilar themes, argue that it is essential for all people to maintain a strong sense of individuality and independence in order for the society as a whole to flourish. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” argues that one must stay true to his or her own thought and value oneself as an individual. Emerson believed that in order for society to move forward, individuals within the society needed to be able to think and depend on themselves. Independence from outside thought and opinion is the only way that humans can acquire true knowledge. Emerson proposed that this idea of “self-reliance” would in fact push society forward. In the Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism, Tiffany K. Wayne writes that: “Emerson's goal was not merely to promote unchecked individualism without regard at all to society. He believed that the creation of more self-reliant individuals would eventually benefit society…” By distancing
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