“Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson



Background: The text you are about to read was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1841 and discusses the important of being self-reliant. Emerson was one of the major figures of a movement called Transcendentalism, a specifically American philosophical movement that helped shape the very idea of an American identity during the era of Jacksonian democracy, rising tensions between the North and South, and westward expansion. The Transcendentalists placed human thought and emotional at the center of experience and viewed humans as inherently good and full of knowledge. Thus, self-knowledge and self-realization are essential to happiness and improving self and society. Nature as a source of liberation and inspiration, individual connection and communication with God, and social-reform are all key elements of the transcendental movement. The term itself comes from Transcendentalists belief that this fundamental “divine” knowledge that we all possess allows us to “transcend” the physical and rational and reach an idealized spiritual state.

“Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Read “Self Reliance.”

• While you read: Annotate essay- look for Transcendentalist elements, key words/phrases, write in the margins, etc.

• After you read: Find your favorite 3 lines/quotes and summarize Emerson’s main ideas in a few sentences on this worksheet

Example:

Quote: “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, —that is genius” (Emerson 1).

Summarize:

1. Line/Quote:

Summarize:

2. Line/Quote:

Summarize:

3. Line/Quote:

Summarize:

**To summarize is to state the main ideas briefly in your own words, leaving out less important details. Here’s some steps to follow to help you write your summary:

• In each paragraph, identify the one or two most important phrases or statements.

• Write a sentence of your own to express the main idea of each statement you identified.

• Pull your sentences together into a single summary

Look/annotate for these elements while you are reading!

|Transcendentalist Elements |

|Self-reliance/intuition |

|Importance of nature |

|Free thought and expression |

|The individual is important/nonconformity |

|Confidence |

| |

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