Ralph Waldo Emerson Influence On Society

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Self Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is a piece of literature that shows us what Emerson believes an ideal society should look like. Emerson believed in a society that is supportive of individuals following and trusting their own beliefs instead of conforming to social expectations. Emerson encouraged individuals to be independent by listening to their own voice and to be true to themselves. I believe that an Emersonian society could be an amazing society. However, this society could definitely have negative results on its members. Therefore, in this essay, I will be analyzing Emerson’s attitudes toward law, family, and education.

Emerson’s attitude towards law stresses that an individual has a right to follow whatever law that they …show more content…
Everybody is different and unique in their own ways and nobody is perfect and this conclusion is the message that he tries to convey to his readers. “envy is ignorance, that imitation is suicide.”. Here Emerson wants to advise everyone that being jealous of another person is unnecessary and that it actually hurts you more than you think “imitation is suicide” declares that imitating others is a way of killing your self esteem and your uniqueness. Through self reliance, this can be avoided. There is no reason to envy others when all of us have our own paths to take in life. This relates back to Emerson’s overall message that an individual should listen to their own voice and be true to themselves, following someone else’s footsteps and trying to be someone you are not goes against his words. Emerson also once said “a man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace.” Through this quote Emerson wants us to know that effort is key. To be able to attempt perfection is by putting time, dedication, and originality into what you are doing, whether it is learning new things or trying to accomplish a goal you must throw yourself into it. Whether or not the results are what you expected the most important thing is how you got to the final results. Success is not measured by results, but instead is measured by the amount you have tried something, with the intentions to do your best. Education plays a major role in this moral because as you are trying to succeed something you will definitely have ups and downs from which you can learn
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