Essay 2
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Paul Hunt
Self- Reliance
‘Self- Reliance’’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson relates to the American soul through different characteristics. Three of these characteristics are open-minded, opportunistic and creativity. These characteristics are good examples of the American soul. The first characteristic is open-minded. In the essay “Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you.”(Emerson, 210) can be interpreted as accepting yourself as you are and not worry about being like someone else. It means your destiny awaits you. The characteristic open minded is displayed in “The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried”,( Emerson 209). This is being open-minded because it’s saying you will never know what you can do until you try it. An open mind is needed in order to take different directions in life. “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind”, (Emerson 210), shows the acceptance that you control how you think of things. Allowing one’s self to be open to new ideas. My second characteristic is opportunistic. In the story when it says “And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny”( Emerson 210), I believe this is saying think higher of yourself and go forward in life. You should take the next step up. “No kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.”( Emerson 209) This means that you have to make something out of what you have. You already have the foundation, and you must take the opportunities that you are given to make things change. The last line I thought related to this characteristic was “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity
of your own mind”.( Emerson 210) I interpreted this as meaning that you are the only person that knows your limits. You have total control of all of your choices. Creativity is the third characteristic. “Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none.” (Emerson 209). This is an example of how creativity showing how people view things differently. What impresses or affects one person one way will do some different to another person. A person with positive views will see good things while another person may not see it the same way. A person’s mind allows them to be creative in how they view things. In the line “The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray.” ( Emerson, 210) shows creativity from your own eye. When a person sees something for themselves they can then interpret what it means from their point of view. It also means that what you see is what you get, it’s how you describe something. ” It is not without pre-established harmony, this sculpture in the memory” (Emerson 210) displays creativity by showing that it’s up to a person to do something with what the knowledge they have in them. You can use what you’ve been taught to the best of your ability. I believe the ‘’Self- Reliance’’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson has many characteristics of the American soul. I chose the three that I felt were easily interpreted through his essay. Emerson’s essay shows how the American soul is open-minded and opportunistic through his words to the reader. He encourages the reader to use their creativity to make their situation better.
Self- Reliance
‘Self- Reliance’’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson relates to the American soul through different characteristics. Three of these characteristics are open-minded, opportunistic and creativity. These characteristics are good examples of the American soul. The first characteristic is open-minded. In the essay “Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you.”(Emerson, 210) can be interpreted as accepting yourself as you are and not worry about being like someone else. It means your destiny awaits you. The characteristic open minded is displayed in “The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried”,( Emerson 209). This is being open-minded because it’s saying you will never know what you can do until you try it. An open mind is needed in order to take different directions in life. “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind”, (Emerson 210), shows the acceptance that you control how you think of things. Allowing one’s self to be open to new ideas. My second characteristic is opportunistic. In the story when it says “And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny”( Emerson 210), I believe this is saying think higher of yourself and go forward in life. You should take the next step up. “No kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.”( Emerson 209) This means that you have to make something out of what you have. You already have the foundation, and you must take the opportunities that you are given to make things change. The last line I thought related to this characteristic was “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity
of your own mind”.( Emerson 210) I interpreted this as meaning that you are the only person that knows your limits. You have total control of all of your choices. Creativity is the third characteristic. “Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none.” (Emerson 209). This is an example of how creativity showing how people view things differently. What impresses or affects one person one way will do some different to another person. A person with positive views will see good things while another person may not see it the same way. A person’s mind allows them to be creative in how they view things. In the line “The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray.” ( Emerson, 210) shows creativity from your own eye. When a person sees something for themselves they can then interpret what it means from their point of view. It also means that what you see is what you get, it’s how you describe something. ” It is not without pre-established harmony, this sculpture in the memory” (Emerson 210) displays creativity by showing that it’s up to a person to do something with what the knowledge they have in them. You can use what you’ve been taught to the best of your ability. I believe the ‘’Self- Reliance’’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson has many characteristics of the American soul. I chose the three that I felt were easily interpreted through his essay. Emerson’s essay shows how the American soul is open-minded and opportunistic through his words to the reader. He encourages the reader to use their creativity to make their situation better.
