Essay - Self-reliance and Bravery Ralph Waldo Emerson's Famous Essay 'Self-reliance' Revolves...

Self-Reliance and Bravery

***** Waldo Emerson's famous essay "Self-Reliance" revolves around two key ideas: conformity ***** consistency. Emerson says that in order for an individual to be self-reliant, he or she must come ***** terms with these two ideas. The individual must fight a brave battle and be courageous to ***** successful in achieving self-reliance. Bravery is a two fold process f***** *****. First, the individual must be brave internally and understand what he or she wants. Secondly, the individual must be willing ***** brave the external criticism of society while pursuing his or her own path in life.

***** first ***** requires ***** ***** person knows him or herself very well. The first few pages of the essay are concerned with trust*****g oneself. Emerson says that individuals must "believe your ***** thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart ***** true for all men, - ***** is genius" (Emerson 147). The rudi*****tary step ***** ***** process of bravery is ***** understand what is in one's heart and understand ***** it is that an individual believes to be true.

Emerson says that all great men have already done so. These great men have trusted their innermost *****s which Emer*****n sees as a reflection of the divine being.

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string...Great men ***** always done so, and confided themselves childlike ***** the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the ab*****lutely trustworthy w***** seated at ***** *****, working through their hands, predomin*****ing in ***** their *****." (Emerson 148)

Emerson believed ***** if the ***** was brave and honest what he or ***** understood about the w*****ld would be the truth. If people can achieve that, then the power ***** is work*****g through them is part ***** the divine soul that Emerson ***** have called the over*****. People ***** connect to the oversoul according to ***** essay "Nature" when they have a moment of mystic*****l understanding (Lewis). This is the highest achievement and Emerson believes that people must be brave and sincere to reach it (Lewis).

If people ***** brave and sincere, ***** will naturally know ***** they have goodness in their hearts. Emerson tells the story of when he ***** a young boy *****nd an elder asked him a religious question. Emerson questioned the v*****lidity ***** an external question when as he says "What have I to do with the sacredness of tradition, if I live wholly from within?" (Emerson 149). The elder *****ed Emerson as to how he would ***** if his impulses came from hell. ***** **********, "They do not seem to me to be such; but if I am the Devil's child, ***** ***** live *****n from the Devil" (Emerson 150). It seems that Emerson ***** himself and was able to trust himself from a very young age. Then, through ***** writing he tries to get o*****rs to ***** the same.

Finding ***** ********** within oneself to ***** self-reliant and think independently is only half of