Self Reliance Argument

Lauren Garneau
Ms. Plackowski
APLC
October 6, 2014
Argument Analysis: Self-Reliance The general argument made by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his work Self-Reliance is that one should have the ability to think for oneself. A man must be able to depend on himself to make reasonable choices throughout their life. More specifically, Emerson argues that there is a distinct point when an individual must accept a unique path that has been established. Emerson focuses on how life has a predetermined direction for a human being. He writes, “Accept the place the divine providence has found for you...” In this passage, Emerson is suggesting that a man must acknowledge that his fate has been produced by an entity greater than man itself. He proclaims that people must learn to accept that they were put in a specific place for a predestined reason. Life does not just happen; there is always a greater explanation for the events that occur. Emerson displays that life is a domino effect; one thing always leads to another and continues on for eternity. Ones awareness of the domino effect then prompts one to accept the path that was originally set for them. A person is able to come to the
realization that modifying their pre established life takes a great deal of power. In conclusion, Emerson’s belief is that a man’s life cannot be easily altered; it is created by a force greater than any other and leaves very little room for a man to intervene. Emerson also focuses on how society derails one from their destined life.
He writes, “...we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us.” In this passage, Emerson suggests that society is the greater power; the power that allows no room for one to express their individuality. Society does not give a man the option to explore what life has to offer. Emerson reveals that society is the reason why people are not able to act like themselves; it has pre made norms and rules that everyone follows with little question. A single person does not have the power to go against the rest of society and make an impact. In conclusion, Emerson’s belief is that society deprecates the thoughts of individuals because it has enough power to sway ones position and people are used to following set rules and
norms. In my opinion, Emerson is right to an extent because society does act as a greater power but, a man is still able to think for himself. More specifically, one does not have to conform to society’s beliefs because they have the right to control their own mind. For example, everyone is able to try something new in their life; society cannot force someone to act like somebody else no matter how hard they try. People are constantly told to follow the crowd rather than being told to express themselves and who they really are. Although Emerson might object that man shuns their opportunities to be different, I maintain that society as a whole is the only reason everyone conforms to its beliefs. Society created the rules and norms that individuals follow today and society follows them because they do not know how to live a life without them. If these rules and norms were erased from society, people would be able to express their beliefs without feeling judged or almost like a copy of someone else. Therefore, I conclude that society has an incredibly large power over an individual, but it should not have the ability to run one's life and how they choose to live it. Overall, Emerson believes that a man’s fate is determined prior to his existence. He concludes that society has a big impact on how a man acts and how the rest of his life plays out. However, people have the ability to transform their life to something completely different no matter how hard society tries to stop this individual. To conclude, a person has the capability to override the greater power of society and live life for themselves.