Preview

True Freedom

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
539 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
True Freedom
Samanta Gonzalez
Prompt: Select one of Emerson’s quotations below and write an essay supporting or refuting his message.
“Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.”

Conspiracy is defined as “a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful;” however, I believe that is no secret how our society is hurting it’s own members. In his essay, Ralph Waldo Emerson talks about the importance of individualism and self-trust. The time period which he lived in affected the way he wrote his essay. Yet, I think that his essay is even more beneficial in today’s time. People are always trying to fit in. It seems that to be a part of something make them feel contempt. What people never think about though is that we are already a part of something: ourselves. Our bodies are like perfect machines, and our brains can store extraordinary amount of information. How we decide to live comes from within, it shouldn’t be affected by our surroundings. Individualism is what’s brought the world to succeed (if that’s what we can call it). It was Da Vinci trusting his individualism that made him go against even his own church and further explore his curiosities. John Lennon’s individualism beliefs went around the world inspiring people to keep fighting to get where they want to get, to fight against the system that is retaining us from being free. Then, why do people still follow society? Humans are very judgmental; especially women. We are always criticizing the choices of other people. As cause and effect, the people being criticized fall into pressure and try their best to be meet the other people’s requirements to stay out of judgment. Then, we’ve got group of people acting alike to avoid being criticized. And, without being literally ruled by a certain type of government, they live in fascism controlled by their own selves. The best people, the ones that don’t fall into that category and that refuse to follow society, they

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    4. What does Emerson think of people who call for consistency in thought and action and who fear being misunderstood?…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    4. What does Emerson think of people who call for consistency in thought and action and who fear being misunderstood?…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    perceptions. Emerson’s philosophy has less to do with action and more to do with with a…

    • 844 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    4. What does Emerson think of people who call for consistency in thought and action and who fear being misunderstood?…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every society has a mold. If a person cannot fit into that mold, they cannot conform to that society, which leaves them as an individual. Society can be a detriment to one’s individuality by casting them aside and portraying them as an evil.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Most individuals feel the need to fit in or to follow society. With the constant judgment of who and what to be in life is difficult while trying to stay true to ones self. Although there are individuals who prioritize their self- identity, there are many others who prioritize fitting into society. When compared, fitting into society is much easier than separating your self from others and staying true to ones own identity. Those who go against society and stay true to who they are tend to become isolated in a world where everyone is a mirrored image of society’s identity. In Uglies, people are not valuable because of their own ideas, but following what society wants. In the episode “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” from The Twilight Zone, the character…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Self Reliance Paper

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    a) The claim that Emerson effectively advances is that humans should not conform to society, but rather they should think for themselves and believe in what they do. He writes, “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.” This quote supports Emerson’s main argument that each person should think for themselves and to not just accept what is written in a history or literary book. Emerson plays on the reader’s pathos, or emotions, by saying, “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” This statement appeals to the reader because Emerson is creating a bond between his words and the reader by relating to the audience on a personal level and telling the audience to trust them. Emerson uses logic by stating, “Who so would be a man must be a nonconformist.” Emerson feels that to be a man, one must not conform to the format set out by…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sef Reliance

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The second passage i felt was significant from Emerson was. "No kernel of nourishing corn can…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    My first exposure to the high-flown pap of Benjamin Anastas’s “The Foul Reign of Self-Reliance” came in a quiet library at the private institution where I had enrolled to learn the secrets of education and because I wanted, at the age of 21, to fulfill my philosophy core and graduate on time. Cute openings aside, Mr. Anastas has a significant amount of gall calling his private school teacher Mr. Sideways when it seems, to me, that he is the one with the skewed vision. As I read through his essay the first time, I found myself growing discontented and distant from the author. As I read through it a second time, I began to grow increasingly frustrated and outraged at how Anastas twisted Emerson’s words to fit his purpose and distorted Emerson’s central message to make it appear self-centered and egotistical. Anastas refers to Emerson’s doctrine as a “spell” that countless others have fell under throughout the past and present. I would like to remind Mr. Anastas that many of those “countless others” that were influenced by Emerson’s “spell”, as he puts it, are people that went on to shape American culture as we know it. Is self-reliance not what this country was built on? Did we not break away from the English Monarchy because we were tired of following, tired of not taking action in our own beliefs? From what I remember each of the colonies were founded because an individual decided to strike out on what they believed in. While my outrage at Anastas is clearly evident, I find it ironic that Emerson would argue that Anastas is in fact doing what the “Self-Reliance” preaches – voicing one’s own ideas and thoughts instead of accepting what those before have said. By striking out against Emerson (an author who many have followed over the years), Anastas is in fact qualifying that which he is against. In this essay I will attempt to refute Benjamin’s criticisms by justifying Emerson’s main themes of “Self-Reliance”. While I…

    • 2122 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We are half ruined by conformity, but we should be wholly ruined without it.” - Charles Dudley Warner. We have created this boundary between conformity and individualism and often times these traits get abused, thus creating someone who is too individualistic or a society that is too conformed. Individuality and conformity are both essential parts of society however, if one is held above the other in the wrong manner we could be dealing with people lashing out in inhumane ways or people not being able to think for themselves. In order to have a functioning society we need to find the perfect balance between conforming with your peers and having individual thoughts and actions.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    You ask me "What freedom means to me? " I don't really think about these things. Now that I am I think that I have something to say about it. Freedom is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. Freedom for me is something we abuse. For example freedom of speech we use that like its nothing people in other places don't have that freedom. Most people don't think about freedom as we do stuff during are day. We don't usually think "How did we get our freedom? " well that's a good question. People fought for are freedom we don't think about that, people risked their lives for us. There are still people who risk their lives for freedom people who can't do what we do, people who don't have equality. They cant say what they want or do what they want. I couldn't imagine myself without freedom not being able to say what I want or do.…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is an unfortunate reality in that there are millions of people around the world who are willing to do almost anything, even lose themselves, just so they can be accepted and become part of the crowd. To keep things in perspective, wanting to be accepted, wanting to fit in is not exactly a bad thing. In fact, it’s basic human nature for survival and social growth, and it starts at a very young age. During our developmental years, we feel the need to be accepted or be worthy of acceptance. This can’t be met when you are isolated, other people have to be involved if these needs are to be met.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Transcendentalist Essay

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Society struggles most with the temptation that is conformity, “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure” (Emerson, “Self Reliance” qtd. in Littell 366). It is easy to get lost in a world full of conformists, which is why staying true to your own self is important. Independent thinking is vital; however, not being able to hear others out leads to a closed minded individual. The whole idea is for people to be free in thought and actions, and to do what they want, and not what society beckons them to do, “imitation is suicide” (Emerson, “Self Reliance” qtd. in Littell 366). Human nature, though it is subjective, will always guide you in the right direction as long as you let it. It is a constant battle for man between being a nonconformist and a conformist because of the many temptations, such as the desire to “fit in.” It is a cruel world, and the only way to avoid society’s expectations is to learn to trust yourself and be comfortable in solitude. A profound idea of Emerson’s is to be sure of yourself, and that is how you will gain respect in a hopeless and dependent world. People tend to get lost on the way to the pursuit of the Utopia, and the result ends up creating a breed of identical individuals, “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with the perfect sweetness the independence of solitude...” (Emerson, “Self Reliance” qtd. in Littell 365). You have…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the United States of America the citizens always use the concept of “freedom”, but why do the citizens of the United States of America call it “freedom” when they wake up, go to work, go home, sleep, and repeat. Is that really freedom or is it the government controlling us. Like always, Prince EA said, “Everybody dies, but not everybody lives.” To explain, this quote shows that people have the “freedom” to do anything, but the truth is that we really can not do anything we want because we have other problems to deal with. Also, we are controlled by the problems of having to deal with taxes, if we have enough money, etc. My third point, is that most people that are old are going to regret the things that they did not do, instead of actions…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Existentialist Freedom

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Just like every other child, I was always questioned, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Adults usually replied to my response by saying “You can be anything as long as you put your mind to it.” Now that I am a college student, I have recently had to ponder this question again. Taking the question in a more serious matter compared to when I was 6, I realized that there is an endless amount of possibilities for me to choose from. Does this idea that I can be whatever I want to be, still apply? Sartre strongly believes that every individual has total freedom to be anything he or she wishes to be. However, with every bit of freedom that is granted to man, there is an inevitable and considerable amount of responsibility that comes along with it.…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics