An anthology is a collection of works that portray a theme. One prevalent theme that is essential to the world around us is having individual rights. These rights are prominent in “Self-Reliance”, “From Bonifacius: Essays to Do Good”, "From Poems on Various Subjects. ‘On Being Brought from Africa to America.”, and "From Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: 'Chapter X,”. Within this anthology, the reader(s) will discover passages that represent the balancing act of individual rights versus societal rights in America.
In “Self-Reliance”, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the audience can see a theme of a desire for an individualistic society. Ralph Emerson wrote: “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist” (935). This statement is saying that a true man makes his own destiny, by not conforming to the ways of the world, or other men. Also found in “Self-Reliance”, “There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion;…” (Emerson 934). This statement reinforces the idea that an individualistic society is best for all involved. Emerson’s point is that individuals should be happy with what they have accumulated in life, rather than being envious of what others have. He is implying that anyone who emulates another is succumbing to that person, which in return means the individual has become someone else and might as well have killed their own personality.
In “Self-Reliance, Emerson portrays the belief that individuals who follow their own instincts will prosper. This thought is backed up by his quote, “Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world” (Emerson 336). ...
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...iters in the battle between individual versus societal rights. Their works were influential in the time in which they lived, yet their works are still impacting us today. These authors teach individuals the positive and negative effects of individual versus societal rights.
Works Cited
—- Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Self-Reliance. Perkins and Perkins 933-50.
—- Mather, Cotton. “From Bonifacius: Essays to Do Good.” Perkins and Perkins 179-85.
Perkins, George and Barbara Perkins, eds. The American Tradition in Literature. Eds. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. 11th ed. Vol. I. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 2 vols. Print.
—- Wheatley, Phillis. “From Poems on Various Subjects. ‘On Being Brought from Africa to America.’” Perkins and Perkins 442-43.
—- Douglass, Frederick. “From Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: 'Chapter X,” Perkins and Perkins 1836-54.
In "Self-Reliance," philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that people shouldn't be reliant on what others in society think. The main point of this essay is for people in society to realize that the only way to be comfortable is to be uncomfortable first. Throughout the essay it can be complicating to understand what Emerson is trying to accomplish. In the first paragraph Emerson states," The soul always hears an admonition in such lines." He also writes," Watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind." Lastly Emerson claims," we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinions from another."
Frederick Douglass 1818-1895. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton, 1998. 1578-1690.
Foner, Philip S. The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, Volume II Pre-Civil War Decade
...fred D. “Frederick Douglass.” Encyclopedia of African-American Literature. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 144-146. Print.
In his influential autobiography, Frederick Douglass helps pave the way for the early abolitionist movement using his own life story to bring forth the evils of slavery. He illustrates the hardships of slavery during antebellum America, focusing not only on the historical and economic issues of slavery, but mainly on the innate morality of human beings. Although many readers during this period were skeptic of the works authenticity, it brought the proper awareness to an issue in which corrupted America for many years. Frederick Douglass’s account against slavery exploits the brutal nature of slavery in way that shocked those who had looked past its harsh nature. By putting the reader in first perspective on the everyday life of a child born into slavery, he successfully uses the transitions of his life to open the people’s eyes to the crime that is slavery.
Wheatley, Phillis. "On Being Brought From Africa to America.” Baym, The Norton Anthology of American Literature 751-53.
The reader is first introduced to the idea of Douglass’s formation of identity outside the constraints of slavery before he or she even begins reading the narrative. By viewing the title page and reading the words “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, written by himself” the reader sees the advancement Douglass made from a dependent slave to an independent author (Stone 134). As a slave, he was forbidden a voice with which he might speak out against slavery. Furthermore, the traditional roles of slavery would have had him uneducated—unable to read and incapable of writing. However, by examining the full meaning of the title page, the reader is introduced to Douglass’s refusal to adhere to the slave role of uneducated and voiceless. Thus, even before reading the work, the reader knows that Douglass will show “how a slave was made a man” through “speaking out—the symbolic act of self-definition” (Stone 135).
In the essay Self-Reliance, Emerson addresses his idea on individualism which allows for nonconformity because being a nonconformist in today's mimetic society, can construct an authentic identity. The social conformity in today’s world influences people into conformism, thus eliminating individual thoughts or beliefs. According to Christina Bianca, a creator from At Auburn University, claims that, “In today’s society...it’s become all too easy to let society tell us what to believe through the constant swarm of messages attempting to achieve communication with us.” Society, as stated by Christina Bianca, “attempts to carve beliefs into the human brain by any means possible.” For example, “if you were to log onto any form of social
Frederick Douglass was a noted writer, abolitionist, orator, and former slave; in fact, his oratory ability was so good that there were those who were among the most ardent opponents of slavery who could not believe that he had been a slave. His best known work is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, a book of eleven chapters and an appendix. The purpose of the book was to provide a well-written account of a slave’s life for northern readers who might not yet be convinced of the abolitionist cause. Thus, the book was both a memoir and a polemic against the institution of slavery.
Frederick Douglass’s memoir, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” describes Douglass’s life as a slave who through a multitude of experiences, reaches his path to freedom. He inherently has a life very disparate to that of a traditional slave. Through good fortune Douglass is able to escape the clutches of back-breaking agricultural work, and instead is given away as a personal slave. While working for the Auld family he receives a somewhat un-strenuous experience, in which he is able to clandestinely become literate. Douglass’s autobiography is a story in which the savior and key to salvation does not take physical form, but lies in literacy. In this memoir, Douglass goes through a process of understanding, in
What is freedom? This question is easy enough to answer today. To many, the concept of freedom we have now is a quality of life free from the constraints of a person or a government. In America today, the thought of living a life in which one was “owned” by another person, seems incomprehensible. Until 1865 however, freedom was a concept that many African Americans only dreamed of. Throughout early American Literature freedom and the desire to be free has been written and spoken about by many. Insight into how an African-American slave views freedom and what sparks their desire to receive it can be found in any of the “Slave Narratives” of early American literature, from Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustav Vassa, the African published in 1789, to Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself which was published in 1845. Phillis Wheatley’s poetry and letters and Martin R. Delany’s speech Political Destiny of the Colored Race in the American Continent also contain examples of the African-American slaves’ concepts of freedom; all the similarities and differences among them.
In sum, all of these key arguments exist in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” because of the institution of slavery and its resulting lack of freedom that was used to defend it. This text’s arguments could all be gathered together under the common element of inequality and how it affected the practical, social, and even spiritual lives of the slaves.
Foner, Philip S., ed. The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass: Pre-Civil War Decade 1850-1860. Vol. 2. New York: International Publishers, 1950.
Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (The Harper Single Volume American Literature 3rd edition) 1845:p.1017-1081
... God. Self-reliance is the idea of individuality and making decisions for oneself. In turn, creating a more highbrow society is achieved through self-reliance and the belief in intellectual distinction. Finally becoming closer to God allows one to realize they are just a small part of even greater concept. Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman showed that intellect is the most important aspect of their works and they believe everyone should pursue these three facets of living.