Emerson and Whitman's Views of Self

458 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Emerson comparison whitman

Emerson and Whitman's Views of Self

"What is man anyhow? What am I? What are you?" asks Whitman. Who we are, what our purpose is and what the meaning of life is are all mysteries that man has tried to solve from his earliest history. Whitman and Emerson explore these ideas in their works, Song of Myself and Self Reliance. Whitman, an American poet, and Emerson, an American philosopher, take different approaches in their search for self-discovery, yet within their solutions, many parallels can be found.

Emerson's message is one of non-conformity and individuality. He views every man as unique within, and feels society, exterior elements and tradition are man's downfall. He urges us to be a product of ourselves, to live in the present, rather than measure our worth against man's past accomplishments or live by old ideas.

There is contrast in Whitman's view, which embraces all society, and that which surrounds him. He views all mankind and nature as intertwined in the past, present and future in one perpetual cycle of life and death. He speaks of the sameness of man and se...

Show More
Related

  • Emerson's Key Ideas

    441 Words  | 1 Pages

    Key Ideas and Details (a) What terms does Emerson use to describe society? (b) Interpret: According to Emerson, what is society’s main purpose? (c) Draw Conclusions: In what ways does Emerson believe people should be affected by the way others perceive them? a: He describes it in a conformist tone describing how they strive for consistency and are therefore cowards in their unwillingness to expand to new and unique ideas and ways of thinking.

    Read More

  • The Use Of Aphorisms In Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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” (p.369). Emerson reminds his audience to follow their instinct. He expresses his desire for each of us to trust in our own inner ability to choose what is best for us. Trust yourself! Don’t conform what society wants you to be. He reminds us that no matter what society tells us

    Read More

  • Emersons Transcedentalist Beliefs

    1994 Words  | 4 Pages

    The tone of his work was focused on self-reliance and the problem of how to live. His writings provoked people to ask how instead of what and not we but I (Unger 1). Emerson’s essays spoke to people of the 19th century that were ready for individuality and a new optimism that liked God, nature, and man (Masterpieces 258).

    Read More

  • Emerson and Thoreau

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Additionally, Emerson and Thoreau both warn the reader of the dangers when individuality is marginalized. Emerson views society as a “conspiracy against the manhood of every one of...

    Read More

  • Emerson's Self-Reliance And Henry David Thoreau's Emerson

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Embodiment of Principle and Integrity Trust oneself, one 's intuition, and one 's nature. According to Emerson 's Self-Reliance, these qualities are essential to contentment and harmony with one 's self. Self-reliance is an appeal to the individual to obey his instincts and to challenge tradition and conventional wisdom. According to Emerson, those who are truly self-reliant have the ability to mark their place in history as great and genuinely creative men. Self-Reliance also plays a major role in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.

    Read More

  • Response to Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    I believe that, essentially, life consists of a series of choices. A grouping of these choices in one direction or another makes us who we are, and ultimately we have control over our lives. What makes one person different from another is his own set of choices. When going through life’s motions, we develop certain worldviews and ideas and values to live by. We develop an opinion of what makes a person “great.” In the well-known essay “Self-Reliance”, Ralph Waldo Emerson provides a beautiful way of approaching these choices, and he reveals a very inspiring set of values centralized around going through life answering only to yourself. I love the way Emerson evaluates the society we live in, and how he radically encourages being misunderstood and nonconformist. Emerson, like myself, exhibits values of saying exactly what you think and living only by what you believe to be the best.

    Read More

  • Emerson's Views On Transcendentalism, And Imagination In Society

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Emerson shows transcendentalism through the society, individualism, and imagination in the society we live in today.

    Read More

  • You Must Find Out For Yourself By Walt Whitman Analysis

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poet and journalist Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819, in West Hills, New York. He is known to be particularly one of America’s most influential poets. Whitman aimed to transcend traditional heroic poems and demonstrate nature of the American experience and his style reflects his distinctiveness. In Walt Whitman’s excerpt #46 of “Song of Myself,” the theme of celebrating yourself in all your faults and glory along with showing that no one else can travel the road for you, you have to do it yourself is shown with the use of literary and sound devices. Walt Whitman isn’t worried about what else is in the universe. He can’t be dignified. His journey will go on forever and all he needs is a good raincoat and a pair of shoes. He does not want to be anyone’s teacher or professor, he just wants to show you the world. At the same time, all he can do is show you the road, you have to walk down it. If you get tired, he’ll support you. Even if he see’s the entire world and universe, he’d still want to travel beyond further and see more things. He reiterates the non conformist system of belief,...

    Read More

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance

    1425 Words  | 3 Pages

    Not all Emerson's work should be shunned. Let us consider his argument's values as well as its shortcomings and give him more of a chance than he gives society. I applaud his boldness in stating, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines," (1164). The courage to admit one's own...

    Read More

  • Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...man beseeches the multitudes of natural phenomena he already mentioned—the tide and waves, clouds, current and future ferry patrons, masts of Manhattan and hills of Brooklyn, the ships, and the sea birds to continue doing what they do best, their natural activities. This recapitulates the main themes of the poem and Whitman's own consciousness which both connects him to future generations and separates him from his present. Without being apart from the whole, Whitman would have no individual consciousness and no ability to seek out the complex connections he creates in his poetry. As he says in the last four lines:

    Read More

  • Whitman's Interpretation of Emerson

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." The Columbia Anthology of American Poetry. Editor: Jay Parini. Columbia University Press, 1995. 186-193.

    Read More

  • Teaching Style Of Walt Whitman

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whitman’s pedagogy as demonstrated in Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself, though seen as radical in his own time, is one that can be learned from and admired in today 's society.

    Read More

  • Whitman's Music as a Means of Expression

    2421 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... a democratic understanding of society. Whitman deems all persons equally and interprets their existence as pieces of music. In instances where the average individual would find no value, Whitman depicts unexplored realms of appreciation. All members of society are conveyed as agents of music. Their role’s are regarded as beautiful contributions to society by defining them with instrumental undertones. Whitman’s verses are written with such musical style and context, that they are often times the inspiration for musical compositions (including the likes of Vaughn Williams). In his pieces, Whitman honors the seemingly inferior facets of society, discounting any hierarchy and rather, celebrating all members equally. To effectively portray Whitman’s democratic mentality, he delivers his message by expressing his subjects as instruments in a grand societal composition.

    Read More

  • Song of Myself by Walt Whitman

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his first anthology of poems entitled “Song of Myself”, Walt Whitman reveals some of his views on democracy through the use of symbolism and free verse poetry. His use of symbolism and free verse poetry creates indeterminacy, giving the reader hints rather than answers about the nature of the poem. In the sixth part of “Song of Myself”, a child asks the narrator of the poem, “What is the grass?” (Whitman). Instead of simply giving an answer, the narrator cannot make up his mind, and stumbles on how to explain the grass to the child. Through the use of specific symbolisms, Whitman, as the narrator, explicates his views while remaining under the façade of explaining grass to the child. The views Whitman conveys remain indeterminate and unclear to the reader because the use of various literary devices. However,through the closer analysis of symbolism, free-verse poetry and metaphors, the anti-democratic and possibly anarchist views of Whitman surface.

    Read More

  • Walt Whitman Individualism

    347 Words  | 1 Pages

    Walt Whitman’s beautiful poem, O Me! O Life!, argues that “life exists” and builds upon the ideas of transcendentalism to emphasize individualism. He structures his poem into two stanzas in order to produce a question and answer style mimicking how an individual would deal through their consciousness with the dilemmas present in life. Throughout the first stanza, he depicts how the individual believes that he is the most “foolish” and “faithless” in a world flooded with those specific characteristics that have come to define society. This part especially touched me as I often am my own worst enemy, lambasting myself for my mistakes and thinking that no one could make as dumb of mistakes as I have. Moreover, I fail to lift up my head and notice

    Read More

More about Emerson and Whitman's Views of Self

Open Document