Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”, Inspiring A New Sense of Nationalism

One of the most notable works of mid -19th century romantic literature is the essay “Self-Reliance”, written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson believed in transcendentalism, the idea that everyone has access to and can discover truth, or God, through development of themselves; spiritually and intellectually. In his essay “Self-Reliance” Emerson challenges Americans to create their own cultures and customs, branching out from the social norms. Emerson uses various strategies to inspire nationalism within Americans by encouraging them to not conform to society but instead formulate new ideas.
Emerson takes many different approaches to encourage Americans to devise and share new thoughts and ideas that might not always be accepted by other people. Emerson introduces this idea by beginning his essay with a personal anecdote. He begins by recalling a poem he read by a distinguished artist that was “original and not conventional” (Pg. 549). This anecdote first allows the readers to feel comfortable and familiarize themselves with Emerson and second, increases their reception of the points in the essay that they will read about. This anecdote also introduces one of the main focuses of Emerson’s essay. That everyone else, like himself, should have their own opinions and thoughts and not always follow the practices of others. Later in the paragraph, Emerson does note that it is harder for a person to develop these thoughts because people are easily swayed by fears of being shunned and the opinions of outside influences. In addition to anecdotes, Emerson also uses diverse references to authority. He first mentions Moses, Plato and John Milton; prominent figures who “spoke not what men but what they thought” (549). They are three remarkable...

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...d agriculture. This reinforces the idea that this may be challenging, but that it can also be done. By identifying with his readers Emerson is able to promote American nationalism in understandable terms which makes his points much easier to accept.
Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” was very successful in inspiring Americans of the mid -19th century to pursue new ideas and theories. Emerson asserts the idea of thinking for one’s self instead of blindly following others. He encourages people trust in themselves, believing that everyone can remarkable in their own way. This way of thinking has is predominant in society today and has evolved America into the impressive nation it is today.

Works Cited

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Self-Reliance.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter Eighth Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. 549-566.