This may seem cruel and ungenerous, but Emerson would argue that the most generous thing that can be done for people is to help them become individuals. That will benefit them more than tossing a dollar in the alms box. Hence, through his essay, he hopes to encourage others on their road to self-reliance.
The last few lines of "Self-Reliance" call on the readers to be brave and to trust in themselves because, ultimately, the only way for people to be happy is for them to be true to themselves. "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles" (Emerson168). Those principles are derived from within. People must determine what is right for themselves and Emerson takes into account the guidance of a divine being. Then, people must brave the limits that society will attempt to impose on them in society's constant…...
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Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Ed. Stephen E. Whicher. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960.
Another point that Emerson presents in his essay is his critique of people's conformity to social norms and rules. For him, conformity marks the death of progress in human society because it hinders individuals to explore and discover their true 'selves,' and hone their skills and knowledge that they consider necessary for their personal development. He further explains why society condones non-conformity or the pursuit of one's self-interest: "For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure...The by-standers look askance on him in the public street or in the friend's parlour...but the sour faces of the multitude, like their sweet faces, have no deep cause, but are put on and off as the wind blows and a newspaper directs..." By stating this in "Self-reliance," Emerson assures his readers that the pursuit of individualism is anything but wrong; it furthers improvement of one's self and reflects society's lack of understanding of…...
He is right in thinking that people have lost their sense of personal identity in order to put across behaviors that provides them with social acceptance.
2. Frederick Jackson Turner's first chapter in "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" makes it possible for readers to understand the writer's perspective concerning westward expansion in the U.S. And the effects that this expansion has had on the American people as a whole. By claiming that "American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line, and a new development for that area" (Turner), Turner practically says that he is unsympathetic concerning this expansion and that it is principally responsible for the fact that the American nation as a whole is not experiencing a constant form evolution.
From Turner's viewpoint, the frontier is responsible for homogenizing the American people and…...
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Works cited:
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Self-Reliance,, (Arc Manor LLC, 30.08.2007)
Jackson Turner, Frederick, the Significance of the Frontier in American History -- Chapter 1, Retrieved September 24, 2012, from the American Studies at the University of Virginia Website:
Self-Reliance
Explain at least 3 different sources of suffering in Leo Tolstoy's the Death of Ivan Ilych
The Death of Ivan Ilych by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy is a novel penned in 1886 by a great Russian author and perhaps an even greater moralist in regards to the essence of suffering. There are three core aspects of suffering delineated over the course of the novel, namely the suffering of the physical body -- deemed to be the least significant for Tolstoy, the suffering of the empty self in a bankrupt society, and finally the suffering of the lost self, or the life unlived by the protagonist.
The first of these aspects of suffering is that of the physical and is perhaps the most obvious. This source, namely the exterior cause of the death of the protagonist, is referred to early on. "Ivan Ilych had been a colleague of the gentlemen present" at the…...
Self-eliance by alph Waldo Emerson. Specifically, it will explain Emerson's main idea in the essay. "Self-eliance" is a celebration of man's creative thought and a quest for harmony in life and the world. Man should listen to his own mind to understand the minds of all humankind.
Emerson wrote his essay to introduce people to his philosophy of transcendentalism. He believed man was a creative being, and he had to listen to his own mind to know what was true for himself and for all mankind. He wrote, "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" (Emerson), and this echoes his feelings of trusting one's own mind perfectly. Later he writes, "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string" (Emerson), and this too indicates how man should trust his own instincts,…...
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References
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." EmersonCentral.com. 2004. 27 Nov. 2004.
Self-Reliance....Thoughts on the Frontier in American History.
Reaction paper: Self-reliance
The concept of self-reliance is extremely important in the discourse of politics today, as people argue that self-reliance from the federal government is a very important value. For Ralph Waldo Emerson, however, the world had a different meaning and resonance. First and foremost, self-reliance for Emerson meant the citizen was true to his or her ideals, versus conforming to the ideas of the past. What is uniquely great about America is the fact that it is not bound to tradition like Europe, and every American can create new ideas. Americans are self-reliant upon their inner truths. According to Emerson: "the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes…...
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Bibliography
Turner, Frederick Jackson. The Frontier in American History. University of Virginia: 1996.
But one hand, while Emerson's statements are supposed to be true for all human beings, it is hard not to wonder -- isn't this the type of total self-confidence that can lead to tyranny? How can a nation exist, composed entirely of such complete individualists, with no common background, sense of history, or tradition -- or, most importantly, no sense of responsibility to society? hat if every human being is convinced that his own inherent genius gives him the right to rule -- would not society be at war, or at very least, fragmented and unable to govern itself? Emerson, as evident in his other writings did not really seem to believe that all human beings were inherently equal at philosophy. Showing if nothing else his belief that consistency is the "hobgoblin" of little minds, in his earlier essay "Nature" he proclaims: "The wise man shows his wisdom in separation,…...
Ralph aldo Emerson's later "Self-Reliance" far more likely to be appealing to American college students today than his early "American Scholar"-ship
Ralph aldo Emerson's Transcendentalist philosophy shifted and changed over the course of his life. Much as Emerson's idea that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds embraces the idea that contradiction is not something to be feared within the hearts and minds of human beings, nor that ideological consistency and doctrinal rigor is something to be aspired to, Emerson's ideas between "Self-Reliance" and "The American Scholar" show profound shifts in judgment, and what a human being and a thinker should aspire to be. There were, over the course of his life, many Emersons. However, the Emerson that is most likely to be amenable to the sensibilities of college students today is likely to be that of his later essay upon "Self-Reliance," rather than his earlier "The American Scholar," which only…...
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "The American Scholar." (1837) The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th edition. Vol. 1. Accessible on the web at http://www.emersoncentral.com/amscholar.htm
Emerson and Thoreau
alph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was an American lecturer and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century and was a proponent of individualism and critic of societal pressures. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was also an American poet, but also an abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, historian and part of the Transcendentalist movement. To understand both of these men and their ideas, it is first necessary to place them in context with the historical and cultural aspects of America from 1820 on. The United States was moving from a climate of revolutionary fervor and realization of the vast task of self-rule, through a Jeffersonian period in which much of the political and social power gravitated from the northern capitals to the larger, rural estates of the Mid-Atlantic and Southern egions. Jackson epitomized the idea of a land-baron; wealthy, intelligent, politically astute, patriotic, and ever expansionist. However, for the…...
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REFERENCES
Emerson, R. (2007). Self-Reliance: A Excerpt from Collected Essays. Rockville, MD: Arc
Manor.
Thoreau, H. (1942). Civil Disobedience. New York: Hayes Barton.
Yet through his explorations of order, Franklin admits that it is "extremely difficult to acquire" as a virtue (p. 88). Franklin further claims that of all the virtues, "my scheme of order gave me the most trouble; and I found that, tho' it might be practicable where a man's business was such as to leave him the disposition of his time, that of a journeyman printer, for instance, it was not possible to be exactly observed by a master, who must mix with the world, and often receive people of business at their own hours," (p. 88). Franklin is therefore agreeing with Emerson that forcing human beings into an orderly and consistent life is foolish and squanders the human spirit on petty matters.
Some of the proverbs and maxims that comprise Poor Richard's Almanack seem foolish or at least silly; and overall there is a thematic consistency that makes Franklin's…...
The self-help author Wayne Dyer once wrote that, "Self-worth comes from one thing…thinking that you are worthy." This quote captures the functional role of gangs: they exist because they serve a purpose. Gangs are attractive to recruits because they promise a variety of benefits. Though many members reap material benefits from joining, it is the psychological benefits which play a critical role in the decision to join a gang, particularly as it relates to self-worth and the need to belong. While some gang members often portray themselves with great machismo, think highly of themselves and are proud of what they have become, the majority of youths who join gangs suffer from a negative self-image (Miller, 2001). Opportunities to feel good about themselves in their family or at school are few and far between. Yablonsky (1997) tells us "The gangsters' personality problems of…...
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References:
Maslow, A.H. (1970). Motivation and Personality. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Miller, J., Maxson, C., Klein, M. (2001). The Modern Gang Reader. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing Co.
Sanchez-Jankowski, M.S. (1991). Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Shelden, R., Tracy, S., Brown, W. (1997). Youth Gangs in American Society. Ann Arbor, MI: Wadsworth Publishers.
COUNSELING Counseling: Counselor Self-eflectionHow I esponded to the Assessments, Type of eactionsFor the professional practice assessment (PPA), most of my responses were agree (rated as 3) except three. My growth section was the one in which I had rated myself at 2 for two statements. Those are the areas that I need to work on more aggressively to learn to participate in self-growth activities and self-reflection ones. It would help me become more aware of myself since self-awareness supports increasing intelligence levels and a better understanding of others. It would add to my cultural understanding of others in my counseling career. My critical thinking skills would sharpen for a better interpretation of the intricacies that I should be prepared to deal with in my future career. In another section of the same assessment, I rated myself at 2 for soliciting, considering, and responding mindfully when someone tries to give me…...
Departments are interdependent and conflicts arise where solutions are needed promptly. The traditional hierarchy sometimes is not the best in offering solutions especially where time is of utmost importance. By using clear guidelines, self-management teams are given more freedom to come up with solution to their specific problems on their tasks (Beyerlein M., n, d). This reduces the time wasted whereby in a traditional model a manager would have to get all the details first and then choose the appropriate solution. Moreover, self-management team takes on the management of the work thereby removing the need for a manager or supervisor.
Self-management work teams reduce the reliance on individual's abilities and encourage learning from peers. This ensures there is free flow of information and skills are easily passed from colleague to colleague. Members are interdependent and are able to learn from each other, they are able to come up with better…...
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References
Ken Blanchard. "Go Team! Take your team to the Next Level." Berret-Koehler publishing Inc. San Fransisco, CA. 2005.
Pearce, J.H. II & Ravlin, E.C (1987). The design and activation of self-Regulating Work Groups. Human Relations, 40, pp. 751-782.
Beyerlein M., (Ed.), Advances in interdisciplinary studies of work teams., Vol. 1, Series of self-managed work teams. Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI Press.
Moreover, the strong correlation between confidence in peers and communication/problem understanding demonstrated that it is the confidence and ability of these co-workers that encourage members of self-managing teams to gather new information and knowledge, so that they may create useful decisions in relation to problem solving. Confidence in peers resulted in a negative, not positive, impact on organization and negotiation. This suggested that confidence in peers has a negative effect in the process of organizing the dissemination of knowledge in self-managing teams. Thus, it is imperative for team members to trust their peers and management and, in doing so, create and share new knowledge and further the organization's opportunity to offer best solutions to clients. Present research lacks the empirical evidence supporting the relationship between interpersonal trust and knowledge acquisition. Especially, academicians and practitioners are interested in studying whether "interpersonal trust" advances the follower's knowledge acquisition practices -- knowledge sharing…...
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References
Abbott, J.B., Boyd, N.B, and Miles, G. (2006) Does Type of Team Matter? An Investigation of the Relationships Between Job Characteristics and Outcomes Within a Team-Based Environment. The Journal of Social Psychology
146(4) 485-507
Attaran, M. And Nguyen, N.U. (1999) Succeeding with self-managed work teams. CT Industrial Management. 41(4). 24-29
Brannick, M.T. And C. Prince. An overview of team performance measurement. In Team performance assessment and measurement-Theory, methods, and applications, ed. M. Brannick, E. Salas and C. Prince. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Brannick, M.T., E. Salas and C. Prince. 1997. Team performance assessment and measurement: Theory, methods, and applications. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Self-Reliance and the Road Not Taken
American Transcendentalism: Emerson and Frost
There are several qualities that are inherent in American literature that help to set it apart from English literature. Among the earliest themes explored in American literature was the concept of self-reliance and individuality. These concepts are prevalent of writers and advocates of Transcendentalism, a subset of American Romanticism. Ralph aldo Emerson explored the concept of individuality in his essay, "Self-Reliance," and also aimed to define how self-worth is measured. Likewise, Robert Frost embraces the concepts of individuality and self-worth as defined by Emerson. Emerson's influence on Frost can be seen in the theme and narrative of Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken." Both Emerson and Frost comment on the importance of the self and the impact that individuality has on a person.
Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement that aimed to bring an individual to recognize that non-conformism…...
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Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Emerson Central. Web. 7 August 2012.
Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." Mountain Interval. Web. 7 August 2012.
"Romanticism." Brooklyn College. Web. 7 August 2012.
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 4: American Transcendentalism (AT): A Brief Introduction." PAL:
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