Stough 1

Alexandra Stough Dr. Mary Bernath English 236 December 6, 2012 Inspiration to be a better person Reading is a powerful and inspirational gateway to personal improvement. Through literature we are thrust into a state of mind that is opened and influenced by the turning of each page; each word having the power to make us better, stronger, smarter, and kinder people. Throughout history there are a certain works that standout as strong inspirational motivators and force readers to delve deeper into their own morals, views, and virtues. Ann Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau, are just a few of the classic American authors whos words inspire us to become a better person. On November 7, 1637, Ann Hutchinson was brought to trail for accusations against her on the slandering of ministers and troubling of the peace of the commonwealth and churches while she held meetings in her home, preaching religion and divulging personal opinions to the public. As a woman of the 1600s, these charges were extremely biased by the dominance of man, and hazardous towards her future and seemingly inevitable conviction. However, Ann didnt let this impractical feat trump her sense of self-belief. She truly believed in the qualities of her actions and stood by her better judgment, not giving in to the pressures of others. She openly demonstrated her self-assurance and confidence of whats right by addressing to the court their lack of power over her own values. In an excerpt from The Examination of Mrs. Ann

Stough 2

Hutchinson at the Court at Newtown, she states to the court that You have power over my body but the Lord Jesus hath power over my body and soul, and assure yourselves thus much, you do as much as in you lies to put the Lord Jesus Christ from you, and if you go on in this course you begin you will bring a curse upon you and your posterity, and the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it (Early American Writing, 167). This bold statement does little to gear the court toward a lesser sentence, actually invoking the opposite effect; but it is Anns ability to maintain her beliefs in the face of adversity that reveal to us as readers there importance. It inspires us to enhance our value of self-wroth and righteousness, standing up for what we believe in, and sparks a desire to better ourselves as individuals. In An Address to the Public; from the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and the Relief of Free Negros Unlawfully Held in Bondage, Benjamin Franklin does as much to further this inspiration, by promoting the actions towards supporting our beliefs. He makes an effort to convince others of the benefits the abolition of slavery would bring, and invokes people to consider the advantages the equality would provide to humanity. Franklin supports his values of moral judgment by defining slaverys debasement of human nature, and its continuation as a source of fueling grave evils. He asks people to think not only of themselves, but consider the slaves, the unhappy man, who has long been treated as a brute animal to often sinking beneath the common standard of the human species (Early American Writing, 354). Through Franklins address we are inspired to not only support our beliefs, no matter there level of popularity, but to consider those outside our own stature to better the society as a whole.

Stough 3

This ideal of refusal to conform to the majority census is further enhanced in Ralph Waldo Emersons, Self-Reliance, as he exemplifies mans flaw in to often feeling of shame when speaking his mind. He describe the ways in which following the influence of society will make people foolish, and that the continuation of this pattern is a volition of nature that makes us incapable of sparking change. Many people internally imagine features of life whos change would benefit society, yet they dismiss these notions to fit in with the overall views of others, creating a stagnant civilization. A life without inspiration of self-righteous thought becomes predictable and expectant, when to truly live is to be spontaneous. If people lack the faith in themselves to speak their minds, Emerson says that tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we [had] thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another (Self-Reliance and Other Essays, 20). He inspires us to contest against the heavy grasp of conformity, and become a better person by having faith in our own ideas. Another inspiration that literature cast upon its readers is to become a better person through the ability to recognize the meaningful attributes in others. Through Nathaniel Hawthornes, The Birthmark, we can see the consequences of failing to accept others as they are and the benefits of looking at their positive values as the ones of meaning, even if they are hidden by undesirable traits. In his story a husband, Aylmer, becomes obsessed with what he sees as a flaw in his wife. Being a man of science he convinces her to let him cure her of this flaw, a birthmark upon her face. In doing so he ends up taking her life, and regretting his inability to surpass her outward appearance to focus on her internal beauty. Not until the death of his beloved wife, Georgiana, does

Stough 4

Aylmer reach the profounder wisdom, [that] he need not thus flung away the happiness which would have woven his mortal life of the selfsame texture with the celestial (Selected Short Stories of Nathanial Hawthorne, 99). Had he only understood the importance of true inner beauty, he would not have taken the life of his beloved and could continue a pleasant life with her. It is through this unfortunate encounter that we as readers can understand the acceptance of others for who they are as an advantage to better our own lives. Often in life we expect and want improvement, but do little to promote the cause. We become accustom to going along with the ideals of a current society, lacking to strive for personal improvement and the gains we can personally contribute to humanity. Slavery was an injustice that continued beyond the point of its potential abolishment, due to peoples reluctance to upset the tables and fight for something they internally believed in. Henry David Thoreau describes this occurrence in his Civil Disobedience. He exploits the human nature of taking the quick and easy way out, often resulting in injustice. He, himself, goes against this nature and stands up for his beliefs, no matter their consequence, difficulty, or lack of support by others. He goes to jail in his revolt against poll taxes, but views it as a personal benefit of self-determination rather than having submitted to something he doesnt believe in. The 1800s government was littered with flaws; although still in his opinion the best in the world; and he highlighted the importance of working hard to achieve success instead of adopting the easy capability of sitting back and letting government officials make all the decisions. Thoreau describes the common actions of men [to] serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies (Walden and Other Writings, 87). Mans common nature to

Stough 5

simply be rather than be a conscious part of society leads to unmotivated movements towards improvement. It is through Thoreaus documentation of these inabilities that we become inspired to better ourselves through the act of becoming a deliberate force for change; not taking the easy way out, but working hard in order to support our own values, goals, and benefits to society. By reading literature we become aware of potential issues in ourselves, thus sparking an inspiration towards the efforts of change, to better ourselves as human beings. Self-worth, support in our beliefs, maintaining of our individuality in the grasp of conformity, acceptance of others, determination, and effort to work for our values and goals, are all things that we can learn through the aspect of reading. American literature authors provide us the experiences and insights that spark change within our minds, and though their understanding, inspire us to become a better person, for the sake of society as well as ourselves.