Assignment for mid-term

Submitted by,
Tarequr Rahman
Roll: 170080400147
Batch: 8th
Programme: B.A Honor’s English
Course title: American literature: 19th century
Course code: ENG-3605

Self-reliance
Ralph waldo Emerson

Answer to the question no: 1

Individualism means to be own self and depend on own self. Because every human has different
thoughts and ability to do great things so why should an individual follow others plan and idea.

Emerson states,

“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string”.

In self-reliance Emerson define individualism as the practice of being oneself and depending on own
rather than anything else like people or society. One should not follow what others or society does or
follows an individual trust their inner voice that tells them the difference between right and wrong
instead of listening to others who might try to decide these things for them. With the exercise of self-
trust Not only will a person gain peace within themselves, but they will also make society better as a
result .What is true for you is true for the world. According to Emerson, there is nothing worse than
conforming to someone else's ideas. One should not listen to the church's ideals or give in to the
pressure of society. One should always stay true to one's self and one's own beliefs. In this case,
Emerson believes that individual identity is more important than society as a whole. Divine influence:
While the whole idea of the essay is that you should be reliant on yourself as an individual One should
trust their inner thoughts and beliefs because they were put there by a divine power, and people should
focus on developing, understanding, and relying on these ideas with confidence. God will not have his
work made manifest by cowards.

Answer to the question no: 2

In “Self Reliance,” Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks of “the aboriginal self: the “source, at once the
essence of genius, of virtue, and of life, which we call Spontaneity or Instinct.”
For Emerson, the human soul is part of “that deep force… in which all things find their common origin.”
He sees this divine spirit that unites the universe as the wellspring of the human soul and the source of
intuition, or “primary wisdom.” Because we are one part of this universal spirit, we inherit its intellect
and share its knowledge.
Here is the fountain of action and of thought. Here are the lungs of that inspiration which giveth man
wisdom, and which cannot be denied without impiety and atheism. We lie in the lap of immense
intelligence, which makes us receivers of its truth and organs of its activity. When we discern justice,
when we discern truth, we do nothing of ourselves, but allow a passage to its beams.
Our wisdom, along with any knowledge of abstract ideals we have, is not...

Answer to the question no: 3

“What is true for you in your private heart, is true for all men”

Emerson is saying here that true genius is the conviction and belief that, like everybody else on earth,
we have certain truths in our private hearts which are unique to us. It is a confusing statement. Emerson
emphasizes first the general similarity between people. Everyone has their own thoughts and beliefs,
and their own ways of interacting with and understanding the world. Then he goes on to state that
because everyone has his or her own unique thoughts, all of these thoughts are different.Emerson is
trying to encourage the reader to accept and appreciate the private thoughts we all have. He suggests
that we are trained to dismiss the thoughts and feelings we have. Perhaps this is because they are our
own and we do not believe in our distinctiveness, or our own capacity to determine our course in life.
The general thrust of Emerson's argument throughout this essay is that in order to be truly self-reliant,
we need to be able to trust ourselves and believe in our own genius.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and
philosophers and divines"

This statement comes from the Transcendentalist tradition, of which Emerson was a major thinker. 
Transcendentalists believed, among other things, that it was important for each person to follow
whatever their conscience told them at any particular time.
The line you quote expresses this idea.  It says that only "little minds" need to feel like they are being
consistent all the time.  A greater mind would not be bothered if the idea it has today contradicts one it
had yesterday, as long as it (the mind) follows what it sincerely feels at any given time.
So the quote is saying that only little minds (like those mentioned) would worry about seeming
consistent.  Greater minds just follow whatever they think at any given time.

Submitted to: tasnia farzana (lecturer of CBIU)