English III/Wilshire Name __________________

Intro to Romanticism & R.W. Emerson Date __________

Period _________

An aphorism is a tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion (a maxim, a proverb). An epigram is a

concise, witty, and often paradoxical remark or saying (an epigram can also be a short, usually satirical
poem with a witty ending). Note how Emerson’s writings can be viewed as both aphoristic as well as
epigrammatic. Here are the 5 aphorisms (or epigrams) from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”
that we are learning in class this semester:
 Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.
 A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
 To be great is to be misunderstood.
 Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string.
 Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.

1) Please restate each aphorism in your own words:

 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________
 _____________________________________________________________________________

2) Do you agree or disagree with Emerson? Address one or more of the aphorisms above. Write a half-
page response, with good paragraphs and a thoughtful answer. (You may finish on the back if you need
more space.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________