ORIGINAL

Ralph Waldo Emerson's (1841) “Self-reliance” and Walt Whitman's (1892) “Song of Myself” express
similar ideas about self-reliance. Emerson's text is entirely about the topic of self-reliance, but
Whitman's poetic form conveys very similar arguments even if they are in the form of poetry rather
than prose. Both authors are critical of society and the process of cultural conditioning, because they
believe that the original self is trustworthy and capable of expressing a greater potential. In different
ways, Emerson and Whitman criticize the conditioning of schooling and the reliance upon other
people of knowledge. Whitman's emphasis on just being, as seen in his just laying around in nature,
is similar to Emerson's frequent allusions to children as being the role models for self-reliance.
Further, both authors attribute a degree of spirituality to explain why people should trust
themselves without needing to look for others' affirmations. Emerson is more pronounced on this
topic of religion, but Whitman also references religious ideals. Last, both authors' sense of
transcendentalism extends to nature, which is likewise for both correlated to the original and
natural self. Despite the dissimilarities in styles of text, Emerson and Whitman are advancing the
same ideas about self-reliance as being important and sourced from a transcendental nature that is
more trustworthy and good than societal customs and knowledge.

Emerson believes that creativity is important to the task of becoming self-reliant, but even more
important than just creating for Emerson is the idea of creating original work. He says that when one
has become educated and wise enough, one should know that "envy is ignorance” and “is suicide”
(paragraph 2). Emerson's main point is that each person has a unique creative ability that should not
be wasted by trying to conform to an image that others said was good. It is important to see that
Emerson's idea of self-reliance takes hard work: He believes that one has to put one's whole heart
into the work of expressing oneself, and to do one's best. Otherwise, Emerson says one will find no
peace and no hope.

Therefore, Emerson is very convinced that to be self-reliant in expressing one's creative originality to
the fullest is the only way to really be fulfilled. Whitman similarly expresses that each person is
unique and therefore should be honored for one's individuality, but he does not believe that one
must work as hard as Emerson says. Rather, Whitman's entire poem is about celebrating himself in a
process of simply existing. Though Whitman surely had to work hard at creating and refining “Song
of Myself” the poem tells his story where he loafs around on the grass appreciating his body
processes and nature. He exalts in his “respiration and inspiration, the beating of my heart, the
passing of blood and air through my lungs,” and in many aspects of his senses such as sights and
sounds of nature (Stanza 2, lines 12-15). In this explanation, Whitman shows that he does indeed
celebrate his individuality, but unlike Emerson, he does not have to put forth a great effort to
cultivate art, at least not in the experience of enjoying himself and nature. In “Self-Reliance,”
Emerson's discussion about the free nature of children resonates more with Whitman's approach of
celebrating his freedom. Emerson says, “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of
every one of its members” (paragraph 6). By this, Emerson means that people are weakened by their
conditioned beliefs about what is proper or improper, which, compared to children, reflects an
imprisoned way of being. For instance, Emerson sees children as “independent, irresponsible,’ and
with an “unaffected, unbiased, unbribable, affrighted innocence” that “must always be formidable”
(paragraph 5). It is formidable because it challenges the adult state of learning to be a certain way. It
is interesting that Emerson's views on “self-reliance” are more representative of children than they
are of most adults, because we would expect children to be more reliant upon adults.
‘Whitman's argument for simplicity and a lack of effort is further seen throughout the poem, such as
when insists that striving and doing things cannot match the experience of just doing nothing and
enjoying the moment. He says, “Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems,’ and then
immediately instructs us to “Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all
poems” (Verse 2, Stanza 4, 5). In fact, Whitman's approach to just being led to a conclusion that by
doing less, then one can understand more, and thus be more self-reliant. Whitman says of one who
follows his lead and possesses “the origin of all poems” will “no longer take things at second or third
hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the specters in books” (Verse 2, Stanza 4).
Whitman moves us to consider that what we take as true is really just looking through the “eyes of
the dead”—of those people in history that we read about and repeat their stories. For Whitman,
those past philosophers, artists, scientists, priests, politicians or other people are “specters in books”
which creates a great contrast to the feelings of being alive that he celebrates earlier in the poem. If
one can learn truths for oneself, then one does not need to be reliant upon the people of the past
who are recorded in books. Whitman therefore makes a statement on self-reliance that resonates
with Emerson. Emerson correlates this ideal of self-reliance that Whitman has also expressed with
greatness. Emerson compels the reader to “Trust thyself,” and trust that a divine intelligence has
placed us where we need to be and with what we need to be originally creative and great in our
lives, (Paragraph 8). Indeed, Emerson

says that great men have always done this, and have known that the “absolutely trustworthy was
seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being” (Paragraph 3).
Emerson means that one should trust oneself and intelligence, because there is a goodness and
wisdom in the heart of every person. This is therefore also a religious argument, which then leads to
further comparison with Whitman's ideas. There are some allusions to spirituality in “Song of
Myself” that suggest like Emerson, Whitman's ideas of self-reliance have a transcendent element.
Whitman's statement, “Divine am I inside and out, and I make holy whatever 1touch or am touch'd
from,” indicates this religious frame of his argument (Verse 24, Stanza 10). From the rest of the
poem, it is clear that Whitman correlates the divine nature with a trustworthy state, just like
Emerson. For instance, Whitman says that if one stops trying to learn what other people say, and
instead trust that there is a goodness and intelligence within oneself and nature, then one will know
more and be happier. Therefore, it looks like both Whitman and Emerson's ideas of self-reliance are
related to a reliance upon a religious experience or spirit that is seen to be central to our lives.

Emerson's piece is much more reliant upon religious ideas, as seen in his frequent references to God.
He says that “God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and
charm, and made it enviable and gracious” which makes us consider again that people, in their
original state, have everything they need to be satisfied and good (Paragraph 4). In this quote,
Emerson says that both the young and old have been blessed by God with charm, and then he
continues to criticize adults for losing touch with this charm. Rather, Emerson sees adults as having
rejected their original trustworthiness because of cultural conditioning. This conditioning is what
Emerson means by saying that “man” has been “clapped into jail by his consciousness” (Paragraph
5). Children are by contrast free to express themselves without worrying about their expressions.
More than once, Emerson says that children don't need the recognition or permission from others to
be themselves, but that adults by contrast are always worried about this for themselves. Emerson is
very critical about society and cultural expectation which draws further similarities to Whitman's
views. Emerson says that, “Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the
better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater”
(Paragraph 6). This intense statement shows that people surrender their self-reliance in order to be
more secure in getting food and maybe other types of survival. Further, Emerson says conformity is
most important for society to function, and that “self-reliance is its aversion” (Paragraph 6). It is hard
to think of a type of society that could exist with Emerson's ideas, because he states that “society
everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members” (Paragraph 6). Thus,
according to Emerson, the very idea of society may always contradict the state of self-reliance.

Whitman does not as clearly state that society and culture are impediments to self-reliance, but he
does express this idea in his poetic way. For instance, he talks about keeping creeds and schools “in
abeyance” and criticizes houses and rooms that are full of perfumes, because he can learn more and
enjoy his scent more without school or perfume (Verse 1, Stanza 4). School and perfume both reflect
aspects of how people learn to trust the views of others and therefore lose their self-reliance. In
schools, people learn to trust the truth of teachers and books, which Whitman has condemned, as
discussed above. As for perfume, people use perfume to mask their original scent, which shows a
cultural idea about the original self being unworthy or untrustworthy. By contrast, Whitman trusts
that he is, without any expectations of his culture, good and knowledgeable. ‘This trust of himself
extends to nature, because he also loves the “sniff of green leaves and dry leaves” and other aspects
of nature (Verse 2, Stanza 3). There is then with Whitman a connection between self-reliance and
nature that Emerson also shares. Emerson, in talking about aspects of nature, says, “We first share
the life by which things exist, and afterwards see them as appearances in nature, and forget that we
have shared their cause” (Paragraph 21). In this, Emerson says that people share the same nature as
nature, and again alludes to a metaphysical spiritual presence that is the cause of everything.
Whitman feels a deep connection to nature, and his enjoyment of nature is related to his enjoyment
of himself—his trust for nature and himself is the same. Emerson likewise trusts nature and himself
because he sees the deeper truth of his being as the same thing as nature. Both Emerson and
Whitman therefore share a sense of transcendental naturalism in their views which is the source of
their trust in self-reliance.

Emerson and Whitman therefore both have the same essential ideas about self-reliance as being the
most worthwhile path because of the trustworthiness of the natural self and order of things.
Emerson looks at children as his role models because they have not yet learned from society who
they are supposed to be. Likewise, Whitman celebrates a simple way of just being that is not trying
to. Discern anything from books or others. Emerson explicitly says that humankind’s trustworthiness
comes from sharing the divine nature of reality. Whitman less often makes outright statements like
this, but says enough to show that he believes the same thing. Last, the connection to nature is
present for both authors. We can look at Emerson's removal from society and choice to live in
nature as a further case for his similarity with Whitman. In short, nature is more closely related to
the true, original and most trustworthy self as compared to the self that has been conditioned by
society.
PARAPHASED

Similar themes of self-reliance are expressed in Walt Whitman's (1892) "Song of Myself" and Ralph
Waldo Emerson's (1841) "Self-reliance." Emerson's text focuses exclusively on the idea of
independence, although Whitman's poetry makes very comparable points even though it is poetry
rather than prose. Because they think the authentic self is reliable and capable of realising greater
potential, both authors are critical of society and the process of cultural conditioning. Emerson and
Whitman both criticise the conditioning of education and the reliance on outside sources of
knowledge in different ways. Whitman's emphasis on simply being, as evidenced by his time spent
lounging around in nature, is comparable to Emerson's numerous references to children as the best
examples of self-reliance. Additionally, both authors use a certain amount of spirituality to explain
why people should trust their own judgement rather than seeking validation from others. When it
comes to religion, Emerson is more outspoken, although Whitman also makes mention of religious
beliefs. Last but not least, the sense of transcendentalism shared by both authors extends to nature,
which for both is associated with the true and unaltered self. Emerson and Whitman are advocating
the same concepts of self-reliance as being crucial and coming from a transcendental nature that is
more reliable and beneficial than societal norms and knowledge, despite the differences in their
writing styles.

Emerson believes that being creative is crucial to the process of becoming independent, but he also
values the idea of producing original work as being even more crucial. He claims that after one has
attained a certain level of education and wisdom, they should be aware that "envy is stupidity" and
"is suicide" (paragraph 2). Emerson's key argument is that everyone has a special creative talent that
shouldn't be wasted by trying to fit into a mould that other people thought was attractive. It is
crucial to realise that Emerson's concept of independence requires hard work: He thinks that in
order to express oneself, one must do their absolute best and give it their all. Emerson claims that
without both, one will not be able to attain tranquilly.

Emerson is therefore adamant that the only way to truly be fulfilled is to be self-reliant and to
express one's creative creativity to the fullest. Whitman agrees that each person is special and
deserves respect for being themselves, but he disagrees that one must strive as hard as Emerson
claims. Whitman instead celebrates himself throughout the entire poem as a result of merely
existing. Though Whitman undoubtedly put a lot of effort into writing and perfecting "Song of
Myself," the poem narrates his experience as he lazes on the grass and takes in his surroundings. He
praises numerous parts of his senses, including the sights and sounds of nature as well as his
"respiration and inspiration, the beating of my heart, the passing of blood and air through my lungs"
(Stanza 2, lines 12-15). Whitman demonstrates in this justification that he does indeed value
uniqueness, but unlike Emerson, he does not have to work hard to nurture art, at least not when it
comes to simply enjoying himself and environment. Emerson's description of children's inherent
independence in "Self-Reliance" is more in line with Whitman's attitude of embracing his freedom.
"Every society is conspiring against the manhood of every one of its members," writes Emerson
(paragraph 6). This is Emerson's way of saying that adults are made weaker by their conditioned
ideas of what is right or wrong, which, when compared to children, show a prisoned state of being.
Emerson, for instance, believes that children "must always be formidable" due to their
"independence, irresponsibility," and their "unaffected, impartial, unbribable, affrighted innocence"
(paragraph 5). Because it tests the adult state of learning to be a specific way, it is challenging.
Emerson's ideas on "self-reliance" are interesting in that they are more typical of youngsters than
they are of most adults.

Whitman makes other arguments for simplicity and a lack of effort throughout the poem, such as
when he maintains that striving and doing things cannot compare to the sensation of simply doing
nothing and appreciating the moment. Then he commands us to "Stop this day and night with me
and you shall acquire the origin of all poems" after asking, "Have you been so proud to grasp at the
meaning of poems?" (Verse 2, Stanza 4, 5). Whitman actually came to the conclusion that by doing
less, one might comprehend more and so be more independent. Whitman claims that a person who
adopts his ways and has access to "the genesis of all poems" will no longer rely on secondhand or
thirdhand information, view through the eyes of the deceased, or eat from the ghosts in books
(Verse 2, Stanza 4). Whitman challenges us to realise that what we take for granted is really just
seeing through the "eyes of the dead"—of those historical figures whose accounts we read and
repeat. In contrast to the sense of being alive that Whitman describes earlier in the poem, Whitman
views those former philosophers, artists, scientists, priests, politicians, or other individuals as
"spectres in books." One need not depend on the historical figures who are described in books if one
can discover truths for oneself. Whitman thus makes a point about independence that Emerson may
identify with. Emerson associates excellence with this self-reliance ideal that Whitman has also
espoused. Emerson exhorts the reader to "Trust thyself," and to have faith that a higher power has
put us in the right places and equipped us with everything we need to be truly creative and great in
our life (Paragraph 8).

Great men have, in fact, always done this, according to Emerson, and they have always known that
the "totally trustworthy was sitting at their heart, acting through their hands, predominating in all
their being" (Paragraph 3). Emerson is saying that one should have faith in their own knowledge and
virtue since everyone has goodness and wisdom within them. Due to the fact that this is also a
religious issue, Whitman's ideas are then further compared. In "Song of Myself," there are a few
references to spirituality that imply that, like Emerson, Whitman's conceptions of independence
contain a transcendent component. This theological underpinning of Whitman's reasoning may be
seen in his famous quote, "Divine am I within and out, and I make holy whatever I touch or am
touched from" (Verse 24, Stanza 10). It is evident from the rest of the poem that Whitman, like
Emerson, connects the divine nature with a reliable state. For instance, Whitman asserts that one
will learn more and be happy if they quit attempting to understand what other people are saying
and instead believe that kindness and intellect exist both inside themselves and in nature. Therefore,
it appears that the concepts of self-dependence held by both Whitman and Emerson are linked to a
reliance on a religious experience or spirit that is seen to be essential to our life.

Emerson's work is far more heavily influenced by religious concepts, as evidenced by his numerous
allusions to God. He claims that "God has armed youth, puberty, and adulthood no less with its own
piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious," which prompts us to reconsider the idea
that humans already possess everything they require to be happy and morally upright in their
natural state (Paragraph 4). In this passage, Emerson claims that God has endowed both the young
and old with charm, and he then goes on to condemn adults for losing sight of this charm. Emerson
believes that adults have abandoned their inherent trustworthiness as a result of societal training.
Emerson's statement that "man" has been "clapped into jail by his consciousness" refers to this
training (Paragraph 5). Children, on the other hand, are free to express themselves without concern
about others' reactions. Emerson asserts repeatedly that children don't require approval or
recognition from others in order to be themselves, whereas adults are always concerned about this
for themselves. Emerson has strong criticisms of culture and social norms, which further echoes
Whitman's ideas. According to Emerson, "Society is a joint-stock business, in which the members
agree to give up the eater's liberty and culture for the better safeguarding of his bread to each
shareholder" (Paragraph 6). This stark statement demonstrates how people give up their
independence in order to increase their chances of obtaining food and possibly other means of
survival. Additionally, Emerson claims that society's ability to function depends largely on conformity
and that "self-reliance is its aversion" (Paragraph 6). Given that Emerson claims that "society
everywhere is in conspiracy against the masculinity of every one of its members," it is challenging to
imagine the kind of society that would be possible under his theories (Paragraph 6). Emerson argues
that the very concept of society may therefore constantly be in opposition to the state of
independence.

Whitman expresses this idea in his poetic style, albeit he does not make it as apparent that society
and culture are barriers to independence. He opposes perfume-filled homes and rooms, for
example, and advocates keeping creeds and schools "in abeyance" because he can learn more and
appreciate scents more without either (Verse 1, Stanza 4). Both perfume and school illustrate
different facets of how people come to rely on other people's opinions and lose their sense of
independence. People learn to trust the truth of teachers and texts in schools, which Whitman has
criticised, as was previously said. When it comes to perfume, people cover over their natural aroma,
demonstrating a cultural belief that the true self is unworthy. Whitman, on the other hand, believes
that he is excellent and knowledgeable without regard to what his culture expects of him. The fact
that he enjoys the "sniff of green leaves and dry leaves" as well as other features of nature shows
that he has faith in himself (Verse 2, Stanza 3). Whitman and Emerson both have a relationship
between independence and the natural world. "We first share the life by which things exist, and
later regard them as appearances in nature, and forget that we have shared their cause," says
Emerson when referring to elements of nature (Paragraph 21). ). In this, Emerson claims that people
and nature have a similar nature and once more alludes to a metaphysical spiritual force as the
origin of all things. Whitman has a strong sense of connection to the natural world, and he enjoys
both it and himself. He also has equal faith in both. Emerson similarly has faith in both nature and
himself since he considers nature to be an extension of his own inner self. As a result, Emerson and
Whitman have beliefs that are similar in terms of transcendental naturalism, which is the foundation
of their confidence in independence.

Emerson and Whitman therefore share similar fundamental beliefs regarding independence as the
best course of action due to the dependability of nature and the natural order of things. Because
they have not yet learnt from society what they are supposed to be, Emerson views children as his
role models. Whitman commends a straightforward style of being without attempting. Identify
anything in the literature or from others. Emerson makes it clear that the shared divine essence of
reality is what makes humanity trustworthy. Whitman doesn't frequently express his beliefs in such
blunt terms, but he does so frequently enough to demonstrate his agreement. Finally, both authors
have a connection to nature. Emerson's separation from society and decision to dwell in nature
might be seen as another another example of how he and Whitman are similar. In summary, as
opposed to the self that has been socially conditioned, nature is more closely related to the actual,
authentic, and most reliable self.