Self Reliance

As I began to read this, I was a bit troubled at what Emerson was trying to tell us. Throughout Self-Reliance, Emerson portrays to the audience that he is completely against going with the crowd. He believes that you should be your own person and that you should not do things just to fit in with everyone else. Being your own person shows independence and in society today, our youth lacks independence. When reading Self-Reliance I began to think about the trends you see develop throughout society. No one is really different or their own person anymore. Just look at our campus and pick out how many people you see wearing the same brands of clothing or shoes. A majority of people go with the trend to fit in and no one "dares to be different." 

In line 119 Emerson says "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what people think." He is trying to tell the audience that he is only concerned with his own actions and doesn't care what people think about him. That's how society should be today. When reading this, it kind of made me think about the letters that were sent to Benjamin Franklin in Chapter Six. The men were boasting and bragging about how great Benjamin Franklin was, but at the same time they were also telling him that he should continue being the person he is and not change because of the way society viewed him. Benjamin Franklin was a great figure in history and a lot of people looked up to him. He was his own person and did what he thought was best for himself. 

I really like how he starts out some paragraphs with quotes like in line 35 he says "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." It seems appropriate for Self Reliance because you do have to trust yourself over everyone else.