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Thoreau's 'Self-Reliance'

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In today’s world, it is very hard to often times stay true to yourself, It is important to stay true to who you are because everyone is unique and is special in their own way so by hiding it the world or people around you will never see it. In Walden’s “Self-Reliance” he say’s, “ Our life is like a German Confederacy, made up of petty states, with its boundary forever fluctuating…” When this is said it is meant to be taken as how controlled our lives can easily become.The petty states seem to represent maybe our family, friends, the society we live in or now social media. These will be the type of things that can hold us back from being who we truly are and want to become. From Thoreau's Walden it is stated that, “A man is relieved and …show more content…

. In 1920 when Plutarco Elias Calles took over the constitution became brutally enforced. Growing up Jose was forced to attend mass in secret, in his church he grew real close to the priest who was teaching him to an alter boy. One day government soldier stormed the church and started destroying it along with executing the priest for not denouncing his faith. Jose was a witness to all of this and obviously heartbroken so he decided to join the resistance along with his two brothers. At the camp he was given chores to and did them with no complaints, soon becoming the heart of the camp. He was given the job by the General to carry the flag, in battle the generals horse was shot down so he gave him his and went to hide. Unfortunately he and another boy were captured and taken into imprisonment, there government officials would try and get him to go against the lord. When he would he refused he would be tortured and forced to watch other executions but he never once broke. In prison he would write to his mother and tell her he has accepted his faith god planned for him and to give his final goodbyes to his loved ones. On February 10th the decision to execute Jose was made, the general for the government cut the bottom of his feet and beat him severely. He was

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As a result, Valdés was sentenced to six months in prison while Don José Martí was sentenced to death, but was then changed in six years of imprisonment. While in prison, he was forced to work in the hard labor field at the limestone quarry. He wrote letters to his mother where he included a picture of himself in a chain that stretched from his waist to his ankle. In one letter, Don José Martí described to his mom that although he was sixteen years-old, he was old to certain

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Many times he would argue with god and ask him why he put him in a situation like that one. I believe he was extremely strong after realizing his mother and sister were killed in the gas chambers. At one point while being in the camp they had to see a young underweight boy die while being hung. To experience this terrible death would have killed me but, he was so strong and kept quite because he believed they would make it out eventually. That same night he tasted his soup and it tasted like

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Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience) is a dissertation written by American abolitionist, author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau published by Elizabeth Peabody in the Aesthetic Papers in 1849. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was born and lived almost his life in Concord, Massachusetts. After finishing public and private school in Concord he attended the prestige Harvard University. He excelled at Harvard despite leaving school for several months due to health and financial setbacks. Mr. Thoreau graduated in the top half of his class in 1837.

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Many people rely on the opinions of others, never truly stopping to personally consider the subject at hand. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an impactful American writer, wrote a piece entitled Self- Reliance. In Self-Reliance, Emerson’s purpose is to promote ideas of individualistic thinking. Emerson uses strong, rhetorical strategies, such as figurative language, allusions, and complex syntax and parallelism to effectively persuade his audience to trust their own thoughts.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote Self-Reliance during the time period when transcendentalism emerged, thus based his essay off of this ideology. Transcendentalism is known as the philosophy that divine truth is present in all created things and that truth is known through intuition, not through the rational mind. This principle seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout many of Emerson’s essays. In fact, he is known as a transcendentalist philosopher. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance, Emerson is convincing his readers that self-reliance is more important than being dependent on others by using metaphors and pathos.

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Thoreau trusted that in light of the fact that legislatures are normally more unsafe than supportive, they hence can't be defended. Vote based system is not an answer for this, as greater parts basically by point of preference of being dominant parts don't additionally pick up the upside of astuteness and equity. The judgment of a singular's heart is not so much second rate compared to the choices of a political body or larger part, thus "it is not attractive to develop an admiration for the law, such a great amount with respect to one side. The main commitment which I have a privilege to expect is to do whenever what I think right.... Law never made men a whit all the more only; and, by method for their admiration for it, even the all around arranged are day by day made the operators of foul play."

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The early 1840s till the early 1950, a person 's desire to follows laws varied. Some people didn 't question any law and just followed them to avoid any trouble. But a few people objected. Two very influential writers, Ralph Emerson and Henry Thoreau, put together their opinions to form essays. Emerson’s work as published around 1841; Thoreau’s work was published around 1849.

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Individuals lay the foundation of America. The Founding Fathers of this unique nation broke their allegiance with Great Britain to create an improved governing body. They desired an individual-centered authority as opposed to Britain’s monarchy, which ruled with tyranny. These Founding Fathers experienced a neglectful democratic monarchy that cared little about the ethical treatment of its people. The domineering actions of Britain challenged these historic individuals to form a new cultural identity.

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In Self-Reliance Emerson’s prison is a figurative allusion of the conformity of society. In Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government Thoreau literally gets placed into prison. However, in Thoreau’s text prison is correspondingly a metaphor for society and its continued conformity. In both texts the writer’s persuasive tone beseeches the reader to not consent to the social-contracts of society. In Emerson’s Self-Reliance and Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government prison is a symbol of being confined in a society that does not accept individualism, but rather accepts and requires the majority and conformism of all citizens and men.

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American philosopher Henry David Thoreau stated, that “The Price of anything is the amount of time you exchange for it.” People throughout the world have begun to question whether his statement is accurate or not. Upon looking farther at his statement, it is concluded that he is, in fact correct. If you look around you can see proof and instances that support his claim. You just have to look through a wide view.

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“The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right” This is a quote from Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he being a Transcendentalist held true to his belief; one being all humans are born with the unchallengeable moral truth within, and did not need outside influences to make the right decision pertaining to the business of life. I feel the quote hold true meaning to one’s inner thought; that they are only obligated to be true to themselves morally and in turn based on their perception to do the right thing concerning to any giving situation. With the concept of Civil Disobedience, I should not be made to follow a law or form of government, which is not for the people and in principle morally

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Abraham Lincoln, a Senate candidate at the time, gave his famous “A House Divided” speech on June 16, 1858, in Illinois at the Republican State Convention. When Lincoln delivered the speech his immediate audience was the Illinois Republican Party, but after reading the speech one can see that it was intended for a much larger audience. His speech was intended to impact people of both parties, and to change the way the people thought. During Lincoln’s speech, he had a few main ideas that he was clearly trying to illustrate to his audience.

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In the piece “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of Americas most influential thinkers, Emerson talks about the subject of individuality. Using many different rhetorical strategies, he makes his perspective on the subject loud and clear by using personification, alliteration and analogy. “The eye was placed where one ray shall fall, that it might testify ray shall fall, that it might testify of that particular ray. Bravely let him speak the utmost syllable of his confession” (Emerson). Emerson uses personification, giving “the eye” the ability to talk and confess such as a human would.

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What Thoreau means by the Civil Disobedience is that every person should be govern more by his own moral compass that gives him much clearer answer to his deeds, rather than some laws of a government. “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think we should be men first, and subjects afterward.” (1)

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The American Creed expresses many ideals and principles that are clearly cherished by a majority of fellow Americans. Examples of these ever-important standards of the American Creed are evident in both Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walden by Henry David Thoreau. After reading and analyzing both texts, the reader detects obvious examples of independence, equality, diversity, liberty and opportunity. While both stories have their similarities in these topics, the two authors also express contrasting opinions. Liberty is a standard addressed in both Emerson and Thoreau’s writings that is alike in both mens’ perspectives.

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