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Essay / Integrity and Intuition as the Heart of an Autonomous Individual by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson wrote about self-reliance and argued that self-sufficiency is what gives people the freedom to find their true selves. Emerson says: “To believe your own thinking, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, is genius. » (p. 641). This tells us that Emerson was a man who believed that people should believe in themselves and do what they thought was right according to their own opinions. He also explains: “Trust yourself: every heart vibrates on this iron string” (p. 642). By this he means that everyone must trust themselves and know that every decision they make must come from their heart and what they believe in. This also ties in somewhat with Thoreau's argument: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Thoreau argued that people should disobey laws that the government has created that are considered inappropriate for each person. Thoreau asserts: “Know to all men by these gifts that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be considered a member of any incorporated society to which I have not joined” (p. 921). By this he was trying to explain that he was not going to participate in things that he did not think were right in his heart, so he decided not to pay the tax and be locked up in prison. He chose to disobey the government because he thought the idea of paying tax was a bad idea and he did not want to participate in government law, so he followed his decision in his heart. This shows that he supported the idea that people should follow their hearts and what they think is right and wrong. Emerson believes in self-reliance because he believes that is how someone can find their true self. Thoreau supports this by arguing that people should disobey laws that are not considered acceptable, such as slavery and other government-approved laws. They both tended to be somewhat similar because they both had the theme of living your life to better yourself. Self-reliance and civil disobedience are somewhat similar in that they persuade people to be themselves and do what is right. Nature Emerson talks in his introduction to "Nature" about how we all try to understand the world through theories rather than observing it with our own eyes. own eyes. As Emerson states: “Let us inquire of the great apparition which shines so peacefully around us. Let's see, what is nature for? because he thinks that everyone should go and experience nature directly and not rely on what is theorized because it takes us away from nature (p. 592). Then, in chapter 1, Emerson explains how people perceive the nature around them when observing the stars. He explains: “If the stars appeared one night every thousand years, how would men believe and worship; and preserve for many generations the memory of the city of God which had been shown” (p. 594). By this he makes a very valid point: people don't realize how special nature is because it happens all the time around us. Emerson wants us to know that nature is a special thing given to us by God and that every person should participate in observing the nature around us, because we never know how long we will have something also special. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essayThoreau explains in “Where I Lived and.