Emerson's Self-Reliance - Book Report/Review Example

Emerson states that one must not do good because society says that those very acts are good. One must want to do good because it is right in his own mind to do so. He must have the necessary knowledge to make those decisions for himself and know why he is doing what he is doing before he just does it (Emerson). Emerson notices how people who are wealthy give large amounts of money just to look good in the eyes of other and to be popular. They are not giving out of true kindness or from the goodness of their hearts.

They are merely giving large amounts of money to appear virtuous to the church, as well as to the other institutions of society. He states that they are only doing this so they can reap praise from the larger majority, which is not right in the least bit. Emerson says that there is no problem with giving large amounts of money to those in need; however, he does have a problem if it is being done for show and tell. If one wants to give, it must b done so quietly. These deeds are not for show or to be bragged about just to look good to the majority (Emerson).

If a person is a conformist, it is difficult to tell what kind of person he really is. He is not honest with himself, as he is constantly going along with what others say. It is these types of people that Emerson despises, and he does not wish to be in their company.Emerson says that if one wants to truly b a good man and act with integrity, he must do this because this is what he truly and honestly wants to do. To be of the utmost integrity, he must preserve his own mind and not let is thoughts and his virtues be tainted by what others say.

He must be an individual and think for himself. If he cannot do those things, the he has succeeded in allowing others to rule his mind, and therefore, he is not a true man (Emerson).In regards to consistency, Emerson states that one must not keep on doing the same things because this is how it was always done. He likens these actions to a person that is constantly looking back over their shoulder. Rather than engaging in such behavior, one must want to trod forward and try new things. It is okay for one to contradict what has always been done.

It is perfectly fine for one to abandon his own theories to try new things. A man must not keep on living in the past but advance to better things because today is a new day (Emerson). In order for a man to be great, he must strive to bring the past into judgment before the rest of the crowd. This means that this man would challenge everything. If he is misunderstood for doing such things, then so be it. On this subject, Emerson tells us that the greatest people of history were not understood by the majority As a matter of fact, the majority look at them as if they were stupid and did not know anything.

Yet, these people knew more than anyone else in their time. These people had the answers that the others were seeking; however, they'd never know because they were too busy being judgmental. If this is what a person has to go through in order to be great, then it is better to be misunderstood than to be understood (Emerson). Emerson had a special way of handling the objections of society. When it came to people wanting him to conform, he'd merely rebel against the concept. For instance, if someone expected him to give a lot of money to the poor just to look good and be lauded by the public