AMERICA LITERATURE

1. SAN MARCOS UNIVERSITY AMERICA LITERATURE School: Education Student: Elida cullanco menenses Teacher: Yony Cárdenas Cornelio

2. (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, lecturer, and poet.

12. Emerson begins "Self-Reliance" by defining genius: "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius.’’ Every educated man, he writes, eventually realizes that ‘‘envy is ignorance" and that he must be truly himself. God has made each person unique and, by extension, given each person a unique work to do, Emerson holds. To trust one's own thoughts and put them into action is, in a very real sense, to hear and act on the voice of God. Emerson adds that people must seek solitude to hear their own thoughts, because society, by its nature, coerces men to conform. He goes so far as to call society "a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members."

13. Individualism Emerson repeatedly calls on individuals to value their own thoughts, opinions, and experiences above those presented to them by other individuals, society, and religion. This radical individualism springs from Emerson's belief that each individual is not just unique but divinely unique; i.e., each individual is a unique expression of God's creativity and will. Trust Your Own Inner Voice Emerson urges his readers to retain the outspokenness of a small child who freely speaks his mind. A child he has not yet been corrupted by adults who tell him to do otherwise. He also urges readers to avoid envying or imitating others viewed as models of perfection; instead, he says, readers should take pride in their own individuality and never be afraid to express their own original ideas.

14. GENIUS: "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men-that is genius”

16. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members . 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. The virtue in most requests is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs. Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. I remember an answer which when quite young I was prompted to make to a valued adviser, who was wont to importune me with the dear old doctrines of the church. On my saying, what have I to do with the sacredness of traditions, if I live wholly from within? My friend suggested, -- "But these impulses may be from below, not from above."

18. 1. How does society conspire against manhood? Why must a man be a non-conformist? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. According to Emerson, why is it problematic for an individual to be concerned with “consistency”? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. CONCLUSIONS: 1. What mistakes do we make in terms of imitating others? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Emerson strongly urges readers to trust their own insight and common sense when making a decision. Is this advice flawed in any way? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________