Rejuvenation Of Society: American Scholar Vs Self-Reliance

Name: Professor’s name: Course: Date: American Scholar versus Self-Reliance Emerson’s essays, the American Scholar and Self Reliance, are the foundation of the society’s rejuvenation in creativity and its impact on the world. Emerson’s piece, the American Scholar, seeks to address man’s intellect and creative ability to influence the nature and its susceptibility to other external influences such as history, books, experiences, and the responsibilities of intellectuals in the society. The essay identifies the society as being detrimental towards individual creativity as they seek approval of the social constrictions and expectations of the community. On the other hand, Self-Reliance focuses more on an individualistic approach to becoming an ideal man, independent thinker with no attachment to the social norms and hence limited influence by nature and other external factors. A thinking man should hold close his abilities to impact the society through an individualistic approach while also recognizing inherent values of nature and the society that have nurtured or developed their set of thoughts. The American society enjoys a lot of attention from different communities around the world owing to its belief in certain ideologies and the freedom with which its members put them to practice. It enjoys an admiration from a vast majority who views it as the ideal society full of opportunities for both individual and communal growth, development, and success. Collectively, the nation is spearheading various social, economic, and political initiatives that the rest of the world emulates. The American society sets the bar when it comes to ideals of the society across the three pillars of any community. However, the coveted American dream is equally abhorred or revered by critics around the universe that question its legitimacy or actual realization by people who move to the country in search of greener pasture. Essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson, takes credit for initiating radical changes in the fields of literature, philosophy, and religion through passionate appeal to American creativity across the different fields for a new identity based on creativity based on original ideas from the existing members of the society (Whelan Richard, 2012). Emerson’s transcendentalism provoked the American society to review its perception of various factors affecting the potential and ability of a person to effect change and or influence on others. The American Scholar is an analysis of the process through which an individual acquires knowledge for the benefit of the society. Nature is one of the sources from which man gains original information that reflects on the better understanding of themselves. The author provokes individuals to define nature at a personal level and compares the recurrence or its continuity to a circular power similar to the human spirit (Emerson Ralph Waldo, 2016). The free character trait of human mind represents the insurmountable knowledge present in nature that human beings continuously make useful deductions as learning experiences. Emerson gives various examples of professions that gather information from nature to create landmark discoveries in the respective realms. Self-reliance enjoins the two aspects to become the ma...