Self-Reliance Questions

1. Many people now, as in Emerson's time, are looking inward for guidance, rather than from an outside source. People don't rely on God, but their own personal guidance in what they want from life.
2. (a) Emerson uses terms like conspiracy and joint-stock company to describe society.(b) In Emerson's mind, society's main purpose is to conform everyone into thinking and believing the same way.(c) Emerson believes people should completely disregard what other people ssay due to the fact that as a person, the only thing that you need to worry about is yourself.
3. (a) All of these men were wise and misunderstood. (b) The use of the examples of the great men supports Emerson's claim that "to be great is to be misunderstood".
4. (a) It shows Emerson's emotion towards the subject and hints that he may be affected by the foolish consistency he is referring to. (b) I don't think there would any amount of circumstance that would make Emerson advocate the benefits of consistency. He has showed many times over how against it he is, so why would he ever write anything good about it?
5. (a) From Emerson's point of view, divines play a role as conformists, trying to get everyone they can to conform to the church. (b) Emerson would say that finding their own path, using their own guidance, in any way they can, is each person's reason for living. Judging by the way he speaks of conformists and the reliance of oneself, I think he would see this as a fitting description.
6. I would use the statement "Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world" as a guideline for personal conduct because it seems as if he is saying that if you only worry about what's going on with you and disregard what's going on in everyone else's mind, the world is at your fingertips. Anything is achievable.