Emerson's Self-Reliance 2

A detailed Summary of Emerson's Self-Reliance 2

In Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance, he writes of "the over-soul" and the belief that mankind is united through very similar beliefs through the "over-soul". Our instinctive actions in making moral choices are all part of this over-soul. This over-soul exists universally among men and is the basis of deriving the basic laws of government. The idea of the over-soul is evident in and greatly influences religion and faith. It is inherent in the morals of all men, therefore there is truth to the existence of the over-soul. Emerson writes of the over-soul: ...that Unity, that Over-soul, within which every man's particular being is contained and made one with all other; that common heart, of which all sincere conversation is the worship, to which all right action is submission; that overpowering reality which confutes our tricks and talents, and constrains every one to pass for what he is, and to speak from his character, and not from his tongue, and which evermore tends to pass into our thought and hand, and become wisdom, and virtue, and power, and beauty(52). In this quotation Emerson says that the common instinct instilled in man lets him see the truth for himself. This reality found from the shared over-soul, is the purest form

of truth. All men have this ability to perceive the truth, and a common knowledge of goodness unites and unifies us all. Man's instinctive actions in making moral choices are all part of the over-soul. Man can perceive that which is ultimately good, only if he looks past the set laws and dogmas of the majority. It is true that all men have certain inherent morals. These morals that uniquely define man, are what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. This human characteristic to distinguish between what is morally right from wrong is evident in every individual and constitutes a unifying all embodying "entity", the over-soul. Along with our natural instincts as animals, we have the ability to choose whether we will submit to our animal urges or follow the true path of the over-soul. The over-soul exists universally among men and is the basis of deriving the basic laws of government. Emerson writes, "Justice we see and know, Love, Freedom, Power. These natures no man ever got above, but they tower over us, and most in the moment when our interests tempt us to wound them"(53). Through the over-soul, the importance of the ideals of justice, love, freedom, and power, are seen. The general laws in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, concerning the justice and freedom of men, all carry hints of moral, or nearly religious attributes. There are many similar laws in other free countries that carry nearly the same intent and purpose as our laws of freedom and justice. The hints of morally and spiritually derived laws of the United States are justifiable, due to the amiable and pious characters of its drafters. These men were unquestionably of good moral values, seeing truth in the idea that all men deserved freedom and justice. Their desire to oppose that which forcibly limited their freedom was greatly influenced by the over-soul. They embodied these truths into the laws and rights formulated in our government. The idea of the over-soul is eviden

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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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