the nature of the beast

A detailed Summary of the nature of the beast

Most profound and original thoughts are likely to have significant impact on social norms. Such is the case of the ideas expressed in Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance." Some would say that such views incite immoral behavior, breeding social deviants such as Charles Manson. While this may be partly true, one cannot ignore how the same views may result in socially upstanding citizens as well, such as the persona portrayed as Erin Brockovich.

One might first object to this idea because of the obvious contradiction. Yet one must take into consideration it would only be a contradiction if all things other than Emerson's ideas were equal, and rarely, if even possible, could everything else be equal.

With that being said, one must ask as to what exactly the views of Emerson in this essay are. Most of his essay can be summed up with two words: trust oneself. He believes that the only true person one can trust is oneself, that one's instincts are the only pristine thoughts. All other ideas have been tarnished by social norms and values. Rampant throughout society is the notion that one must think and act consistently with what one thought and did on days previous. Emerson says that it is this des

ire for consistency that keeps one from following one's own instincts. "The terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loathe to disappoint them" (24). In other words, Emerson is trying to say that any action done for consistency is pointless, since it requires no original thought. Emerson then goes on to say that "no man can violate his nature" (25).

Does that mean that everyone should stay home pondering the mysteries of the universe? No, since there is obviously some inherent value in experience. The point is not to go somewhere, or do anything for that matter, just for the sake doing it, rather one should take that experience and relate it to their own unique person, getting out of it something that only they can.

Rooted in society is the notion that if a person is to be "educated", they should be well traveled. Emerson would say that it is not the travel that makes the person educated, yet just the opposite. It is the original thinker, the wise man, that makes traveling "venerable in the imagination" (34). It is the mind that makes different places, different things worthy of reverence or reflection; the attributes of those different places that only exist in the mind are what truly make those places great.

Which person is better? Erin or Manson? Emerson would say neither. He would say that both of them are the same in application, only different in action. Both followed what they believed to be correct in their nature, for which

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Approximate Word count = 1095
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English