Emersons Self Reliance vs. Douglass Narrative of the Life Essay

After ushering some(prenominal) Self Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, by Frederick Douglass, 1 might notice a trend in what two writers do as the key to happiness or self-fulfillment. Emerson and Douglass both imply that acquiring association is what people should strive for throughout their lives. However, their perceptions on the kind of companionship should be attained is where their ideas diverge Emerson is the one that encourages one to develop the somebody whereas with Douglass, it is the mind. One of the primary issues that Emerson tried to convey was that one must preserve what they believe is received for themselves and not listen to what other people think. He states, It is easy in the world to live after the worlds opinion it is easy in solitude to live after our give birth but the great man is he who in the midst of the congregation keeps perfect sweetness the independence of solitude(Eme rson 151). One of the definitions of the countersignature world is valet de chambre society. The word opinion means a suasion, judgment, or appraisal form in the mind about a particular matter. By put these words together, Emerson is implying that the worlds opinion is the general point of view accepted by most of society. Emerson in like manner uses the word, solitude which means, the quality or state of being alone or remote from society. By also using the word solitude in this sentence, he shows a limit between the majority (society), and the individual. What Emerson suggests is that if one can live in a world full of people who think a certain look because they were taught to believe that way, but still hold your own ground and travel along what you believe, you are a great person. Douglass also believes in following what is align for oneself despite what people around him think. This is evident when he says, But I should be false to the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I elect to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the derision of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence (Douglass 75). The word true means being that which is the case rather than what is manifest or assumed, and the word false means inconsistent with the features. Douglass uses both of these words to convey the fact that he would rather believe his own thoughts and suffer the wrat... ... and unhappy (Douglass 78). study how to read was as big a step towards freedom for Douglass as it was back. It made him aware of the circumstances but it also made him realize how difficult it would be for him to ever find himself a free man. However, knowledge overpowers ignorance in the sense that his masters could never take his expertness to read away from him and because Douglass now knew his condition, he knew that he deserved a get out life.Both Emerson and Douglass had a huge impact on those who read their work. Their mes sages were both similar and different in their own ways. Emerson pushed the idea of unification with matinee idol through the soul while Douglass stood behind the development of the mind with the ability to read. However, both Emerson and Douglass were for non-conformity and individualism. They were very much concerned with the growth of the individual, whether it be in mind or through the soul. Works CitedDouglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. New York Penguin Group, 1982.Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson. USA Riverside Editions, 1957.