Emerson's Views on Self-Reliance and Thoreau's Governmental Critique

What does Emerson think of people who call for consistency in thought and action and who fear being misunderstood? ? He believes being foolish is ridiculous and for little minds, and that you should speak your mind uninhibited, and that being misunderstood is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of history’s great minds were misunderstood. 5. Emerson makes many of his points through a series of figures of speech - comparisons between two things that are basically unlike. In "Self-Reliance" what does he compare with the ordinary things and events listed below.

Be sure to respond in complete sentence format. Example: He compares cannon balls to words: "Else if you would be a man, speak what you think today in words as hard as cannon balls, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said today. " A. planting corn- Planting corn is compared to basically reaping what you sow. No reward can come unless one puts in hard work, pain, and suffering in life, just like the work that goes into planting and harvesting corn.

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B. an iron string- An iron string is compared to trust in oneself. ? C. lay- Clay is compared to aspiring men who must let themselves be molded by the “Almighty effort”. * * "That government is best which governs not at all;". Thoreau’s essay, inspired by a night in jail, was a bit biased against the government. Thoreau’s theory of how he believes a government should operate is simply not feasible- it is not reasonable to protest the operation of government policies by breaking the law, and then criticizing the government after spending a night in jail; the government is needed to stabilize a country, to provide order amidst chaos, and to ensure common welfare and health.

The government has many functions in a country, and nothing could be accomplished without it- for example, a stabilized economy. Now, some people would argue that the government causes inflation and economic depression, but it is also the only thing that can stabilize it and bring it back into an upswing. By evidence of the Confederate states, before they became the United States, trying to be a united group but having separate small governments does not work. A government with even minimal power cannot collect taxes, enforce its laws, or protect its citizens.

Chaos would then ensue. Chaos is also caused by lawlessness, which is in turned caused by a weak government. A wonderful example is the early United States. They attempted a Confederacy, a band of loosely tied states whose government had no real power. They states fought, the people fought against the states, it was mayhem - every man for himself. Laws were broken and justice was exacted in the form of revenge. There was no safety, no guarantees, no order. But with a strong government in place, society can function normally and live in relative peace.

There is a system in place to protect, to lead, to help. Without it, all hell breaks loose. And hell is a place of misery and sickness, which is another thing that the government typically seeks to remedy. They may tax their people, but that money Thoreau refused to give up would be redistributed out to people in need. It goes to homeless shelters, veterans, old retired folks, a sick single mother, a young adult struggling to make it out of the ghetto. The government is there for the common good.

It helps out the people, because the people elect its officials. There may be a handful who disagree, but the government is typically run by the majorities wishes, so that the majority of its people are at least satisfied, if not happy. A single person can be smart, but people as a collective group are stupid. They are like sheep- they require guidance and leadership in order to run like a well-oiled machine. Therefore the government must have power, and use it to govern. There will always be a andful of people like Thoreau who oppose the government, and argue for the underdog because they feel that the system has not worked in their favor, or even hindered them. But overall, a government is designed for the common good, and governments like the USA and many European countries are doing just that. But there is no point to a government that does not govern, for then it is worse than having none at all. The government is required to ensure the common good, health, and order is enforced and the majority of its people are safe and happy.