The House Emerson Built

In Ralph Waldo Emerson's text "Self-Reliance" he uses maxims from a set period of time to define contemporary society; his wise words give insight into that time and their ideas. The sturdy house that he built to prove to the audience to become independent has a strong foundation in the support of his maxims. His clever maxims make this text easy to remember and attract the reader's attention.

This stronghold that supports the foundation of his argument breaks from traditions. Its strength is not the cement of old but a new, unique mortar. " Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string". Metaphorically he uses the heart to refer to people, and the iron string to trust. Basically, he is telling his audience to trust in themselves. They have to overcome the obstacles and do what they want, and believe is right. Also, Emerson tells the readers to never give up and even if they end up being wrong they can die content.

One huge brick important in building this house is the maxim "To be great is to be misunderstood". In this he is saying don't do what has been done before, or nothing new would ever occur. The first person that said "The earth is round" was at the time thought to be misunderstood but as we all know later on became great. "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of the little minds" can be interpreted to mean that traditions are good but are limited. Traditions may only hinder little minds but the people who trust in themselves will see over them.

These maxims are only a handful of the building blocks that construct this monument that