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Self Reliance And Transcendentalism Essay

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Self Reliance And Transcendentalism Essay
The idea of self-reliance, extensively discussed by Emerson, is the prominent indicator of the transcendentalism ideologies found deeply embedded within the essay. Emerson starts out by a scant but dense definition of self-reliance; he says, “To believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men - that is genius” (Emerson 549). An important component of Emerson definition is the the inner spiritual and mental qualities of all humans, also referred to as the “private heart”. We later discover that these qualities were believed to be inborn and abundant with merit and value. However, the definition of self-reliance does not rest there. Equally important to the definition is the notion of
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