Emerson’s “Self-­‐
Reliance”: Discussion Worksheet and Motivational Poster Project © 2014 The English Teachers’ Pet © 2014 The English Teacher’s Pet
Name:__________________________ Due Date:____________________________
Excerpts from the essay “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson Directions: Read the essay carefully. You may want to read it more than
once.
1. Discuss the meaning of the verse preceding the essay.
2. Highlight or underline 5 sentences from the essay that stand out to
you. For each sentence that you mark, annotate (write notes in the
margin) to explain:
• What you think the sentence means
• Why the sentence stands out to you
Ne te quaesiveris extra." ("Seek no one besides yourself.")
"Man is his own star; and the soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,
Commands all light, all influence, all fate;
Nothing to him falls early or too late.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still."
I read the other day some verses written by an eminent
painter which were original and not conventional. The soul
always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject
be what it may. The sentiment they instill is of more value
than any thought they may contain. To believe your own
thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private
heart is true for all men, — that is genius. Speak your
latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for
the inmost in due time becomes the outmost,—— and our
first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the
Last Judgment. Familiar as the voice of the mind is to
each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and
Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and
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spoke not what men but what they thought. A man should
learn to detect and watch that gleam of light, which flashes
across his mind from within, more than the luster of the
firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without
notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of
genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come
back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of
art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They
teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with
good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry
of voices is on the other side. Else, to-morrow a stranger
will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have
thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to
take with shame our own opinion from another.
There is a time in every man's education when he arrives
at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is
suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as
his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good,
no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through
his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to
him to till. The power, which resides in him is new in
nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can
do, nor does he know until he has tried. Not for nothing
one face, one character, one fact makes much impression
on him, and another none. It is not without pre-established
harmony, this sculpture in the memory. The eye was
placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of
that particular ray. Bravely let him speak the utmost
syllable of his confession. We but half express ourselves,
and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us
represents. It may be safely trusted as proportionate and
of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not
have his work made manifest by cowards. It needs a
divine man to exhibit any thing divine. A man is relieved
and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done
his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall
© 2014 The English Teacher’s Pet
give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not
deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse
befriends; no invention, no hope.
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.
Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you;
the society of your contemporaries, the connection of
events. Great men have always done so and confided
themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying
their perception that the Eternal was stirring at their heart,
working through their hands, predominating in all their
being. And we are now men, and must accept in the
highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not
pinched in a corner, not cowards fleeing before a
revolution, but redeemers and benefactors, pious aspirants
to be noble clay plastic under the Almighty effort, let us
advance and advance on Chaos and the Dark. ...
These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they
grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world.
Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood
of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock
company in which the members agree for the better
securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the
liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most
requests is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves
not realities and creators, but names and customs.
Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who
would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the
name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness.
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind.
Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of
the world. ...
© 2014 The English Teacher’s Pet
What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the
people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in
intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction
between greatness and meanness. It is the harder,
because you will always find those who think they know
what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the
world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude
to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the
midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the
independence of solitude.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He
may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall.
Out upon your guarded lips! Sew them up with packthread,
do. 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. Ah, then, exclaim
the aged ladies, you shall be sure to be misunderstood.
Misunderstood! It is a right fool's word. Is it so bad then to
be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and
Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and
Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that
ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood…
© 2014 The English Teacher’s Pet
Name:_________________________________ Due Date:______________________________ “Self-­‐Reliance” Motivational Poster Assignment-­‐ 20 points You’ve seen them around – posters that are designed to inspire you and
build your character. Now it’s your turn to create one. Choose one quotation
from Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” and turn it into a motivational poster
of your own. There is no limit to your creativity; your poster should,
however, include these elements:
On the front of the poster, include:
• A quotation from Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance,” written clearly and
legibly somewhere in your design.
• An image that helps to convey the meaning of the quotation.
On the back of the poster, write:
• A paragraph that explains what you think the quotation means and
why the quotation stands out to you.
On the day this is due, we will be sharing our posters. Create something of
which you can be proud.
A suggestion: choose a quote that speaks to you. If you feel a connection to
the quote, it will be easier to explain it to the class.
© 2014 The English Teacher’s Pet
Rubric for Motivational Poster Written Explanation/ Understanding Neatness Creativity Excellent Very Good Average Needs Work Explanation of the quote is insightful and accurate. Explanation to the class clearly shows that you thought about the quote extensively. 9-­‐10 The poster design is very clear and unique. You must have spent time on this. 5 You’ve definitely thought outside the box for this one and went above and beyond to make this project unique. 5 Explanation of the quote is accurate, and your explanation shows that you’ve thought about what this quote means. 8 Your poster is clear and legible. It seems as if you planned out how it would look. 4 You’ve put a lot of work into your design, and it shows. Your poster stands out as a good interpretation. 4 Explanation of the quote is accurate, and your explanation shows that you understand what the quote means. 7 I can read your poster, and it makes sense. You could have planned it a little better, but it’s not bad. 3 You’ve put effort into your poster. It looks nice and you have spent time on it. 3 Explanation of the quote is inaccurate. Next time, spend a little more time thinking about what the quote means. 6 It’s hard to understand your poster. Remember that with any poster, the information conveyed is the most important part. 2 This seems a bit run-­‐of-­‐the-­‐mill or rushed. Next time, try to stretch your mind a bit – you’ll be surprised with what you can come up with. 2 © 2014 The English Teacher’s Pet
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