Finally, Walt Whitman, who wrote in free verse about topics that no one else was writing about, believed in equality and pushed for democracy and individualism. ... First published in 1841 in Essays, Emerson's "Self-Reliance" is a radical piece of literature which showcases his views about the individual in society. In this essay, Emerson expresses "a central doctrine: divinity [existing] intimately in each natural fact, [and] in each individual self" (Ruland 120). ... This essay is commonly referred to as "Civil Disobedience" because of a reprint in 1866 (Ba...

• Word Count: 1963
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Emerson, considered the father of the American Literary Renaissance, wrote many essays to ultimately change the societal values surrounding him. ... These last two lines from "Self Reliance" essay represent Emerson's individualistic concepts. ... Fredrick Douglass is proof of finding his own genius and universal truths and uses these concepts to help free himself and fellow slaves of the deprivation of universal humanity that all men deserve. ...

• Word Count: 861
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In an excerpt from his novel "Walden," "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," the narrator reiterates the indication of him being free unrestrained by answering a few intimate questions. ... Thoreau was able to see the modern world, with all its imperfections, and contemplated the essay as a form of warning to us, to prevent us from our transformation into electronically attached human beings in the near future. ... Thoreau explains this throughout the whole essay because when he wrote this, society also completed their errands while complaining about them, but he understo...

• Word Count: 935
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Montaigne begins his essay on judging the true from the false asserting that it is only the simple minded who have "a readiness to believe and the readiness to be convinced- (74). ... His essays, therefore, were meant as a source of self-reflection, not necessarily to become an authority on subjects such as education of children. ... His Essays therefore are the ultimate culmination and end product of "knowing yourself,"" in written form. ... The Abbey at Theleme is based upon the importance of freedom of thought and free will. ...

• Word Count: 2020
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The citizens of the United States, having just broken free of the tyranny of Great Britain, flocked to these ideals and found in them a sense of comfort and validation. ... People are at their zenith when truly free from society and its vice. ... In his essay "Nature", Emerson describes in detail the relationship between nature and mankind. ...

• Word Count: 1786
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate