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Post by ezram02 on May 1, 2008 16:02:10 GMT -5
Emerson does not believe that society always takes away from an individual's originality. His complaints do not imply that all people should live off in the woods for the rest of their lives to find their inner selves; rather, his criticisms refer especially to American culture at his specific time. The society of Emerson's past encouraged original thought, so Emerson's problem is not with the concept of modern society, but rather with the fact that we now see the world solely through their eyes. Emerson echoes Bob Dylan's words that "you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone" with his idea that we must stop living among "the dry bones of the past." Emerson says, "The sun shines to-day also... Let us demand our own works and laws and worship." The modern world is different from the world of the past, so past truths that some people accept as universal do not necessarily still apply. Therefore, original thought is essential to discover the truths of the modern world.
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Post by daniellez07 on May 1, 2008 16:55:30 GMT -5
After reading Ezra's response to Emerson's essay, I found that I was for the most part in disagreement with his general thoughts. It seems illogical to me that Emerson's criticisms speak solely to the time period in which they were written. The modern world definetly still impacts each individual, and although today people may not be able to re-connect with their true inner-selves through nature, there are most definetely other substitutes that exist in which each individual may do so. It has been constantly discussed, whether through poetry or novels, the impact of society on an individual. It is a recurring idea that society tries to distort the truths of each person, in order to fit a mold that makes establishing control easy. I do not understand how you can say that the modern world does not display the same general effect that Emerson speaks of.
It is blatant that the different aspects of society, such as the media have a tremendous impact on individuals. To use the popular example of body image, it is basically an cause and efffect occurence. Someone sees an emaciated figure being portrayed as beautiful, their thoughts are then distorted through this image to believe that this is the definition of beauty, and therefore they strive to become this figure. In Emerson's time, the thoughts of individuals were distorted through books and classrooms and therefore, I find that your statement that "his criticisms refer to American culture at a specific time" is false, seeing as how the same general idea is being demonstarted in both the modern world as well as Emerson's.
Lastly, if you are using the original thought established by Emerson to discover truths of the modern world, then Emerson and his beliefs would have to be present in the modern world. For that matter, if people of today must use Emerson's 'original thought' to have to discover the 'truths' of the modern world, would that not mean that society has impacted them so much that the truths of society which surround them are no longer visible through their eyes?
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Post by markf2 on May 1, 2008 19:24:10 GMT -5
Even though Emerson most likely was not thinking about how times would be in 2008, his thoughts have indeed held quite relvent through the years. As Danielle stated, there are clear examples of society having an impact on peoples' individuality from the media to the government. I agree with Dani that his criticisms do not refer to Amiercan culture at a specific time. I feel that they refer to how America had been leading up to the writing of his essays, as well as the years following it up to today.
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Post by reply on May 1, 2008 20:28:02 GMT -5
I agree with Danielle that modern society does influence people today and that Emerson would criticize people in our society for their conformity. However, I agree with Ezra that the modern world has changed and some of the past truths that people accepted as universal would not necessarily still apply together. For example, in modern society people are encouraged even more to "look outside the box" and create new ideas. Although new ideas are emphasized, Emerson would be extremely critical of the impact society has on individuals and the medias influence on materialism and appearances. Emerson would most likely stress the same ideas today as he did in his essays and speeches during his era.
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Post by davep02 on May 1, 2008 20:29:06 GMT -5
I agree with Danielle that modern society does influence people today and that Emerson would criticize people in our society for their conformity. However, I agree with Ezra that the modern world has changed and some of the past truths that people accepted as universal would not necessarily still apply together. For example, in modern society people are encouraged even more to "look outside the box" and create new ideas. Although new ideas are emphasized, Emerson would be extremely critical of the impact society has on individuals and the medias influence on materialism and appearances. Emerson would most likely stress the same ideas today as he did in his essays and speeches during his era.
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Post by laurenf02 on May 1, 2008 21:13:54 GMT -5
I disagee with Ezra and agree with Danielle. I too believe that Emerson was not writing for a specific time period. His ideas can apply to anybody at anytime but I feel that his interpretation of society and it's tendency to mold us is even more relevant in today's world. The media plays such a large role in how we view ourselves and what we aspire to become. In today's world these messages are portrayed through newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the Internet. With such a plethora of sources for such "inspiration", a member of today's society is much more suseptable in terms of becoming blinded and never being able to identify with nature after taking a step back from society and identifying with oneself. Therefore I feel that Emerson's essays do not relate to any particular time period, rather they can be applied to all time periods, especially that of today.
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Post by taylorm07 on May 1, 2008 21:23:20 GMT -5
Emerson's criticisms are indeed still applicable to today's society. The heavy emphasis that Emerson places on individuality is suppressed in some fields, while encouraged in others. The media especially plays a major role in influencing the general populace, mainly women, to conform to a certain look that has been deemed universally acceptable. There is a norm that people are expected to follow, and the "individuals" who do not comply with society's demands are subtly condemned for their out of line behavior in print media. Advertisements tell people that "big is not beautiful" and they should have surgery to look like a full sized Barbie doll. Conversely, colleges desire the individual. Who has been to visit a college and has not heard that they are looking for individuals? Equal pressure is placed on the student in this arena to "stand out from the crowd". The individual is valued here, and, while this is not a very pragmatic desire, new thoughts and actions give one an advantage over the others. So which does one conform to? Either way, we are giving into the wishes set down by an entity other tan ourselves. It is not possible for everybody to be a pure INDIVIDUAL, while at the same time, it is hard to "fit in" at all times. A happy medium must be reached, but, as Emerson states, it must be in a way of your choosing. Your "true self" must be found, but you cannot view yourself through society's eyes. This concept vocalized by Emerson is wholly pertinent to modern society, or any society. There are pressures put on everybody at any time which are inescapable. We just need to "demand our own works and laws and worship" according to OUR beliefs.
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Post by chrisr07 on May 1, 2008 21:56:33 GMT -5
I completely disagree that Emerson would criticize members of modern society for being conformists. While it is true that modern American youth are encouraged to attend college, it is completely their choice of what to learn and what profession to pursue. Like youth everywhere, American children are pressured by their parents and the media to succeed in academics. Some jobs are portrayed as more appealing than others. Ultimately it is our choice as to which way we decide to take our life. The choices we have are endless as evidenced by the plethora of available jobs. Everywhere we look, individualism is shining in our face. Emerson would most certainly have criticism, but he would be over all thrilled at how are society is organized.
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Post by jend 02 on May 4, 2008 11:29:34 GMT -5
I agree with Ezra's comment that Emerson's work is of the time period. However, I do believe that EMerson's words still apply to today. Society and technology are increasingly growing and having an overpowering influence over the modern community. If Emerson were to see to what extent people are now dependent upon the internet and their cell phones, and how much they are impacted by the media and the lives of celebrities, it could be argued that the essay Self Reliance is still one that people of today's culture should be reading and adhering to.
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Post by ezram02 on May 4, 2008 21:06:57 GMT -5
To clear up a misunderstanding, I did not intend to send the message that Emerson's words no longer apply. When I said that "his criticisms refer especially to American culture at his specific time," I meant that he was commenting on his society, not on the concept of society as an institution. I wholeheartedly agree with Danielle and with everyone else that the modern world plays a large role in shaping the lives of its inhabitants, which is something that Emerson dislikes. As I said in my previous post, original thought is still essential in the modern world. I apologize for the misunderstanding.
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