Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance"

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an individual that truly believed in the importance of the individual, and how society as a whole would rather be filled with conformists. During the literary movement of the 1830s and 1840s, the idea of "transcendentalism" was introduced. The sole purpose of this movement was to put focus on the individual and the power that all individual's posses. Emerson was an individual that believed that all people have knowledge within us, and that knowledge is the only knowledge that is actually needed. Everything we know comes from deep inside of us, and everyone has the power and ability to define things in the way that they see it. All individuals have limitless knowledge. Seen through his essay "Self-Reliance" comes the idea that Emerson was anti-conformity. He truly believed in the individual and the progression of the individual. He wrote, "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 request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. it loves not realities and creators, but names and customs" (21). Emerson believed that a society should consist of many individuals rather than few groups. However, he realized and noted that society's virtue is conformity. Society could only wish to consist of individuals that conform to the thoughts and opinions of others, rather than consisting of individuals that have their own thoughts and opinions. A person, in sum, should define his or her place in society by acting as an individual and defining his or herself with their own name and identity. Although society pushes for the conformity of all its inhabitants, people need to find it in themselves to defy these hopes and act as an individual.

Quran Burning: Thoughts About 9-11 & The First Amendment:

Most people would think that the ninth anniversary of a day in which our nation was brutally attacked would be in a day in which our nations' citizens would unite as one and continue to remember those that were killed on September 11, 2001. However, Reverend Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, had a different idea of how he wanted to celebrate this anniversary. Jones planned to involve himself in a Quran-burning protest that would take place on September 11. The Quran is the holy book of the Muslim people. The news of this plan has startled many people living in this nation, one of which is the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Obama stated, "If he's listening, I hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans, that this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance" (Associated Press). Although the First Amendment does give this nation's citizens the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, I do not believe that Jones' actions are appropriate nor morally correct. Yes, it is true that Jones does have the "freedom" to act in such ways that he pleases, but his potential action of burning another religion's holy book is going against the laws upheld by our Constitution. Besides for defying what is included in our consitution, Jones' planned actions would, in my opinion, put this country at great risk for future attacks. Obama later stated, "And as a very practical matter, I just wanted him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform" (Associated Press). Jones believes that the Quran "is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims" (Associated Press). Burning this holy book will only create problems, rather than solve them. If Jones does follow through with his plan, I am very afraid as to what the after-effect will be. I am extremely worried that if this protest takes place, the Muslims will take action and that could mean potentially killing American citizens. As written on one English-language banner held up by the protesters, "If Quran is burned, it would be beginning of destruction of American." I believe that America needs to do whatever possible to make sure that Jones does not follow through with his violent plan.

Who Are They? - Response to "Whatever Happened to the Signers of the Declaration of Independence" & "Bold Men in Ruffled Shirts"

How would you picture the men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Whenever I have seen pictures of men signing the Declaration of Independence, they all looked as if they were over the age of sixty, probably because all of them had grayish, white hair. It also looked as if all of the men were wearing ruffled shirts and long pants. Observations do mean a lot, but what's most important is reality. Inr eality, all of these men who signed the Declaration of Independence were nearly all under the age of forty five, with just a few exceptions. As stated in the article, "With the exceptions of Benjamin Franklin, who was 70, and a few others, they were also younger than we usually think of them." (McCullough 59). I found this to be very interesting because I had previously assumed that all of these men were older than forty years old. It is also clear to me that all of these men were on a mission, mainly because of when McCullough wrote, "And let us never forget they were setting out not only to triumph over the British Army and Navy, but to establish an entirely new nation" (McCullough 59). These men were determined to improve the conditions in America. I definitely admire the work and effort these men put towards creating this Declartion of Indepence. "To sign your name to the Declaration of Independence was to declare yourself a traitor to the British crown" (McCullough 59). This just shows how admirable these men are. I also found the information included in "Whatever Happened to the Signers of..." to be extremely interesting, yet surprising at the same time. I had previously thought of these men to be successful and well-rounded individuals, but as this article clearly proves, none of them recieved the greatest of fortunes.

The American Crisis

It is evident that Thomas Paine was a true believer of extreme patriotism, especially during the time of the Revolutionary War. On December 23, 1776, Paine published the first of a sixteen-pamphlet sequence titled The American Crisis. In my opinion, Paine wrote this specific pamphlet in an attempt to increase the morales of the troops at Valley Forge. At the start of the pamphlet, Paine states, "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer sldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman" (Paine 51).  I find this quote to be quite meaningful. Paine is explaining that in times of crisis, such as during the time in which this pamphlet was written, American soldiers need to stand tall. The truest of the soldiers will fight through all battles and will have his or her head raised high regardless of the conditions. Only the soldiers that choose the battles they want to fight in and the soldiers that only give themselves up when they know that America will be successful are the ones that deserve no praise and thanks from the rest of the American population. I absolutely agree with this concept. Soldiers cannot just choose to fight during certain times of the year or choose what battles they want to fight; if they want to represent America, they need to do through the thick and the thin. According to Paine, the truest of American soldiers shine in times of American crisis. It also seems as if Paine is a big believer in G-d, consiering he makes several references to it throughout this pamphlet. Paine believed that in order to conquer tyranny and evil, a physical fight needs to be put up. He illustrates this concept when he said, "Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods" (Paine 51). Paine also believed in the idea that everyone should contribute to the success of a nation, not just a few individuals. I agree with this, mainly because people can contribute to a nation's success in a variety of different ways. Not everyone has to physically fight to help a nation reach its potential. Paine stated, "...I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state; up and help us;...Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it" (Paine 52). At the time he wrote this pamphlet, Paine wanted the future of America to look back on their nation's history and to recognize that every individual played a part in defying and successfully overcoming the problems faced. It looks far better when everyone comes together to overcome a difficulty, rather than having a few individuals do so. Overall, I agree with Paine's main idea of how EVERYone must come together to overcome difficulties and how when in times of need and desperation, the citizens of America must stick together.