Emerson’s Essay

What Emerson’s essay tried to inform us by the way the thesis and the tittle “Self-reliance”  was stated  is that we all as humans have the freedom to decide for ours elves and it’s not anyone’s else’s choice to decide for any other individuals future.


Through out the essay Emerson’s presented to us in many ways how sometimes people let others influce  them at the time of trying to speak up or making a decision. He well said how some people just go with what others say. For example , if someone is being bullied and you are aware of it, he states how easy someone can stay quiet and follow the crowd instead of speaking up for what it’s right. He explained to us how easy it is just to let things go just because someone else said so, instead of gaining bravery and speaking up for yourself.


What I understood about the essay is that beasically we were all born with our distinct characteristics and freedom of rights. A lot, of people have a low self esteem and and don’t do much about themselves. In some cases people that are not okay with themselves let others decide and tell them what to do even if he or she doesn’t like it and doesn’t agree. At the end of the day all they are trying to do is be acceptable to others even if that means you being unhappy with whatever is it that you are doing with your life. Like Emerson’s said this is not right no one can decide for ourselves we all have the freedom of being and doing whatever makes us happy and it doesn’t  necessarily means that we are always going to agree and have the same beliefs or opinions as others.


A quote that he gave us that basically represent how life goes is “ most men gamble with her, and gain all, and lose all, as her wheel rolls”. What’s this quote means for me is that basically no one is born with their future already made for themselves. We as humans have to work  hard for our future  and make our way through life with life with our own beliefs and perspectives.We all select our own future it depends in us if that desperately waited future I’d going to be good or bad.It’s all going to depend on  us on how we decide to make our way through life and not in what others tell u that you that your future is going to be.


All in all, we all came into a conclusion that no matter how hard it gets through life we shouldn’t let others decide for our lives. Honestly we shouldn’t let other have the hang of our life because that’s why it’s called “ our life” everyone can decide for themselves and not let others influence them.   Clearly the whole point of Emerson writing the essay is to inform anyone reading it that no one can decide our future but our own very self.