Self Reliance

Emerson is a narrator and actor in his own essay and regularly states arguments and examples by using the pronoun “I.” This perspective helps to mimic a direct conversation between orator and audience. As he is mostly focused on winning over the hearts and minds of that audience, he also employs second-person pronouns to speak to listeners/readers. The use of the first-person perspective allows Emerson to present his personal journey to self-reliance as a relatable component of his argument. It also embodies the self-conviction that Emerson says he values; a man should be willing to openly criticize society and state his true thoughts and beliefs free from the worry of external judgment. While the essay is quite theoretical, the first-person examples of its usage illustrate the practicality that Emerson wishes to prove. By the time Emerson published this particularly essay, wider society already viewed him as a respectable public intellectual and informed commentator. His own voice, dictated through the first-person presentation, reiterates the seal of approval he bestows upon the philosophy; these are his thoughts and his contributions, and therefore worthy of respect.