ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -"Self-Reliance” is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson’s recurrent themes: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his own instincts and ideas.

Detailed explanation-2: -Among Emerson’s most well known works are Essays, First and Second Series (1841, 1844). The First Series includes Emerson’s famous essay, “Self-Reliance, ” in which the writer instructs his listener to examine his relationship with Nature and God, and to trust his own judgment above all others.

Detailed explanation-3: -“Self-Reliance” Key Points: Urges his readers to follow their individual will instead of conforming to social expectations. Emphasizes following one’s own voice rather than an intermediary’s, such as the church. Encourages his readers to be honest in their relationships with others.

Detailed explanation-4: -They include the well-known essays “Self-Reliance", “The Over-Soul", “Circles", “The Poet", and “Experience.” Together with “Nature", these essays made the decade from the mid-1830s to the mid-1840s Emerson’s most fertile period.