Unit Three: Individual 5/26

Both Emerson's Self-Reliance and Whitman's Song of Myself celebrate the individual in an unprecedented manner. Both authors stress the importance of the individual in terms of freedom of thought, non-conformity, creativity, and maturity.

An excellent example of Whitman's call for individual thought is given in the second stanza, in lines 25-30:

Stop this day and night with me, and you shall possess the origin of all poems;

You shall possess the good of the earth and sun - (there are millions of suns left;)

You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books;

You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me:

You shall listen to all sides, and filter them from yourself.

Whitman urges the audience to stop looking for opinions from peers and form their own opinions. When the individual is free from outside thought, the he/she can truly think for themselves and be enlightened. He even urges the audience to stop listening to his own opinions which is a bold move for only the second stanza.

In the seventh paragraph of Self-Reliance, Emerson writes: "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it. A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition, as if every thing were titular and ephemeral but he. I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions. Every decent and well-spoken individual affects and sways me more than is right." Similarly to Whitman, Emerson urges the audience to stay true to their individualism in the face of adversity. He dismisses the laws of 'dead institutions' such as structured religion and government, and instead he accepts the laws of his nature.

This celebration of individualism is so much different than certain texts we have read so far this semester. For example, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Eduards pleads that all people should blindly follow the laws of the church, or else face the dire consequences. Whitman and Emerson actually say exactly the opposite. They urge to do what the individual desires, to oppose the mainstream. I actually think that the transcendentalists are contradictory to some of the African-American writers we have studied to date also. I think the exception to this would be Zora Neal Hurston and her concept of individualism rather than belonging to one race or nation. Can anyone else relate the transcendentalists to some of the African-American writers (or any of the other writers) we have read so far this semester?

In Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour, the widow presents a more complicated view of individualism. The new widow is torn between her grief and the anticipation of the new life that waits for her now. During this period of indecision, the narrator writes "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination"(12th paragraph). The author is suggesting that while a man and woman often need each other, they cannot live together without affecting the individuality of the other.

It is my opinion that the widow is telling herself this to calm herself down, because of all the grief she is feeling and her heart condition. Deep down, she wishes her husband were not dead and she is simply protecting herself. When her husband appears, alive, at the end of the story she becomes overwhelmed with joy, killing her. I think overall, the author accepts individualism, but acknowledges the need for companionship as well.

In light of The Story of an Hour, Emerson and Whitman do seem a little extreme. I agree with the concepts of self-reliance and non-conformity, but to suggest that companionship between a man and woman is conformity seems a little ridiculous. I think that Chopin's text fits in with some of the main concepts of Emerson and Whitman, but it is a slightly different perspective on individualism. If anyone sees this story differently, or if I am misinterpreting something, please let me know with comments.