Essay and Theme. An essay is a brief work of prose nonfiction. A good essay develops a single idea. A theme is a central idea in a literary work. Think about what Emerson’s central idea is as you read the essay "Self-Reliance."
Aphorism. An aphorism is a short saying or pointed statement. An aphorism that gains currency and is passed from generation to generation is called a proverb or adage. The Greek philosopher Hippocrates first used the term in his book Aphorisms by writing, “Life is short, art is long, opportunity fleeting, experimenting dangerous, reasoning difficult.” Look for aphorisms in Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance.”
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The ideas presented in the poem “The Rhodora” (1847) are extensions of Emerson’s thoughts expressed in his long essay Nature, his first published book. In Nature, published in 1836, Emerson maintains that all natural forms, such as “a leaf, sunbeam, a landscape, the ocean,” are harmonious and always beautiful. They work together to express a universal beauty and truth that transcend the beauty and truth of the natural world. Emerson held that humans can understand absolute, or universal, beauty and truth only through what can be experienced through our senses. “The Rhodora” is an eloquent statement of Emerson’s belief in the value of each of nature’s creations.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to choose between what you thought was the right course of action and the course that others thought you should take? What was your final decision?
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