Emerson's Nature and "Self-Reliance" & Thoreau's Walden

In "Self-Reliance," Emerson says that all people arrive at the conviction that "envy is ignorance...imitation is suicide" during their education. Which best paraphrases this conviction?

• That people shouldn't be jealous of others and accept who they are.

• That people will never get better so they should give up hope of a better life.

• That society is just too big to fight and they should just give in

• That you would be better off in life if you stopped studying

Emerson says we are “ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” Which of the following items best describes what he means by “that divine idea”?

• An image of the world 
• God
• Each person’s unique character, as conceived by God 
• A wonderful and exciting plan of action

In "Self-Reliance," what two fears does Emerson identify as those that stop people from trusting themselves?

• fear of other's reactions and fear of the truth

• fear of other's reactions and fear of dying

• fear of other's reactions and fear of being inconsistent

• fear of other's reactions and fear of rabbits

A nonconformist is someone who

• does everything they are told to do.

• does not follow the beliefs of the majority.

• does not like farms.

• follows the beliefs of a carefully outlined code of conduct.

Which of these basic tenets does "Self-Reliance" best represent?

• Live life to the fullest

• Favor intuition over reason

• Nature is sacred

• Simplify, simplify, simplify

This is described by Emerson as being an iron string.

• hard work

• a foolish consistency

• self-trust/intuition

• a guitar

According to Emerson, how should we feel after we have worked hard to achieve a goal?

• Angry and cheated
• Annoyed and tired 
• Relieved and happy
• Despairing and gloomy

According to "Self-Reliance," the indication of a great person is a person who

• questions the way nature acts.

• worries about what other people think.

• follows his or her own mind in a crowd.

• never thinks about past events.

What does Emerson mean by the following statement from "Self-Reliance"?

"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."

• Discover truth through God.

• Truth exists beyond experience.

• Nature is connected to God.

• Follow your own beliefs.

What is Emerson’s opinion of society?

• Society helps people achieve their potential.
• We must accept society’s rules.
• Society is all that stands between us and the forces of chaos. 
• Society conspires to deny people their individual freedoms.