Aphorism-brief statements, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life.
Paradox- statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth.
State both your favorite aphorism from Emerson and your favorite paradox from Thoreau.
First explain the aphorism and then with specifics connect it to you personally. Try and use some of the Words to Know from "Self-Reliance", and "Civil Disobedience" in your post.
Explain a specific paradox of Thoreau's and what it means to you. Again, try and use some of the Words to Know
As always, please feel free to make commentaries concerning each others' post.
Enjoy the weekend and READ, READ, READ.
Ms. Ojeda
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An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson uses several aphorisms throughout his story “Self-Reliance.” My favorite aphorism from Emerson is, “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.” This aphorism means that nonconformists are seen with disgust and not accepted by the rest of the world. A nonconformist is one who doesn’t follow generally accepted beliefs, customs, or practices. It is my favorite aphorism used by Emerson because it is saying that one must be self-reliant and have their own beliefs even if the rest of the world isn’t in agreement. This aphorism connects to me personally because I have noticed that when someone does something out of the ordinary people look at them differently and criticize him/her for supporting their personal thoughts. On the other hand, a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. Henry David Thoreau uses many paradoxes throughout his stories. In his story “Civil Disobedience” my favorite paradox is, “I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through before they could get to be as free as I was.” This quote demonstrates that Thoreau was a conscientious; he stood up for his beliefs no matter what the consequences were. In that quote, Thoreau felt freer inside prison because he told the world what he thought and expressed his feelings in public. This paradox connects to me personally because I will say my opinion even if the rest of the people beside me think differently or don’t respect my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteJoanna Berkowitz
1st Period
The aphorism: "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." from "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson represents a colossal fraction of my actions. This aphorism can be interpreted in a plethora of ways however, my interpretation is: one must do what he thinks is correct, not what others consider acceptable. I usually execute what I think is correct and tend to not listen to others. This has been and is my transcendental flaw and my utmost salvation.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most shocking paradoxes from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau is: "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." This quote says that under a government that imprisons individuals or multitudes unfairly the place for a honest man is also jail.
I will endeavor to try to finish the CYCLOPEAN amount of homework...
I must not become a nonconformist who does not do his homework.
-Steven Erenst
4th period
An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson bestows numerous aphorisms throughout the entire story. My favorite aphorism would have to be “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist.” In other words, being a human being, you should not be one who follows generally accepted beliefs or customs. This pertains to my life as I am a firm believer of change and helping to change society. Absolutely nothing will ever be fixed without the subject, you, believing it and following this principle.
ReplyDeleteA paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. The quote “Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient,” can relate to my life directly since we have endured a rough 8 years with President Bush. This quote is trying to express the fact that most forms of government are corrupt and are not doing their jobs appropriately for the people. It is unfortunate to say such a thing like this, but it is true. We should all be very proud to be living in America, a true Democratic nation.
Haha you must've not have read the whole essay. The whole point of Thoreau's writing was practically bashing on the United States government buddy. He was born and raised in the United States. He is talking about the US government, not about any other country. He doubts the effectiveness of reform and voting of the US government. Trust me, Thoreau did not believe America was a true Democratic nation.
DeleteJonathon Lenett
ReplyDelete1st Period
An Aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principal or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson "Self Reliance" is sprinkled with an amount of Aphorism's. The Aphorism I can relate to would be, "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." We live in a society today that we feel we have to fit in. I interpenetrate this Aphorism as be who you want to be don't listen to what other have to say. Connecting this to life, falling into peer pressure is the easiest thing one can fall into, but doing what you believe is right and not what other tell you is part of being a "great man/woman." Like Emerson stated "the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude..." be yourself, be who you want to be, not what someone else guides you to be.
ReplyDeleteA Paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. Civil Disobedience has sufficient amount of Paradox's one that stuck out the most was "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." I do not agree with Steven Ernest's post up there about this quote, I believe he should go more into detail about this quote. I believe this quote states, All justice men should not belong in jail, we all have freedom of speech we deserve and the people who do not fight against that, metaphorically speaking should as well be in jail.
-Natasha Hamaoui P.1
There are a lot of Aphorisms in "Self-Reliance" by Emerson. The most predominate one in my opinion is found on page 364 line 26, "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature." I believe that one of the most important things in this life is to be able to maintain your own individuality, and not get too caught up in the world around you. With so many things going on in this world, the urge to fit in and follow the crowd grows every day. Of course everything is easier said than done, not a lot of people in the world have the will power to have real individuality.
ReplyDeleteJust like Emerson's writing is filled with aphorisms, Thoreau's essay, entitled "Civil Disobedience" has a bundle of paradox statements. The most contradictory one I found was when Thoreau states, "Government is best which governs least." I found this quite ironic, considering you would think that a good government would be one that had control and is able to govern its people. In Thoreau's eyes it is apparently the opposite.
--Emanuela Verardi
P-1
An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Emerson uses a plethora of aphorisms in "Self-Reliance". The one that affected me the most was "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." This aphorism means that in life one must do what is most convenient for one and not care about what the others will think. A person must do what he/she feels the natural urge to do and not choose to do something because of someone else's pressure or thoughts. This aphorism demonstrates the importance of being self-reliant and putting one's thought and feeling before the thought of what others think. Don not be concerned with what others' opinion will be after you have done something, rather what you think of yourself after you have done something for yourself. It's basically saying not to care what others think because it won't get you anywhere. This aphorism really connects to my life because there are many instances when I want to do things to please others when I see that I'm not really pleasing myself, therefore it is better to do things for one's better being than others' convenience. This aphorism applies to many teens in high school because there is the constant self-battle to determine whether or not to do something and many times it isn't done for one's self, but for others.
ReplyDeleteA paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. Thoreau uses plenty of paradox in "Civil Disobedience". Just like in Joanna's post, my favorite paradox of Thoreau's is "I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through before they could get to be as free as I was.” This paradox is serving the purpose explaining that Thoreau was in idependent person, he was a single and different individual. He is stating that now matter how big the wall of differnce is between him and his townspeople, the wall of individualism is much thicker and harder to penetrate. This paradox is a true fact because its very important to be conscientious, or honest with yourself. This is an important paradoxto follow inlfe because if one endeavors to be what one truly desires to be, then one will get far in life. I always do as I wish and stand up for what I believe in.
--Carla Quintana
P.1
An aphorism is brief statements, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Their are many aphorisms in Emerson's essay "Self Reliance" ad the one that predominates me the most has to be "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." I believe in this aphorism because it relates to my everyday life. I believe in adhering to moral and ethical principles. I believe in the quality of being whole and undivided. I am a complete and unimpaired human being so I can relate to this aphorism and bestow to my everyday life.
ReplyDeleteA paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. My favorite paradox in "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau would be "The government is best which governs least;" Most people woud think that the government should govern alot to be successful and if the government governs least than it would be inexpedient to the people around us. This quote is ironic and it contradicts itsef in many ways. People sometimes think that a stable government needs people who can govern the people but this paradox is the exact opposite in Thoreau's eyes.
-Rudy LaVecchia
p.4
In the essay “Self-Reliance”, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the author implements the use of aphorisms with the purpose of expressing a general idea or a truth about life. Among the many we could find, my personal favorite is the following: “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist.” What Emerson is trying to transmit through his words in the quote, is that whoever is human should be a rebel. If God created every human different from one another, then we must think and act different from everyone else; thus, if acting with originality and by our own nature is not accepted by society, then we must rebel against it. Today this aphorism could be considered more like a motto for the new generations of people. As time progresses we have noticed that people are starting to act with originality without caring what other people think, these makes them be nonconformist.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to Emerson, Henry David Thoreau also used a literary device in order to portray his ideals to society. Nonetheless, instead of aphorisms he implemented paradoxes which are statements that seem to contradict themselves but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. In “Civil Disobedience” the paradox that interested me the most was “That government is best which governs not at all.” What tries to tell the reader through this paradox is that society would be better if there was no government. Even though I completely disagree with this paradox I find it really humorous, because he tries to tell the reader that governments are useless, and if this was true then all our beliefs today would be mistaken. Without a government everything would be chaos, so this paradox makes visible how wrong Thoreau’s philosophies of society were.
Oscar Betancourt
Period 4
An aphorism is a brief statement, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. From what I'm reading from the other posts since I wasn't here on Friday and don't know the assignment is that Ralph Waldo Emerson used numerous aphorisms in his stories. My favorite aphorism from the one's I've seen here would be “Who so would be a man, must be a nonconformist.” Or from what I understand from Jonathon in your first hour, being a human being, you should not be one who follows generally accepted beliefs or customs. I am a trailblazer in my own life leading the fight for gay rights right here in the City of Weston. I've worked on 8 progressive campaigns in the past six months to bring about change in successful ways rather than to accept conformity of damaging policies. I'm more moderate than many of my radical collegues in Dolphin Democratic Club but I still believe that accepting the way things are rather than fighting for what you believe in is a dangerous plan and should not be followed.
ReplyDeleteAlso from what I'm reading, a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. I'll agree with Jonathon that the quote “government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient,” is a paradoxical statement that suggests an important truth. This quote is trying to express the fact that most forms of government are inefficient and are not to the best of their ability performing their roles as protectors of the people. I remember reading about Social Contract theory when I use to read philosophy books and the theory explained that people sacrifice certain rights to society to gain the necessary protection and security that society can offer. If society does not follow its obligations than the people have the right to not follow the rules of that society. Unfortunately, many societies violate this agreement and do not to the best of their ability protect these rights. Our own government in refusing to protect certain human rights whether it be women or minority rights violates this agreement sometimes.
Ryan Terrell
Period 3
My favorite aphorism from Emerson is when he states in "Self-Reliance", "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." The aphorism is basically stating that one who is a nonconformist to everyone around him is a great person. I am able to connect and relate to the aphorism personally because, for lack of a better example, don't wear attire in a way that reveals my underwear to everyone behind me, as many people at Cypress seem to enjoy endeavoring.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite paradox, as Oscar has stated above me, from Henry David Thoreau was that in "Civil Disobedience", when Thoreau writes "That government is best which governs not at all." This paradox intrigued me due to the fact that the whole point of a government is to govern, yet Thoreau believes that is the best kind of government; Thoreau wholeheartedly believes that a government should be useful for achieving a goal, yet most are merely inexpedient. I highly disagree with Thoreau's ideologies, as he bases his beliefs in a world without human nature. In other words, a government is indeed best that does not govern in a perfect utopia. Unfortunately, this is not the case in our reality, and therefore, Thoreau is incorrect in his statement.
Kayl Karadjian
Period 4
In the excerpt of “Self-Reliance” by Emerson the reader can find multiple aphorisms bestowed by the author. An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, which expresses a general principle or truth about life. After analyzing the multiple aphorisms, it wasn’t hard for me to pick my favorite one. The aphorism which predominated was, “With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.” This aphorism was my favorite because it emphasizes that change is good, and it is something that must exist in a person’s life. From personal experience, I know that this aphorism speaks the truth, because there is nothing more boring than living a life by routine. There should be variety in life, adventures, something new every day; people should wake up excited to see what the course of the day brings, not bummed with the knowledge that every day is like the day before.
ReplyDeleteWe learned that Emerson had great influence upon Thoreau, and after reading “Civil Disobedience” this was quite obvious. In “Civil Disobedience” we found a great amount a paradox, a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. The paradox that most caught my attention was the following, “It is truly enough said, that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.” This led me to conclude, that Thoreau was a very wise men, I really like this paradox because it is true a corporation is intangible, therefore it can have no conscience, but if this corporation is made up of conscientious men, then it can be said to be a corporation with a conscience.
Alma Ricart
4th Period
To commence, the aphorism that really stands out in "Self-Reliance," by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is when he when he pretty much explains a nonconformist. Although an aphorism is a brief statement, this one isn't but it is still one sentence in which Waldo says, "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." This grandiose aphorism explains that what makes a great person is someone who stays true to themselves by being a conscientious person and not follow what others do. In addition, this is greatly bestowed in my life because I see life in a different way than most people my age in that I'm always looking into the future but never forgetting my past, which is what has made me who I am, and I will never follow anybody if I don't find it appropriate.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Thoreau fills his writings with paradoxes and in "Civil Disobedience" there are many. My favorite paradox that Thoreau writes is when he says, "When the subject has refused allegiance, and the officer has resigned his office, then the revolution is accomplished." Thoreau says this when he is talking to his neighbor, who is the tax collector, and tells him he won't pay the taxes because he knows it will go to fund the war and that if he wished to do anything at all then he should resign. This paradox proves that in order for the government to get the picture it's people is trying to portray, then they must resign their jobs and not pay their taxes, which only makes their lives worse by not having money to feed their families, contradicting their attempts to better the country but nevertheless an important truth.
I would have to agree with Rudy in that my favorite aphorism from Emerson would have to be "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." My thoughts are sacred to me. My thoughts are completely between God and I and noone else can hear them, unless I choose to share them with others. My thoughts are what makes me who I am. My thoughts make me an individual and no one can take my thoughts away from me. Thoughts are a sacred thing that can not be lost, and are with you every second of the day. Not one person shares the same thoughts, thats what makes someone unique.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite paradox from Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" would have to be “I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through before they could get to be as free as I was.” I know exactly what Thoreau is talking about here. Often at times I feel like I am more free than others. All that I do in life just gives me a feeling of freedom, doing what I know is right just gives me the feeling of freedom. I see so many people around who just kind of live in their own little box, just conforming to the rest of society and being a follower, and they arent as happy as I am, because they are not as free as me. This is similar to Thoreau because he's talking about being in jail and feeling more free than all the townsmen. He did what he knew was right and felt free because of that.
Karina Carrion pd. 1
The essay titled, "Self-Reliance" by Emmerson is filled with aphorisms and self truths. One aphorism that sticks out the most to me is when Emmerson says, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." This is very similar to another famous qoute by Anthony Robbins, in which he says, “If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.” Basically what Emerson means is saying is You won't gain anything new if you don't try new things. This personally relates to me because I wa always told to try new things to broaden my intellect. I believe it is verey important to keep an open mind.
ReplyDeleteAlso In Thoreau's essay he throws alot of paradoxes within his writing. My favorite is wqhen he says, "The true place for a just man is also a prison." This paradox is explaining Thoreau's veiws on government laws and how people should react to them. He belives that the only just way to deal with an unjust law is to not follow it and thus be thrown in jail. Personally I am an admirer of this philosophy and the bravery shown in this way of thinking. If it is done in a nonviolent way then I believe the fortitude will eventually change the way government rules the people. Violence is inexpedient especially when it comes to the government. This paradox portrays the nonviolent attitude that influenced societies around the world.
The comment above is by Michael Rufrano Period 1
ReplyDeleteEmerson uses many aphorisms in his writing. Aphorisms are brief statements, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. One of the aphorisms that stands out to me the most that Emerson uses was, "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature." I completely agree with Emerson on this, people should never be noncomformist. They should always try and do what they feel is right and what they have been taught or what is in their nature. It is people's individualities and personalities that make people stand out, just like Emerson and most of these famous thinkers and writers.
ReplyDeleteIn "Civil Disobedience," Thoreau uses a lot of paradoxes which are statements that seems to contradict themselves but may suggest an important truth. My favorite paradox that Thoreau uses is when he states, “That government is best which governs not at all.” This is a very contradictory statement which many politicians could argue both sides. People could say that this is true because without no rules we wouldn't know what was bad so people would think it is normal. On the other side, people might argue that without a government, society would go crazy and everyone would try and confront each other to be on top. This statement makes me think about all the point of views that could relate to this, which is why I concluded it as a favorite.
Maria Marcano
Period 1
Aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson states many aphorisms in his essay "Self- Reliance", but the one that rivets my atention the most was "To be great is to be misunderstood". This aphorism emits a sort of courage to be different; to confront our most deadly fear, to be misunderstood. To me this aphorism means that what may seem a idiosyncrasy can turn out to be more valuable then it was thought to be. Being misunderstood isn't the end but just the beinging. He explains his thoughts before he states this aphorism. He states," Pythagoras was miasunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicua, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that took flesh". So basically he is saying that every great person in our history was misunderstood and then later was prasied. Jugding a book by its cover and not knowing what exactly the pages in it read has always been mans nature. I can't really adjunct this aphorism to myself becuase I don't believe that I have yet to accomplish any such heights in my life that need to be recognized so therefore I can't be misunedrstood either.
ReplyDeleteParadox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. After reading and analyzing "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau, the paradox that caught my attention was "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is a prison." A person who is conscientious will endeavor to uphold truth and may even break the norms and become a unscrupulous person in the eye of society. The true place for a just man is a prision cell because that person will no longer have to be go through mislead conclusion of other people. This paradox holds true for me becuase I always strive to be true and just in whatever I do, no matter how small that task may be.
Sahar Jafar
Period 4
According to Websters online dictionary, an aphorism is "a concise statement of a principle." In "Self Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson many aphorisms are used. My favorite can be seen in this first sentence on page 365; it says "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." This aphorism is something I follow, and I believe many other people should also follow. When people concentrate on what other people think, they fail to keep their individuality. Individuality is what separates the average from the great. Anyone can follow what other people do, but to take a different path and not follow the norm of society is what makes people great.
ReplyDeleteWebster's Online Dictionary defines a paradox as "a tenet contrary to received opinion." This means a paradox is a statement that contradicts popular belief. In "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau many Paradoxes are seen. My favorite is the first one seen in this piece of the essay; it is "That government is best which governs least." This paradox is the basic philosophy of many conservatives today. They believe that a government that has little control is the best. I personally do not believe this, but I find it very interesting. Thoreau was born almost 200 years ago yet his philosophy on government is similar to many Americans nowadays. I find this fascinating how one idea could stay in the mind of an American for so long.
Arash Afshar
Period 4
An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson uses several aphorisms throughout his essay, "Self-Reliance". The aphorism that sticks out most to me is when Emerson says, "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." This aphorism can be interpreted in several different ways. My personal interpretation is that one must do what he believes is correct and not what is accepted by others.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most shocking paradoxes from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau is "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." This quote is expressing that our government imprisons all people who are not committing seriouse offenses. According to the author, prison is a place where many just people reside due to a severe flaw in our government.
Taylor Chatting
Period 1,
GOODNIGHT !!!!! lost an hour of sleep..
In practically every line of Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" an aphorism is used. My favorite aphorism in this essay is "to be great is to be misunderstood." Even though Emerson lived in the 19th century, his philosophy still easily applies easily to today's society. People that are categorized as "weird" and other negative connotations are indeed misunderstood, and if given a chance will be revealed as great. I think that if people were given a chance to express their own individualistic outlooks and ideas about life, then the world would be a better place. But since their ideas might be viewed as radical they are silenced and no one is there to help absolve the negativity that society tends to bestow.Our society may claim be more leniant in people's ideas and lifestyles, but what about gays, and other people that tend to be greatly misunderstood?
ReplyDeleteThoreau's view on life and society in some ways differ with Emerson's. In Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience", he mainly focuses on the government and how the people should go against it if they feel the need to change laws. Thoreau's paradoxes allows the reader to understand his opinion more clear and strengthen his chance of convincing people to agree with him. My favorite paradox is "...there was still more difficult one to climb or break through before they could get me to be free as I was." This paradox to me is probably one of the most significant quotes because it bodly defines what it's like to be misunderstood. His action was seen as unscrupulous by the government and he was put in jail for it. If people like Thoreau weren't there to confront the government then there would be no chance for it to flourish and improve; and if the government doesn't have a chance to grow, then how could its people truly grow as well? His actions were brave and they need to be seen as admirable, not as a blunder. If everyone who felt strongly against a topic and testified against, then there would be no choice but to have change.
Tiffany Vega, 1st period
Ms.Ojeda i really don't understand what this week blog is about due to the fact that i was not present in friday's class. Also I dont have the words to know that you mention. So please notify me by email (lauracalderon91@gmail.com) what should i do to get the points for this week's blog. Im sorry this is a little late.
ReplyDeletethank you very much.
Laura Calderon
Period 3
Dear Ms.Ojeda do to my absenti i do not comprehend your blog i would greatly apriciate if you sent me and email with detail information abaut this weeks blog thank you
ReplyDeleteArturo Sifontes
pr 3
Even though this aphorism has been bestowed numerous times, I agree with my classmates. My favorite aphorism from “Self-Reliance” is “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.”Here Emerson was displaying his spirit of being independent and doing what you think is right. He encourages everyone to follow themselves instead of where the current of society is going. I can relate this aphorism to my own personal life and personality. In several cases I had to make decisions that were going to affect my future. Family members and friends have tried to persuade me to follow other paths that were not appropriate for me. Instead for me to follow what they were saying I took a stand and decided by myself and so far I’m extremely content with my decision. I have to confess that it is hard but I have endeavored.
ReplyDeleteThe paradox that I liked from “Civil-Disobedience” is “That government is best which governs not at all.” Thoreau was a nonconformist. He didn’t want anyone to have a higher power then him and tell him what to do. For me the meaning of this paradox is that government is not perfect. They are human beings and the power goes into their heads. They get filled with pride and they get selfish. That is why they shouldn’t govern at all.
-Carolina Celis
In Emerson’s well-known essay, “Self Reliance,” which shows the importance of an individual, Emerson incorporates many aphorisms to express his views. One of my favorite aphorisms which really does relate to my life quite well is, “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.” I live my life in this way, making every decision and action I take based on how I feel and not what others might think. This is bestowed everyday in my life, and I do feel that others shouldn’t predominate over my actions. If one thinks about what everyone else thinks about before doing everything they do, they would be living for the people and not for oneself.
ReplyDeleteHenry David Thoreau endeavors to put an excess amount of paradoxes in his essays. In “Civil Disobedience,” he based his writing on the paradox, a statement that seems to contradict itself, that a good citizen must go against the law. Another paradox that he uses that I would consider to be my favorite is the same as Emanuela Verardi. “That government is best which governs not at all” is a statement that contradicts itself greatly. One would feel that the best government is one that takes control of the country, making big decisions over serious issues. Well Thoreau’s statement contradicts this by saying it is best when the government doesn’t do anything. This was my favorite because I feel sometimes that the things the government does and the decisions they make really do hurt our country, but in the long run I must have to disagree with this because our country wouldn’t be the way it is today if the government did not govern us. I know the governments make blunders in the way they run the country, but make up for it later in time.
-Ashley Fuchs
Period 4
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson uses several aphorism in Self-Reliance. The aphorism I liked the most was "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature." There are many more aphorisms throughout Self-Reliance that I liked, but I liked this one because I agree that no one should be a nonconformist. Many people live the way they are told to live, instead of living they think is right.
ReplyDeleteThoreau uses paradoxes in his story. I have to agree with Karina that “I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through before they could get to be as free as I was.” is my favorite. I read id over and over again to get a better understanding of it. Like Karina explained, I see the same thing happening everywhere, and even between me and my friends, sometimes its obvious that some people have more freedom than others.
Steven Marcano
Period 4
A aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. In "Civil Disobedience" Emerson uses alot of aphorism and my favorite one is "The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistancy". This quote means that what tends to scares us away from being able to relie on ourself is the repeated action in which we do the opposite. This quote is very true because what alot of people are scared of is change because they are use to doing what they believe in and bringing in something new can be terrifying.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay "Civil Disobedience", by Henry Thoreau, the paradox that caught my eye the most was "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison". This is very interesting because the reason we imprison people is that they did something wrong or broke the law. Thoreau believes if the government does not believe what the people believe we should be the counterweight against them even if it means to break the law. Law breakers are imprisoned by our goverment, but a Just person fighting for what is right goes to jail even if it is for a just cause.
There were many aphorisms in Ralph Waldo Emersons essay "Self-Reliance". My favorite aphorism would have to be "what I must do is all that concerns me, not what other people think." To live your life, you have to do what you want. People always seem to tell other people that what they are doing is wrong but you cant take that to heart. You can only do what you want. If you beleive what other people tell you, then you wont be yourself. You have to do what you love, even if other people dont like it and tell you it wont work.
ReplyDeleteIn "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau, there are lots of paradoxes. My favorite paradox would be, "I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break though before they could get to be as free as I was." I think Thoreau is saying that no matter where you are, in jail or not, people can be happy and have more freedom then others. In whats going on in my life, I do sometimes feel that I have more freedom then others with things that I can do and places I can go.
Danielle Leon
P-1
1. "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think."
ReplyDeleteI can really relate this to my own life. All high schoolers worry too much about what other people think. I try to not worry about what other people will think about me and do what I liek to do.
2. "That government is best which governs least."
The United States government is a very controlling government. They need to be more like they were in the late 1800's and early 1900's. People lived their life's. The country was so prosporous and became a beter place because of it.
An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. While reading “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, I found many aphorisms that were quite powerful. The one that predominated over the others was, “With consistency a great soul had simply nothing to do.” This aphorism means that a great person cannot live their life in a consistent manner. That is, following the same schedule everyday. I feel that this aphorism related to my life because, before working, I followed a strict schedule once I got home from school. It was so consistent that I could predict what I was doing at a certain time the following week. I then decided to join a softball team in my community. Along with the games and practices, I work on the weekends. That is why once I read this line from “Self-Reliance”, I immediately related to it.
ReplyDeleteA paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. In the essay “Civil Disobedience”, Henry David Thoreau made his point of individualism clear by using many different paradoxes throughout the writing. One paradox that really struck me was, “…the true place for a just man is also a prison.” This statement contradicts itself strongly and it seemed to pop out at me from the rest of the contradictory statements. This statement means a lot to me because it made me realize how corrupt our government can really be. By saying this, Henry David Thoreau was trying to emphasize that a just man is one who does not let unjust laws rule his life. If that were the case, then no just men would be sitting in jail at all. I just felt that this small statement had a lot to say.
~Krystal Taveras
Period 4
In "Self Reliance", Emerson uses a variety of aphorisms, a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. The aphorism that stuck out to me the most is, "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." Our society expects us to be conformists and to follow and do what everyone else does to be "normal". I don't want to conform, I want to lead. I don't care what people think about me that may make me "different". I go on with my life as I want to. I deal with my concerns and everyone else should deal with theirs.
ReplyDeleteIn "Civil Disobedience" Thoreau uses the aphorism "Government is best which governs least." I agree with this statement. Government can cause worse situations than we already are in. We should live our lives on our own terms and should not have to conform to the government.
Ryan Hodges
Period 1
Aphorisms and paradoxes have the similarity that they both advocate an important truth about life, although they are done and used differently. An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life and a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may suggest an important truth. An exceptional aphorism on Emerson's " Self-Reliance" is "Good and evil 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." I have always thought about this subject the same way. Although I have been told throughout my life what is good good and what is evil, I have always known that those are just standards of our humanity and society. It is all open to interpretation and emotion.
ReplyDeleteThe paradox " If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth, -certainly the machine will wear out," is interpreted by me in the same way that I deal with other situations. Sometimes you must contradict the system in which the "harmony" flows in order to wear out a restricting force.
Jose Maldonado Period 1
First of all, an aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, which expresses a general principle or truth about life. In Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" there are many of these aphorisms that I appreciate and agree with. My favorite of all of them however is "What I must do is all that concerns, not what the people think", because is brings up a very important moral issue. In going along with this quote, people should be nonconformists and not go along with the crowd, as opposed to being a follower. I strongly agree with this and believe that to a point conformity is an okay thing but should not be overdone, and everyone should have there own image.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. In Henry David Thoreau's essay entitled "Civil Disobedience"; he uses multiple paradoxes to clearly illustrate his point. The paradox I enjoyed the most and was the closest to my point of view was the one which stated "That government is best, which governs least". I wholeheartedly agree with this statement and believe that "big" government is a horrifying prospect. The quote sums up the fact that the people should be able to take care of themselves and the government that notices that is the best kind. Big government is an inexpedient way to run a civilization.
Max Adamsky
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Ralph Emerson Waldo, is a author who’s writings focuses on individualism. To pass out the ideas of individualism, Emerson uses alphorisms; brief statements, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life.One alphorism that I liked from Emerson that I can connect with myself is. “To be great is to be misunderstood.” I enjoy this auphorism because it means to me that people who want to be great and different from everyone else arent comprehended by normal people who view things on a social norm.
ReplyDeleteAs Emerson uses alphorism to pass out his views, Thoreau uses paradox; - statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. The paradox that I thought that concluded some reason was, “Under a govermeny which imprisns any unjustly, the true place for a men is also prison.” I think that this is a very true because some great people such as Nelson Mandela ,was imprisoned for standing for a idea in which they believed, as well as a multitude of people.
Thomas Worthington
P. 1
There are many aphorisms in Ralph Waldo Emerson's writing. One of my favorites is, "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature". This is such an important aphorism or brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life because, it's what I believe to be true. Another aphorism in Emerson's "Self-Reliance" that truly speaks to my way of thinking is, “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist”. This is such an important truth because it message, of rebelling, is what is missing in today's America, and one of the reasons we are in this great recession.
ReplyDeleteIn Thoreau's, "Civil Disobedience", he uses a great amount of paradoxes. My personal favorite is, "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is a prison". This quote shows that all that Thoreau was trying to say is that he believes, as do I, that you sometimes have to go to great lengths in order to do what's right.
My favorite aphorism from Emerson had to be, "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." It really spoke to me because we should not be concerned as others see us, and not worry of how other people will think of us. Worrying about other people's thoughts about ways about us, or our actions we decide to take, will not get us any further throughout our accomplishments; Which was what Emerson was trying to show in this writing.
ReplyDeleteIn Civil Disobedience, my favorite paradox was "I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break though before they could get to be as free as I was."
This was my favorite paradox because it meant that even though he ended up being thrown into jail, he was still a much more free person than any of the people in his town will ever be. He spoke of his ideas, his opinions, without being afraid of what anyone thought of it. He didn't think of the outcome or consequence of his words, and he was okay with it. He has a voice, and wanted it to simply be heard. He views himself to be more free mentally, than any of them will ever be.
Paulina Gregory
Period 1
An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. In Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance" there is a great amount of aphorisms used that could relate to various people. One of the aphorisms that I personally agree with is, "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."; stating that in life it is easy to live amongst everyone by following the worlds opinion, it easy to live alone after our own opinion, but the great man is the one who lives amongst everyone with his own opinion.
ReplyDeleteA paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth. In Thoreau "Civil Disobedience", one of the many paradoxes that caught my eye the most was, "I saw that, even if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through before they could get to be as free as I was.”; I love the way he expresses his feelings towards being in jail. Thoreau explains that even if he is the one who is in jail, it is his fellow townspeople who have a bigger and harder "wall" to climb in order to gain as much freedom as he has.Even though he has an actual wall retaining him, he is much more freer because he fought for a right he believed in.
Daniela Panzacchi
Period 1
"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." This aphorism from "Self-Reliance" tells us that the concept of good and bad is very variable depending on the person's ideas and points of view; to Emerson, the only good is what is after his constitution, but for another one can be something different. I personally think that men are bad by nature, they only care about their own, and if you put two men in a desert island they will kill each other for food, unless they are educated. Education is what makes a society, it is what makes good people, and to me that is the most important thing. Every day I see how people point their fingers and absolve everyone else, they don't care about their city, their fields, nature, animals, etc... They are not honest people and that really makes me feel aversion towards them.
ReplyDelete"... but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say break the law." Thoreau gives us this paradox and he tells us to break the law. He tries to transmit that if you have to be like one of them (corrupt people from the government) then you should refuse and break the law. It is better to protest that become one more of those nasty people that destroy the harmony in society. I think I'm a very conscientious person, and I know what is wrong and what is right to do, but I would still protest and break the law if I am put in a situation where I have to choose, because I care too much for humanity, and I rather confront the bad guys, even though I miss, because at the end, I hope society to flourish.
Luis Carducci
Period 1
My favorite aphorism which Emerson states in his essay, Self reliance, states "whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist". I liked this aphorism because i thoroughly agree with it. Being somewhat a nonconformist myself, I feel that in is necessary to use nonconformist tactics to achieve extraordinary goals. BY following the conformities of society one is constrained to the whims of society while neglecting ones personal wants and needs.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite paradox is the one which states that if a law is unjust then one must break it. This may seem like a rebellious statement but it is in fact telling us to seek justice by breaking free from the unscrupulous constraint of society. This is true because unjust laws force people into positions in which the do not want to be in.
Saif Hamideh
Period 1
The Transcendentalist Movement was one of dramatic change in thought, to say the least. Man focused less on God and more on man. New truths were being discovered of human ability and belief. That being said, Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essay "Self Reliance" is filled to the brim with aphorisms. My fellow students above have noted the definition of an aphorism (again and again and again!!) , and one of my favourites in the essay is simply "Good and bad are names readily transferrable to that or this;". The words good and bad are extremely subjective and can be bestowed upon any idea with haste. Something that is good can only be good if something that;s bad is compared to it. Re-read that sentence if it doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteThoreau's "Civil Disobedience" is about the essence of Transcendentalism; Individuality. "Civil Disobedience" itself is "based on the Paradox that a good citizen must be a lawbreaker under certain circumstances [Book's words, not mine]". The most "to-the-point" paradox, and an aphorism in itself is "That government is best which governs least". I'm not actually so sure that I agree with the statement at hand, though. To quote Winston Churchill, "Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
*really wanted to use that quote*
-B. Mendez ; Pd. IV
In the essay, “Self-Reliance,” Emerson expresses his sentiments about social conduct with several aphorisms. “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist,” is an example of one of his ideas on human behavior. I especially like this phrase because it expresses the basic idea of transcendentalism showing one of its leading authors making a point on pure individuality in a social environment. A nonconformist is merely a person who in his/her social circle chooses to be different for whatever reason, therefore, most people in the world cannot be seen as nonconformist due to the fact that in one way or another they are part of a social group or cliché which that they are conformed with something. However, due to this movement originality has increased and that is why I like this quote.
ReplyDeleteFor “Civil Disobedience” I must put the phrase “That government is best which governs not at all.” Not because I like it best but because so many people have commented on it. I personally believe that anarchy is not an invalid idea, in fact, if I were not such a pessimist, I would be an anarchist. It is, however, extremely hilarious how this idea is being fervently attacked while at the same time the American people are one of the most anti-communists in the world, and communism is in fact the complete opposite of anarchy. Would this not mean that anarchy should be the ultimate goal? If we in fact had a government that didn’t need to govern at all then that would be a synonym of a healthy society. “When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other” Eric Hoffer.
Nicolas Santacruz
Period 4
The aphorism, "whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist", by Emerson is an aphorism I take personally and find much meaning in. I believe myself to be separate from society. I fit in pretty perfectly, physically, however my thoughts and ideas are that of a nonconformist and I believe that that is what sets me apart and truly makes me an individual. The thoughts of a nonconformist absolve me of any routined thinking and common ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe paradox, "under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison", stated by Henry David Thoreau in his essay, "Civil Disobedience", is not only an extremely famous line but I can also conclude as to why Thoreau said this with so much emphasis. I, personally, am not against the government. However, I have concluded that Thoreau despised the power the government has on its people and he believed that the only place in which the Americans were not the puppets of its authorities, was in prison. Thoreau viewed prison as a place of freedom rather than a place of constraint.
Daniela Gonzalez-Jatar
Period 4
First i want to say that i had to look this word up in a dictionary (aphorism) and all it is is a brief statementand is usually one sentence long which expresses a general principle or truth about life. In Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" there are many of these aphorisms that I appreciate and agree with. My favorite of all of them however is "What I must do is all that concerns, not what the people think", because is brings up a very important moral issue. In going along with this quote, people should be nonconformists and not go along with the crowd, as opposed to being a follower. I strongly agree with this and believe that to a point conformity is an okay thing but should not be overdone, and everyone should have there own image.
ReplyDeleteAn aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life. Ralph Waldo Emerson uses many aphorisms throughout his story “Self-Reliance.” My personal favorite aphorism from Emerson is, “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.” This aphorism means that nonconformists are seen with disgust and not accepted by the rest of the world, with the whipping symbolizing alienation and isolation from the world. As Hester Prynne is in "The Scarlet Letter." A nonconformist is one who doesn’t follow generally accepted beliefs, customs, or practices. It is my favorite aphorism used by Emerson because it is saying that one must be self-reliant and have their own beliefs even if the rest of the world doesn't agree. This aphorism connects to me personally because I have noticed that when someone does something out of the ordinary people look at them differently and criticize him/her for sticking to their beliefs. For when I was in 7th grade everyone made fun of me in science class for believing in evolution. So for that I was alienated as an outcast for the rest of the year and was looked down upon. Nevertheless I stuck to my beliefs and did not conform to their ignorance. On the other hand, a paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless be true. One paradox from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau is: "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." This quote says that under a government that imprisons individuals unfairly then therefore the place for a honest man is also jail. This quote demonstrates that Thoreau was a conscientious man; he stood up for his beliefs no matter what the consequences were. In that quote, Thoreau felt freer inside prison because he told the world what he thought and expressed his feelings in public. This paradox connects to me personally because I will say what I think even if the rest of the people around me don't care for my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMartin Perry
3/8/09
P-4
My favorite aphorism from Emerson's "Self-reliance" was "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature." I chose this aphorism because it's a statement that could summarize my life. I find it very difficult for people to succeed by just following other people's steps, they have to be original. Personally, "Self-reliance" is the best piece of literature we've read in Ms. Ojeda's class. In addition, from Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" my favorite paradox is, "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." I chose this paradox because it reminds me that even though the government of the country we live in supports the idea of doing what you please, the just and wise man can't do anything about what he feels is incorrect. The government has set up so many restrictions that it is really hard for a just and hard-working man to fix any glitches in society. I hope we keep reading pieces like these because I really enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteLucas Baistrocchi
English III Honors
Period 4
An aphorism is a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general principle or truth about life.Ralph Waldo Emerson uses many aphorisms throughout his story “Self-Reliance."In Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" there are many of these aphorisms that I appreciate and agree with. My favorite of all of them however is "What I must do is all that concerns, not what the people think", because is brings up a very important moral issue. It means you must do what you know is right not what you think is right.
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