Week 3 Analysis: Close Reading of "Self Reliance"
In James Monroe Whitfield “Self-reliance” I feel as if he is trying to help us understand why and how relying on oneself can be the best thing for us. He uses a way with his words to not give away the answer but also give an obvious explanation to his reasonings behind self-reliance. In the start Woodfield says “ I love the man whose lofty mind on God and its own strength allies; who seeks the welfare of his kind... who cares not for the world's Applause, but, to his own fixed purpose true, the patch which God and nature's laws, point out, doth earnestly pursue”. If we take a step back here we can see the the author obviously applauds a man or woman who doesn't care what other people think only what he thinks of himself and what God thinks of him. Looking how the author put “ The patch which God and nature's laws point out doth earnestly pursue” It feels as if the author phrased it this way to help us understand that basically our lives are patches and we have to be the ones to take another piece of clothing and so it over the whole that's left in our pants. In which we are the ones minding ourselves. While reading the text you can definitely tell that God plays a really big part in self-reliance. He says at the end “ But trusting in the aid of heaven and wielding with unfaltering arm the utmost power which God has given conscious that the almighty power will nerve the faithful soul with might whatever storms may round him lower strikes both leave for the true and right”. In what part of the text is really made me sit back and think how when people think about relying on oneself God always plays a part in it. Which I find funny because isn't God another person (being) in which you rely to look over you and guide you through the dark. I did read another text about self-reliance and it was by Emerson in which he also mentioned God. This is definitely a questionable topic to talk about because it's called self-reliance so wouldn't you rely on your own and no one else. Overall the thing with the author trying to say is the when one relies on them self they will be more aware and more enlightened.
Hi Alesha, thanks for your post! It's interesting -- when I read that part about the "patch" to pursue, I didn't see it so much as a patch of clothing to sew over, but more like a patch of ground to tend to, because he says one should "earnestly pursue it". I like how different people bring different interpretations to the same words.
ReplyDeleteHi Alesha, your analysis of "Self reliance" is good. It is interesting, analysis is supported by good evidence from story, it is the right length but not too long, and it includes your own personal opinion at the end. I see you focus much on a theme and what the author is trying to tell us, which is very helpful to someone such as me that didn't understand the story too much from just casually reading it. However, you may want to add some more examples of literary devices and examples of them that occur throughout the story.
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