Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

In our class, Survey of Ameri female genital organ Literature, we have read and canvass the classic American works that have influenced and in some cases indwelling themselves into our countrys identity and belief system. Among those studied has been Benjamin Franklins Autobiography, Ralph Waldo Emersons essays, The American Scholar and Self -Reliance, and Frederick Douglass Narrative. Each of these covers a great amount of subjects that could be discussed, plainly bingle that proves most compelling is the bailiwick of fill inledge. These three men, who come from different life circumstances and have vary philosophies of life, each came to define the uses of fosterage in their own behaviors. However, they do all in all seem to show the nonion that education can be utilise to empower virtuosos self.In Benjamin Franklins Autobiography, comes finished with(predicate) to me as a perfect example of the American dream, that being the judgment that no matter where you come from, you can achieve almost anything with trying work and dedication. Coming from a lower-middle class Boston family to being one of the most famous Americans of all time is the classic rags to riches drool that he himself lived out. The way he achieved this was by being self- tamed. When looking at Franklins life, it could be said that he is a Renaissance human race because he did so many things he was a printer, a writer, an inventor, a scientist, and a statesman, and the only thing he had a formal education of was of printing.This American dream that is thus far deeply ingrained in our decree today though, always seemed to be a bit of a allegory to me. I dont deal it is right to say that if you atomic number 18 resulting to work hard enough, you will always achieve success. Things be not that simple. Of course hard work can get you places, alone some people work very hard their entire lives and still dont achieve success due to unfair circumstances. I would say that success is achieved not only by hard work, but also by the right circumstances and a bit of luck.It seems to me that Franklin did not view education as what is important in life. What is important to him is what you pass on in life. He talks about success and how to achieve it, and education is only part of that.I grew convincd that Truth, Sincerity and Integrity in Dealings between Man and Man, were of the utmost Importance to the Felicity of manners pg. 268, Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography (Part 1), The Norton Anthology of American Literature.Not that education could be seen as unimportant to him. He did create the first ever circulating library, which is a way in which others can become self-educated. He almost for certain felt that education was of great importance. It is just that I think he viewed education as a necessary means to get to the great goal of being a successful psyche. Education was a way to prepare oneself for success.Ralph Waldo Emerson was a Transcend entalist, and therefore had a somewhat different evolve on education. He believed that all people are inherently divine. fit in to him, we all know truth in hearts but we oftentimes dont recognize it or express it. I think he wants people to listen more closely to themselves for answers to their questions. Education can be used to inspire us and attend to us throw our truths. In The American Scholar, Emerson says the align sources of education are genius, the mind of the one-time(prenominal) (most influential being books), and the action taken of the heroic mind.In nature he believes we see a visible representation of what is in your self, and that is at long last divine. And because true wisdom lies within, books can help bring it out. What is most kindle to me is that of taking action with the knowledge you have. I think here he relates to Franklin in the thought that an education is no good if you dont go and use it. His definition of actionThe preamble of thought, the transition through which it passes form the unconscious to the conscious, is action. Only so much I know as I have lived pg. 519, Ralph Waldo Emerson, The American Scholar, The Norton Anthology of American Literature.Without action, a person would never experience the life issues that they studied. That would make it impossible to fully substantiate or form anopinion over almost anything. Gaining knowledge will only be important if it is applied through action, and validated by action. Emerson sees education as way to inspire your own mind, and in turn, help you on a road of self-discovery in your own wisdom.Frederick Douglass comes from the most rough circumstances (to put it lightly), being that he was enslaved and a black American in the 19th century. His autobiography is a yarn of self-discovery he elaborate how his growing awareness of his condition, through his self-acquired education, propelled him to re-imagine himself. He had to learn to think of himself as a human bein g rather than as a living organism of burden, as a free man rather than as a slave. This required him to educate himself at the risk of brutal punishment and then(prenominal) to take the even greater risk of an escape attempt. After one failed try that could easily have cost him his life, he succeeded the second time. Douglass story is one of self-reliance. To him, education was necessary to his survival because it offered him a first pervert to get out of a life of slavery.I understood the parcel of land from slavery to freedomThough conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher, I set out with high consent, and a fixed purpose, at whatever cost of trouble, to learn how to read pg. 946, Frederick Douglass, Narrative, The Norton Anthology of American Literature.Each of these men, Franklin, Emerson, and Douglass, viewed the motif for education for seemingly different purposes. Franklin, who focused on how to be a successful person understood that education, was an i mportant step in preparing oneself for proximo accomplishments. Emerson felt we all had the answers within, but saw education as a way to prompt our soul of those inner truths and convince us to express them. Douglass used education for survival and a small ray of hope that he would not remain a slave forever. But what is true of all these men is that education was used to better themselves, theyre understanding of the world around them, and to then educate others through their literary works. To educate the self is to empower the self.