Friday, December 10, 2010

In Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance, what does the following quote mean: "I shun father and mother and wife and brother when my genius calls me"?

This quote, from Self-Reliance by
Ralph Waldo Emerson, is one of the many very strong statements made my Emerson in this
piece. When he cites those family members, "father and mother and wife and brother," he
is citing the people who are, basically, forgotten, and left alone whenever "his genius
calls." This suggests two things. First, it suggests that Emerson believes he is and has
genius which may call to him at any time. Secondly, he feels that whenever he is called
to enact that genius, for him, probably in writing, he will forget and ignore all those
who should mean the most to him. He suggests that, when he is creatively working "with
his genius," he needs only himself, and need only be
"self-reliant."

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