Did he regard his own age as a fortunate or unfortunate one for living? Why?
Summarize the concluding paragraph.
Self-reliance
What is the theme of this essay?
What leading idea in this essay was also in the last?
What conclusion does Emerson draw from the fact that children and youth are independent and unaffected in their opinions?
Why do they change as they grow older?
Explain the meaning of the following: "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members" (p. 69). "Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist" (p. 69).
Account for Emerson's scornful reference to "popular charities" (p. 71).
Show how our consistency is "a terror that scares us from self-trust" (p. 75).