Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance"

Every person's place in society should be to continuously challenge the society in which they live. A person is either defined as a conformist to society or a nonconformist. Emerson says, "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members." He is saying that society represents the unoriginal majority or the "norm". In order to grow and be a man you must be a nonconformist. Emerson says that it is important to the growth of the society and the growth of every person to be a nonconformist and challenge what you believe is not right. The only way to improve a situation is to challenge how it is being addressed at the moment. We not only need to use our voices in private but also when it is hardest to speak up. "These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world." A true nonconformist not only speaks about their worries and problems with the government in the privacy of their home but also in a place where they can be heard and change can be made. This type of nonconformist is the type that is most important to have in society and is necessary if society is to progress.