TOW #14 - Heroism by Ralph Waldo Emerson - Written

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist writer and orator who spent time in the Transcendentalist "utopian society" of Brook Farm, socializing and living alongside the likes of Henry David Thoreau. Emerson has published many, many essays and writings, his most popular being a series of essays about fairly broad topics such as Education or Heroism, and titled accordingly. This essay is titled "Heroism", and is an exploration of what exactly heroism is, and what importance it holds in our society as a construct. Emerson begins the exploration of what heroism using an excerpt from the Roman conquering of Athens. Sophocles, the duke of Athens, is to be executed, and he makes a thoroughly moving speech full of heroic ideals and thoughts that it turns Martius, the man meant to kill him, to truly respect Sophocles and change his life. Emerson uses that passage to define heroism using this as the ability to say and do the right thing, no matter what happens. He then goes on to talk about how important heroism is in our society, referencing the works of Plutarch and saying, "We need books of this tart cathartic virtue, more than books of
political science, or of private economy." He thiks that heroism is very important to society because it's important to let people know the truth, that they are born into a state of what is practically emotional, mental, and violent war at all times. Heroism is embracing that, but not abusing it. It's acknowledging the abysmal state of life but not losing one's mind over it, but maintaining one's composure and making a better time out of it. I find Emerson's essay to be very convincing, all of his claims are very effectively supported by evidence and excerpts.