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The Importance of Self Improvement

American writers demonstrate fondness of expressing the ideal of “Self Improvement” in their literature simply due to its’ principal which shows important in the evolving of an individual is the only event that can abridge to the evolution of society and a better world. Influential American writers like Henry Thoreau, William Bradford, Thomas Paine, and Jonathan Edwards demonstrate and offer guidance towards reaching variations of Self Improvement that will lead to a greater tomorrow.
“Resistance to Civil Government”, by Henry David Thoreau, is a work, that unfortunately didn’t make much of a difference during its own time but went on to serve Thoreau as a legacy that encompassed self worth, as well as means of obtaining self improvement was necessary for growth. Thoreau’s writing was used by profound historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi in their own struggles to make society, to accept and understand their sentiments. In Thoreau’s own words “Life is short and life is miraculous”, Thoreau believes in an individual’s audacity to be able to respond to circumstances that may arise, and to commit to handling it the best way possible. Like Thomas Paine, Thoreau saw the government, not society, as having tendencies toward wrong doing. Even if good will is put towards the “standing government” by individuals, it still will be morphed into something that the people of the government, cannot control. The positive aspects of America he describes did not come from the government. Nothing positive did, but rather expressed it is the will of one man that allows for growth of one’s nation. Thoreau also pronounced that it is man’s intentions, not what erupts in the process in carrying it out which makes ones character. Furthermore, if each man were to make known their idea of a better government, then at least that would be a step in the right direction. By Henry it was found that the only real way to live peacefully with an effective society is to be able to live ultimately without government. This does not mean in any way that anarchy is what Thoreau’s expressing but rather a smooth transition to the way the world could grow too. Throughout “Resistance to Civil Government” the importance of self improvement is imperative to the well-being of society. In describing the “Standing Army” it is said that man has no way in the present environment to use natural human logic to do the right thing. Rather because of the way that the military works it is tricky to ever have ones views taken into account by their superiors. Even the high up officials are in a choke hold making them work for the “devil” regardless of the sentiment that each man inheritably knows the right thing, so why not act on it? The only way to achieve an improvement nation to worldwide is for each person to do the right thing even if it is the more difficult path. The machine, otherwise known as the government, shouldn’t be endured just because it can be. This inaction does not make anything evolve to a more positive outlook and therefore if action, although frowned upon by the government, has to be taken. Roseau wishes that “Children of Washington and Franklin” need to take a stand if they are going to be titled such. He expresses voting is a gamble and just another passive way to feel like one is doing something, when in fact it is a cop out. The pattern seen by Roseau, when regarding the people of the Americas, at that time was “ninety-nine patrons of virtue” and only one actually virtuous person who actually proved useful to society. Along with other American Authors he strongly though if one does not believe in slavery, then the self improvement of actually doing something about it, like not having them and speaking out against it is a necessary measure. It is Thoreau’s tough love intellect towards all his fellow citizens, including slaves, that pushes to make this world better is for one to make them better first. Government, in its state then and now, lacks the ability to utilize its wise minority and celebrate its citizens. To achieve such Roseau like Paine believes that verbal picking out the faults and fixing them will lead to greatness. Wisely noted, he expresses that “if injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go.” Roseau believes laws should be broken if they are for injustice because one should never lend themselves out for which one condemns. Peaceable revolution is each man deciding not to pay his taxes because the wrong thing is to feed more money into the state and promote the shedding of innocent blood. He tells that a rich man is not virtuous unless he carries out the schemes that he fathomed when he was poor. Roseau demonstrates this when taken into custody and put in prison for standing up for his morals. Roseau proceeded to lose, if any existed, any lasting respect of his state, Massachusetts, due to the barbaric guards and their inability to do anything towards “the right thing” confirmed Roseau’s opinion of the “machine”. He only spent one day in prison, due to being bailed out unwillingly, and had an interesting somewhat pleasant experience, meeting his roommate, who was clever, that had unintentionally burned down a barn. Thoreau’s view that government, and the state, can only be a decent entity when it finally starts listening and respecting its citizens it definitely a shared concept among many great American minds. He does account that he doesn’t mind all taxes. Paying toll way taxes because he uses the roads and educating young minds within his community makes sense to him. Thoreau would be a definite proponent to buying local and displays the importance of being a good neighbor, but not a good mindless subject of a flawed wrong doing political system.
William Bradford’s unveiling of the evils of the revenue system showed how not moving towards doing the right thing hindered ones’ path to self improvement, and ultimately ones’ communities’ improvement. The grounds explaining the breakdown of society, was observed by Bradford, who in retort shared the toxic endeavors that led to his community’s demise. Bradford, like Thoreau, warned about the evils of wealth and urged others to not over indulge in material possessions, akin to having the most land or servants, but rather to go back to working together, as a community to recreate the society that was once shared by the original “Pilgrims”. The people Bradford considered “Pilgrims” demonstrated the value of community and had a strong sense of purpose. The problem that came to inhabit the land was from the second generation which came, who had a fixated idea that profit and better farmland was the key to living a fulfilled life. The excerpt “Prosperity Weakens Community” by Bradford and the writings of Thoreau both shared distaste in money due to its effect on man’s ability to stay inherently good and useful. Bradford’s encounter with the fall of his community was observed by him to be due to the decentralization of the members wanting large masses of land and which broke up the once close knit, working community. Bradford and Edwards both shared a belief in needing religion to flourish as an individual as well as community. What gave him a purpose to share his knowledge was his want for communities and individuals to switch their way of life and to achieve self-improvement ultimately as a whole. Bradford’s community was brought down into loss and ruins all due to the lack of focus on the church and the villagers straying from the path of God. Bradford’s ideal of self improvement included not only monetary but also religious issues that one needs to attend before the society could ultimately succeed.
The political pamphlet “Common Sense”, anonymously set forth into main stream sight, proved to be the first successful anti-colonial action, offering the new nation a road map to get to the destination of forceful self improvement. Thomas Paine, who was the undisclosed author of this publication, differs from the other writing and authors’ sense of immediate pride of placing their names on their works. The selection of Paine to not claim this revolutionary writing might have been due to apprehension of backlash or even forethought just to let the writings speak the message without endorsement. This nation improvement guide addressed to the “Inhabitants of America” was published in 1776 and spread quickly among all classes of colonists. The ideas set forth by Paine encompassed the ideal that separation needed to be achieved to grow, the nature of society versus government, addressing flaws within the monarchy, and to wrap up the pro-freedom message he makes a modest proposal for a new form of government. Paine’s analysis that government can be molded into a positive entity differs from Thoreau’s idealistic vision of an eventual arriving to a government free nation. Thoreau’s sentiments rests on the individual is a more personalized view on how to self improve oneself versus Paine’s concentration on the nation. “Common Sense” not only was a hit with the common people, in convincing the need of political independence from Great Britain, of the colonies, but even with colossal political figures who ruled early America including George Washington and John Adams. Paine clearly articulated his commitment to not allow any compromise short of independence. The effect “Common Sense” helped inspire a dramatic change of the political events and created new goals to reach by this potential new nation. Like Roseau, Paine saw the government, though at the time “Common Sense” was written it was Great Britain, and was characterized as a criminal establishment which got power by means of force and suppression. Like Edwards, Roseau, and Bradford, Paine also put what he could into his cause even though he was omniscient comparably. Paine paid for the publishing as well as turning over all profits towards the American cause to get separated from Britain. Edwards was criticized as being too radical in his religious teachings while Paine was criticized for his radical political stances.
Jonathan Edwards, an integral figure of the “Great Awakening”, exemplified the ideal of self-improvement coming not only from the individual but from allowing oneself to do right under the greater power. Edwards’s vast knowledge and passion of religion set him out to convey a message that would force his listeners to a conviction of their sinful state and open them up to the infusion of divine grace. In essence this would ultimately lead to a soul warming experience that would bring joy, freedom, and a sense of beauty that had not otherwise been available. To help the process Edwards studied and presented his interpretation of Christ’s trials in the Crucifixion and Resurrection. This served to pass on the richest facet of American Puritanism which found sanctity of importance of the reaching of an individual heart’s experience of emotional and spiritual revival. Edwards guide to self improvement was influential and achieved in giving a message that previously had not been in the public eye. By using Locke’s philosophy’s and Newton’s discovery’s, Jonathan Edwards was able to reinterpret man’s relationship to God so as to express the needed event of supernatural grace. To be identifiable with the people living during his intellectual based society Thoreau like Edwards did not just preach his trade but experienced and followed his own ideals. It was his finding of the “grace of God” that Edwards took a religious path that led him to gain enemies who found him too unforgiving like that of Paine in his description of Great Britain. Similar to Thoreau’s description and basic disappointment in the “patron’s of virtue” who don’t take the jump to be a virtuous being, Edwards evocation of the fate of the “unsaved” sinners being tossed in hell was taken harshly and appeased that being “saved” was not necessary but just to live a virtuous life was godly enough. Edwards still pressed forward that without the experience of coming into grace, and later he urged it had to be done publically, one could not achieve the ultimate self improvement that would lead to have a place at the lords supper. Although Edward’s views were strongly biblical, he did convey that a man does have the freedom of choice. Therefore, in having that ability to choose one is responsible for those acts and what consequences they bring. In his teachings of how to be closer to his greatness, Edward’s explains that God seeks out our good, because within us, he is seeking himself. This view pushes on the importance of living by morals and always doing the right thing. Though keeping in mind only good, without the experience of grace nothing sets to fix the depravity of humanity. Within this influential piece, Edwards succeeded to help individuals take a higher and holy path towards improvement of their being as well as to make a positive mark on the world.
The endeavor to attain a desirable environment requires an exploration of the means which lead to a useful, virtuous inhabitant. Commitment individuals take towards self-improvement is demonstrated not only through the writing of American authors, but also through their legacy. The greatest minds of American Literature have embodied the importance of Self-Improvement by exemplifying a ceaseless progression towards greatness will eventually lead to a feeling of “true” freedom that the individual is seeking. This principal of the individuals’ importance in a society, demonstrated by such inspirational and intellectual icons including Roseau, Bradford, Paine and Edwards, has ardently been present throughout the span of time to provide a vision to what humanity has the potential to reach. Publications prove revolutionary in promoting change and gaining support by making an interpretation of current events which convey injustice to the populace. The methodical convictions articulated by America’s most notorious minds, indisputably exhibit in their writing the crucial contingency placed on the individual’s importance and thus one cannot avoid that self improvement. Only when individuals of a society take responsibility, like that of those who have offered ideals of attainment of a enviable society, will the earth ever be permitted to prove the peaceful and gratifying place that may perhaps exist.

Work Cited

Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2008. Print.

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