Hundreds of years have gone by and still the age-old question of faith tugs on the hearts of all mankind. Should we as individuals place our faith in God or in that which exists within ourselves? The thought-provoking styles of both Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance" as well as Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" provide compelling arguments for questions such as this one. However, the style in which each writer chooses to "pitch" his belief is quite different from one another. Emerson's "Self-Reliance" has the ability to answer questions as well as motivate if one can decipher his complex reasoning. On the other hand, Edwards "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" provides motivation through fear in the wrath of almighty God rather than faith in the individual.
             In "Self Reliance", Emerson's style focuses on the courage of oneself. He uses language filled with sincerity and directness. Emerson's reasoning proves to be more ethical than theological; he emphasized the importance of the human soul and the relationship of the spirit within oneself. Ralph Waldo Emerson's writings are full of bold claims, of passages that read like bumper stickers, "Trust thyself" and "To be great is to be misunderstood". He encourages the reader to free himself from the square box in which all others reside, but rather proclaims, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind (Emerson, 657)." The idea is that the answers to all questions lie in the fact that, we as individuals are the controllers of our fate.
             Emerson's dense and obscure writing style is often labeled unconventional. He has the ability to pull his thoughts together just before his point is lost, leaving the reader a bit dazed, a little confused, but impressed never the less. Emerson writes as if he does not car...