Self-Confidence through Literature and Its Importance in Prompting Action

Below is an essay I recently wrote.  Tell me what you think.  I will have a follow-up blog up shortly concerning the main point:

~Paper~    

     In possibly every story, there is a lesson to be learned.  While these lessons may not be as clearly stated as the morals concluding Aesop’s Fables, there is normally some piece of information to be used as food for thought.  Certain themes are meant to give immediate awareness to issues and let history allow the work to often fade.  However, other themes are timeless.  These create an understanding which comes off the page and affects the reader.  It is the beauty of exceptional literature.  One of the most important themes in literature is that of self-confidence.  Oftentimes, man has difficult in believing that he can make a difference in the world, proving that this is a particularly important theme in any literary medium.  Indeed, the theme of self-confidence and courage can be seen not just through books, but also in poetry, essays, short stories, plays, and songs.  It becomes an essential part of the story when it can produce change, whether that change is on a personal level or for the whole of society.  The importance of being individual, unique, and fighting against the pull of society with confidence is supported through literature and a variety of other mediums.

     The band, Weezer, has a song called “I Want To Be Something.”  The chorus of the song is below:

I want to be something
Before I die
I feel it burning me inside
I want to be something
I don't know why
I want to know that at least I tried (Weezer 1)

Weezer’s lyrics suggest that men almost yearn to do something, anything, to prove their self-worth.  The broader point of the song, though, is that whatever this something is, it will make a difference in the person.  The song does not specify how large the impact must be, indeed, the size does not matter so long as it makes some kind of difference.  The question is learning what impact is right and how to go about it.

     Some authors tend to believe that the first step to having self-confidence and making an impact is simply to begin to try and achieve it.  Indeed, there is a certain point when all the theory in the world cannot replace action.  In his speech, “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson stated that, “Action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is essential.  Without it he is not yet man.  Without it thought can never ripen into truth (Emerson 90).”  Emerson makes a great point; although many men wish that action was an equation, ready to be solved without unexpected limits, living life requires action.  It takes courage, though, to stand up and make a point to be heard and be seen.  Life can sometimes be brutal in bringing people to this realization.  They begin to give up on themselves and settle for less than their best.  Dr. David Foster put it this way in the prologue to his book, Accept No Mediocre Life, “From the hospital to the home to the halls of higher learning, we’ve been labeled so long, we feel libeled and stifled.  Too many splendid, gifted men and women have accepted mediocre as their lot in life (Foster xi).”  There is no reason to feel mediocre, yet it is difficult to believe sometimes that man could be anything but average.  The fight, then, must go to those who say success cannot be achieved and impacts cannot be made by a single individual.  In his separate essay, “Self Reliance,” Emerson also states, “Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string (Emerson 151).”  This imagery creates an understanding with the reader that self-confidence is not only essential, but it is also good, even sensational, to the soul.  With self-confidence, a person can feel satisfied by his own accomplishments.

     An important point to mention is to never lose faith in oneself.  As stated quite well in the comedy TV show, “Seinfeld,” “A George divided against itself, cannot stand (Seinfeld 1)!”  Although this was intended for humorous purposes, there is much truth in it.  If a man defeats himself before ever trying to make a change or fight against an unjust system, then he cannot begin to hope that he can achieve his goal.  However, dedication to the task and self-confidence in one’s own ability, despite the harsh words of others will always bring good results.  An allegory to demonstrate this lesson is Ernest Hemingway’s book, The Old Man and the Sea.  The story concerns itself with the struggles of a poor fisherman who, though having a rich history of catching phenomenal fish, had not been able to catch a monster fish for a long time.  The book documents this man’s journey as he attempts to catch a massive fish on his own.  Though he succeeds in pulling such a fish in, sharks in the water eat all the flesh off of it, leaving only the head and skeleton of the creature.  When he returns to port, everyone initially believes that he had, once again, come back from the sea empty-handed.  However, people eventually begin to crowd around the large carcass, a symbol to credit that the old man did not give up and could, indeed, still catch the biggest fish (Hemingway 122-123).  Nothing is impossible when one puts his mind to it.  This is not only true for personal goals, but also in trying to create an ideal for society.

     Some of the greatest minds in writing on the matter of self-confidence and bravery have also been heavily involved in social activism.  For instance, perhaps the most profound piece of writing on the matter of the individual’s power to enact social change is Henry David Thoreau’s essay, “Civil Disobedience.”  Not only did Thoreau manage to empower men and women to take a stand and demonstrate their importance, but his work has continued to do so, even in the present day.  Thoreau makes a definite statement and asks a question to his readers, “Unjust laws exist:  shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded or shall we transgress them at once (Thoreau 272)?”  Later on in his essay, Thoreau makes a connection with a heavily controversial event at the time; the abolition of slavery.  He states:

I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name, -- if ten honest men only, -- ay, if one man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America.  For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be:  What is once well done is done forever. (Thoreau 274)

Thoreau’s powerful diction had a massive impact on lots of people because they felt a desire to have passion and compassion.  They could understand that change has to begin somewhere, so why not start small and make a stand?  One man who was influenced by Thoreau’s writing was Martin Luther King Jr.  King’s writing was involved with how to make a positive influence through civil disobedience.  While he kept his arms open to try and spread love, not hate, King was still firmly grounded in his place as a social activist.  Although wishing for issues to disappear, he realized that this was somewhat impossible.  In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King writes an explanation of his movement to preachers who actively opposed his efforts.  One of the most memorable lines in his essay talks about the “timing” of these movements:

     We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.  Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. (King Jr. 1)

King was comfortable in advocating for civil rights because they fell in line with what he believed and, having experienced it himself, had an understanding for the injustice at hand.  It is true that experience can lead to courage.  The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros is an example of this.  Cisneros’ book explores two related themes.  The more general one is the innocence of children who grow up as members of disadvantaged society.  The more specific theme deals with the ways in which a child is able to cope with these issues.  The chapters of the book are very short, sometimes only the length of a couple paragraphs.  There is one chapter which stands out named “Four Skinny Trees.”  In this chapter, the author makes an analogy between the predicament of the little girl and protagonist of the story to some thin trees that the protagonist sees.  The chapter begins:

They are the only ones who understand me.  I am the only one who understands them.  Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine.  Four who do not belong here but are here.  Four raggedy excuses planted by the city. (Cisneros 74)

The analogy explains the feelings of the main character living in her unprivileged world with little hope for survival.  This is a sad realization for any child to have, but she understands the trees’ pain and plight.  She connects to the trees because they have a common enemy; the city that wants to beat them down and to eat them up.  While the protagonist’s attitude seems negative at first, this is just the harshness of reality seeping through.  However, there is a great deal of positive reinforcement given by these tiny little trees to the main character.  At the end of the chapter, she makes the observations, “Four who grew despite concrete.  Four who reach and do not forget to reach.  Four whose only reason is to be and be (Cisneros 75).”

     The protagonist of Cisneros’ novel shows a character trait hidden within everyone.  This trait is described by Kurt Vonnegut in his short story, “Report on the Barnhouse Effect.”  Vonnegut explains the phenomenon of the brain.  He tells the reader that the Barnhouse Effect is named after Professor Barnhouse who discovered, “dynamophychism, or force of the mind (Vonnegut 173).”  The beauty of Vonnegut’s work, though, is that he pokes fun at the idea that only a select few are actually gifted enough to be able to harness “the force of the mind.”  In fact, Vonnegut describes Professor Barnhouse, “The man who disarms the world is single, shorter than the average American male, stout, and averse to exercise (Vonnegut 174).”  By making this statement, Vonnegut is sending a clear message to anyone who reads the story; that the world is within anyone’s grasp.  It is simply up to the reader to dedicate himself to that cause, and if he does, he can achieve anything he wants.

     In this quest for self-confidence, one must also be honest with himself.  Benjamin Franklin is quoted in saying, “Honesty is the best policy (Franklin 1).”  Similarly, one must not make the mistake of thinking that it is truthful to not state an opinion.  Although this can and should be done with tact, it is better to be forward with a subject, any subject, instead of remaining quiet.  Mark Twain wrote on this matter in his satirical essay, “On the Decay of the Art of Lying.”  At one point, he makes mention, “Among other common lies, we have the silent lie – the deception which one conveys by simply keeping still and concealing the truth (Twain 1).”  Twain makes it clear that a person who keeps silent does not tell the truth.  This is a novel way of approaching the matter because it very much defines lying as “the concealing of truth.”  If one is silent, then his lie will damage his ability to be honest with himself or believe in himself.  Comparatively, Thoreau says in his book, Walden, that, “The volatile truth of our words should continually betray the inadequacy of the residual statement (Thoreau 254).”  This colors and builds off of Twain’s work because it states that speaking out, indeed, speaking at all is “truth.”  Therefore, one should never be afraid to take a side and be heard.

     Perhaps one of the best works to demonstrate this idea of speaking up in the name of truth and goodness is Sophocles’ play, “Antigone,” the final installment of the Oedipus trilogy.  In the story, Antigone is a woman whose brother was killed in a battle.  Her brother had led a revolt against the kingdom, though, so his body was despised by the king.  The king made a law that no one would give this man a proper burial for his treasonous actions.  Instead, he ought to rot and be eaten by wild animals.  Antigone saw this as an injustice, for she loved her brother, so she disobeyed the law.  She is caught and speaks with the king as he asks why she knowingly disobeyed his creed.  Her response acknowledges a power above the king:

I dared.  It was not God’s proclamation.  That final Justice that rules the world below makes no such laws.

Your edict, King, was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God.  They are not merely now:  they were, and shall be, operative for ever, beyond man utterly. (Sophocles 208)

Antigone challenges the king on whether or not it is his right to make such a law and, if it is not his right, then the law ought to be broken.  This took a great deal of courage to stand up to the man who had the authority to have her murdered; however, she said what she believed and nothing less.  The truth of her words inspired a new revolution because she had confidence that what she was doing was right and proper by God.

     In conclusion, the timeless theme of self-confidence and courage is illustrated through an assortment of literary types to provide examples of why it is important to be unique, to speak out, and to be heard.  Through literature, the soul can be explained in generalities.  In explaining complex themes like courage and self confidence, books can examine the topic from different viewpoints.  In the examination of any subject, though, certain parts of the idea will remain constant.  Looking at this through the context of self-confidence and being individual, what matters in life is being heard and making a difference, however great or small.  By doing so, men can separate themselves from their contemporaries and be transcended.  They will no longer be bound by a lack of faith in their own abilities or haunted by the shadow of a silent lie.  Varun Nayar wrote a poem called “The Young.”  The final lines say this:

You will burn out,

and we, will burn into you,

because we are younger than our

inhibitions. 

We can live for as long as we like. (Nayar 54)

Should this not be the goal?  If one person can change the world, should he not try?  It is time for all to stand up, stand out, and be heard.  It is time to burn into others and produce a necessary and positive impact.