"Self-Reliance"
In this essay, Emerson exhorts readers to avoid blindly conforming to the ideas and and behavior dictated by society or peers. Instead, he urges people to think independently.
"Concord Hymn"
In this poem, Emerson praises the bravery of the minutemen who fought at Lexington and Concord. The poem conveys the message that people who make great sacrifices for noble causes such as freedom will never be forgotten.
"The Snowstorm"
In this poem, Emerson develops an extended metaphor in which he compares nature's force during a snowstorm to an architect crafting a building. The poem conveys the message that nature is capable of creating works of amazing beauty that parallel or surpass those produced by human beings.
