Self-sufficiency - Is complete self-sufficiency possible? If you are self-sufficient, you don't need to depend on anyone. This is the obvious message that Emerson tries to convey in his essay "Self-Reliance". It seems that Emerson believes that we all need to be individuals and put ourselves before anyone else. However, the real question is “is it possible to be totally self-sufficient”. After rereading Self-Reliance, I feel like this question really can't be answered. Emerson provides us with a very confusing topic that seems to go around in circles with no apparent end in sight. He believes we can all be “self-sufficient,” but is that true? Most of the class seemed to believe that it was not possible to be “totally” self-sufficient. An example of this would be that not all of us are doctors and since injuries occur as frequently as "cold-like" viruses, it would be totally impossible to be self-sufficient if you want to live a long and healthy life. Another example would be the pursuit of knowledge, you have to depend on others who lived before you and the books they wrote to truly understand the present world. But would this simply mean using the tools you have around you? There is no clear answer in the essay. The loopholes never stop, but eventually they are answered somewhere in the essay, but by then you are too confused to actually grasp the meanings. The web text really helped with this reading, especially regarding the "big flaw" of the essay. I agree with both Ann Woodlief and the rest of the class that Emerson really used the term "excessive" to the extreme in this essay. As the class discussed the essay, I immediately knew what was happening, but every time I thought I knew what was happening, Emerson would do a "twist and turn" that would confuse us. He didn't seem to care if the reader understood everything he was talking about, as long as he got the general idea. I guess he would just fill in the gaps later in the essay and not feel like he needed to explain every point. Another point the class wanted to know was who is writing this essay for. It is for himself, for his peers, for the common man or perhaps for the college student?