Margaret Fuller And Whitman Analysis

During Margaret Fuller's and Walt Whitman's era, stereotypes and laws were restricting people to reach their full potential. Sadly till this day, society seems to have the need to place unspoken rules on people. These rules classify what the meaning of success is, how one should physically look, dress, and act. These set of unspoken rules have stripped people from their individualism. Furthermore, these rules have also limited women on who they can become and what they can do. People are consumed by the fear of being rejected and becoming an outcast. Fearing in being rejected, these individuals resort to following others and meet societies standards. Being suppressed by societies rules, an individual would never get the chance to see what …show more content…
Both Fuller and Whitman wanted to break these barriers. They wanted to open the eyes of the people and make them see that they had no reason in following these rules. Men were not only meant to bring a pay check home. Women were not meant to only look pretty and keep the house clean. People were not meant to follow the ideas of others. Each person has a mind of their own and each person has their own thoughts. Everyone was meant to have their own ambitions. Margaret Fuller urged women to seek a greater meaning in life. She specified how women were able to gain independence from their family and home through education. As the reader is able to see, Fuller stood as a great example on how education can a give a woman independence. Scorning the idea that women should accept that their only future was to be a housewife. Fuller desired that women be allowed to fulfill their personal potential in whatever they dreamed of. Such as Fuller was praised and criticized for rebelling against the traditional views, so was Walt Whitman. He was able to see the beauty of individualism and encouraged everyone to follow their own path. Many critics assumed if all mankind were to follow their own path it would lead to destruction. They wanted to confine everyone by the rules of society. What is so great about being like everyone else? Society should not outcast a person who is different, but …show more content…
In some way, both authors come hand in hand to share some similar point of views. Individuals should come to understand that everyone is equal and have the right to follow their own path. Every single action a human does should not be explicit to please others or to gain the approval of society. One's opinion or action can help change the world for better, yet if one keeps it bottled up then who will hear it. To give to society one shall go out into the crowd and voice their thoughts, just as Fuller and Whitman believed and did. Being different or having different opinions should not discourage someone. On the contrary, sharing your beliefs, opinions, and way of life should be motivated because it will help one and others to move forward. "[Be] ... true to [oneself], even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur [one's] own abhorrence" (Frederick Douglass). As Fuller expressed everyone is equal and everyone should be given the same opportunities. There will always be people to suppress one, however these people should only motivate one to continue fighting. In the end, it is one's own vision of themselves that matters