Andy Li Speech per.

3 October 23, 2011 In Emersons Self-Reliance, he writes to his audience that the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude (263, Emerson). This statement can be seen in Voltaires Candide. In the novel, Candide and Cacambo arrive on an isolated paradise, full of riches and kind people. Eldorado is a paradise that has been isolated from European contact. Their ways are completely different from those of Europes, such as the mindset of gold as simply pebbles and kind people that has replaced the greedy people of Europe. This is truly utopia in the eyes of Candide, a European whom have never seen the sight of such a perfected society. By being isolated from the vile European ways, Eldorado was able to achieve such a state of perfection and greatness. Emerson sees that in order to achieve such greatness, one must isolate themselves from the outside world and envelop themselves in their own world of beliefs. Emerson also states that men should be able to believe in his own ideas. In the scene of Eldorado, Candide asks the old man of the religion of Eldorado. The old man answered that Eldorado has more than one religion and that its deities are not honored compared to that of the European God. (44, Voltaire). Here, it shows that Eldorado did not conform to the ideas of religion from the Europeans whom have taken over the former Incan Empire. It follows Emersons idea that men should not follow what is imposed onto them, but rather believe their own ideas of religion. However, Emerson would criticize the fact that Eldorado is a unified society. In Eldorado, those who arrive there should stay there. The King of Eldorado states that when a person is comfortably settled in any part he should abide there (46, Voltaire). Here it shows that the King encourages people to stay in their society instead of allowing them to go outside of their society.