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Alfred Wegener, a little-known German geologist theorized that the continents were not stationary and actually drifted slowly. He used cut-out continents and pierced them like a puzzle together to show what he called “Pangea.” Wegener used the continent’s geological features, shape, and species similarities to prove his theory. He was disregarded and ridiculed globally when he was alive, but eventually, the theory of continental drift was found to be true.

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“Let us advance and advance on "Chaos and Dark.”

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“Let us advance and advance on "Chaos and Dark.”

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“No kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till”

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“No kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till”

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“But what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace”

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“But what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace”

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Sophie is the eldest daughter of a small town hatter in a fantasy world. His life is simple and unfulfilling. She encounters an evil witch at her shop and is cursed to become old and given a mysterious riddle to find the cure. Sophie sets off on her own into the wasteland to find the cure, which is how she meets Howl. She takes on a motherly figure to him and the rest of his crewmates and after many trials, she is cured and the two fall in love. Sophie’s life up to that point left her unsatisfied and without “peace”. Her hardships actually opened up new opportunities. If she did not set off on her own and become even more independent, her life at the hat shop would have become even worse. Her character represents the passage because she takes on “chaos and dark[ness]” with relatively no fear. The wasteland is vast and greatly feared by the common people of her town, so her confidence displays her strength. Sophie comes to terms with her new disabilities quickly and does not hesitate to make deals with demons she meets. Her long walk and hard work cleaning represents the “toil” she goes through, and her freedom and romance is the “corn”. Her character follows many of the ideas presented in Emerson’s essay.

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"Is it so bad then to be misunderstood?"

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"Is it so bad then to be misunderstood?"

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"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist."

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"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist."

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"The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion."

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"The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion."

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"Every burden, every disadvantage I have learned to manage"

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"Every burden, every disadvantage I have learned to manage"

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"speak what you think today in words as hard as cannon balls"

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"speak what you think today in words as hard as cannon balls"

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To be revolutionary, one has to be self reliant. Hamilton was misunderstood and underestimated in his time, which relates to Emerson’s idea of how great being misunderstood is. He draws a parallel between being a real man and being nonconformist. People wanted him to back down, but his determination to take “his shot” is how he shows his “aversion.” Hamilton is clearly expressing how he is part of a revolutionary throughout the song. Its upbeat nature shows his confidence as well. In one of the lines, Hamilton expresses his “burdens” and how he “manages” them, relating to Emerson’s idea of hard work and resilience in the first paragraph. Hamilton speaks “words as hard as cannon balls” through his general bluntness with language such as “ scrappy” “hungry” “spark” and “revolution.”

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"With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do."

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"With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do."

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"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."

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"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."

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Chris McCandless embodies Emerson’s idea of self-reliance mainly through his faith and his nonconforming nature when it comes to society’s pressures. McCandless lived in the Alaskan wilderness for roughly a year all on his own. He didn’t fully make his location aware to his parents and had a history of running off on his own manly adventures. Society called for him to go to college, get a job, and live a generic cookie cutter life. He desired freedom from that pressure and wanted to live in peace. McCanless was severely misunderstood. Even the more adventurous folk he met believed he wouldn’t last very long in the wilderness. Though he still died in the bush, he far outlived their expectations. Emerson’s claim that “with consistency a great soul simply has nothing to do'' is an idea McCandless embodies. People made many assumptions about him through his life, but nobody will ever truly understand his thoughts - we are not meant to. Lastly, his claim that “nothing can bring you peace but yourself” is one he held true to. Despite his parent’s offers to help him, McCandless knew that he had to pursue it by himself.