The central idea developed by Emerson in "Self-Reliance" is <em>A. To live authentic lives, people should practice nonconformity.</em>
According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, nonconformity means relying on self-judgment, self-choices, and enjoying freedom from institutional and societal influences.
Self-reliance should triumph over every pursuit and can only be enjoyed by one who listens to their inner voice without allowing the world to quench the essence of the message.
<u>Part B:</u>
The detail from the text that best reflects the central idea in <u>Part A</u> is <em>D. "Insist on yourself, never imitate,"</em> in the words of Emerson.
For Emerson, one who imitates makes a caricature of himself and does not value his self-worth. Emerson insists that everybody should highly rate their unique gifts and make something great out of them.
Thus, for Emerson, a nonconformist is what every achiever should be.
