"A character is like an acrostic or Alexandrian stanza;..."See in text(Self-Reliance)
An acrostic stanza is a poem in which letters from each line form a word that can be read vertically on the page. Notice how Emerson consistently reinforces his main argument; here he supports it with the idea that humans have only their nature, no matter how they act it will never change. Notice the subtle use of alliteration, one of Emerson’s preferred rhetorical devices.
"symbolizes so well the state of man, who is in the world a sort of sot..."See in text(Self-Reliance)
Notice the alliteration in this line, as exemplified by the repetition of the s sound. Although this is an essay, Emerson consistently uses poetic writing, a style that was typical of the transcendentalist writers.
