Today in class we discussed Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance. We talked about the quote, "To be great is to be misunderstood." However, Emerson's definition of great could be very different from some one else's definition. So we ask the question, what defines being great? Emerson gives examples of people who were misunderstood during their time but he defines them as great. He only gives a few examples and leaves out people who were considered great and understood. Another thing that we pointed out was that a theme of the Romantic writers was that they weren't appreciated or understood until after they died. So did Emerson just have this belief because he was a Romantic writer?
We also talked about the quote, "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." It is hard to define being a nonconformist because can anyone really be original? Everyone always seems to follow what some one else that they have seen before is doing. So why would being different make you a man? And also what is Emerson's definition of a man? These are questions the reader has to decide for themselves.
-Callie
2 comments:
I think that being a nonconformist can be either productive or irresponsible. Nonconformity is necessary, in many cases, for progress, while there are times when nonconformity is not the correct or most resonable way to act. Sometimes, a commonly accepted idea is incorrect or has been morphed with time and needs to be changed by example. Other times, uniform or similar ideas or styles are needed for unification purposes and greater efficiency. There are cases in which either point can be debated, proving that the statement "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist," has no validity.
-Jen
I would support the view the conformity is what holds society together, and nonconformity is was moves society forward. People cannot exist peacefully together without some commonalities between them. But it is their differences that allow diversity and new ideas to be brought into society. So, both conformity and nonconformity are essential, though too much of either is probably detrimental.
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