Journal #17 Ralph Waldo Emerson: Breaking It Down

QUOTE:

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion” (Emerson 1164).


SUMMARY:

Emerson is explaining that when men start to learn more, they realize that they need to be true to themselves. This is another point to back up his reasons for being self-reliant.


RESPONSE:

When I first read this quote, the main idea I take away from it is that men (but I tend to read it as people and not just men) need to be themselves and not worry about anyone else. Emerson breaks this down into basically a three-part thesis statement, with each part equally insightful, and each part definitely persuasive. It may seem obvious to say, “be yourself,” or, “don’t just follow the crowd,” but Emerson’s words are actually much more powerful.

Emerson writes, “envy is ignorance,” and I especially think this statement is a whole “can-o-worms” in itself. Everyone may think that certain wealthy, famous, or “beautiful” people have completely happy and lucky lives, but everyone may not know about other factors that make those lives unhappy. I think Emerson means that a person who envies someone else is a person who doesn’t know the full details, or is ignorant of certain aspects. When he writes, “imitation is suicide,” I think Emerson means that people lose themselves (or “kill” who they really are) when they try to become a copy of anyone else.

The last part of Emerson’s quote then explains how a person must accept himself (I’ll add in: or herself), “as his portion,” or her portion. In other words, Emerson is saying that the person anyone will become or already is, is unavoidable. If I tried to be someone else, I would basically be “killing” the real me, or metaphorically committing suicide. Emerson seems to be saying metaphorical suicide is technically just as serious as the real thing.