The Transcendentalist Movement: Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great poet, lecturer, and essayist who led the transcendentalist movement. In one book Emerson created called “Self-Reliance”, he states that “envy is ignorance” and that “imitation is suicide”. The quote “envy is ignorance” means that you are ignorant if you are jealous of someone else. This is because once you are jealous of someone you are ignorant because you fail to see what you already have and how privileged you already are. For example a rich man could envy a richer man because he owns a greater amount of money. But the rich man fails to realize that he atleast has a roof over his head and that people would kill for what he has, this is what makes the rich man ignorant. Emerson also states that “Imitation is suicide”. The quote “Imitation is suicide” means that once you imitate someone else you give up who you are, and your personality is what makes you, you. So you are basically killing yourself if you imitate someone else. For example you could choose to act like someone else, but once you …show more content…
To conform is to comply or go along with the laws. We conform to laws laid upon us everyday. For example we would not enter closed shops, drive through a red light, or steal a car because they are all against the law. I also conform to some family dynamics, social dynamics, and to rules in school. Some family dynamics I conform to is that I must eat the food on the table, I must sleep before eleven, I must take out the garbage on tuesdays and thursdays, and that I must get good grades. Some social dynamics that I conform to is that I must flirt in a kind manner instead of grabbing her and forcing her to be my girlfriend. I must also wear underwear and clothing when I go outside. Lastly, some things that I must conform to in school is that I must hand in my homework on time. I must also not speak unless told to, lollygag, or use my phone in class unless told
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