arrives the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he "must take himself for better or worse in his portion.” In this passage, Emerson suggests that each person is given an individual gift. If he or she, is trying to be someone else, that person is not being true to themselves, because our portion is unique. In fact, Emerson thinks that we are divine. What deep concerns regarding conformity, he writes: “Society everywhere is in a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” Emerson also states that: “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.” He was concerned that the modern society was altering the nature of men. He expresses his concern by writing: “I am ashamed to think how easily
