Is it actually a positive trait to be misunderstood? In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, “Self-Reliance,” he urges intellectual and moral independence for everyone. Emerson claims that to be great is to be misunderstood. He implies that the general population usually does not understand or accept the greatness of a successful person. Refusing to conform with society is seen as a great aspect in the eyes of Emerson. Emerson’s claim is true because there are many people who are considered great today who have been misunderstood in the past.
Emerson lists some notable names when mentioning people who have been misunderstood. He states, “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and
Emerson lists some notable names when mentioning people who have been misunderstood. He states, “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and