The general argument made by Emerson in "The American Scholar" is that the american scholar needs to be more of an individual. More specifically, Emerson argues that not a lot of people try to be different or individual. He writes, "The mind of this country, taught to aim at low objects, eats upon itself." In this passage, Emerson is suggesting that people do not aim to do the best, they just aim to do mediocre. In conclusion, Emerson's belief is that people have the ability to do better.
In my view, Emerson is right, because his ideas are true today. More specifically, his ideas fit today's society better than they did during Emerson's time. For example, in the past, scholars used books to gain their education. Nowadays, scholars have so much technology, it's not necessary to learn or work as hard. Although Emerson might object that scholars have and will always be lazy, I maintain that scholars in the past were hard workers. Therefore, I conclude that scholars are becoming more inactive and less hardworking.
Emerson argues in "The American Scholar" that the modern day scholar has become lazy and unmotivated to do well. Emerson believes that scholars no longer have the mindset of overachieving. Instead, scholars do just okay and get away with it. Emerson believes that the scholar should aim to do their best and stand out rather than aiming to do mediocre. A scholar in today's world can be so caught up in technology that they don't have to rely on any other sources to educate them. There are many ways to view this. One can be grateful and appreciate the face that they now have what scholars in the past lacked, but scholars nowadays have taken advantage of technology. This technology has been used to create rocks in society - rocks that are indifferent and no longer concerned with obtaining education. Scholars from the past knew to value education, as it was and still is a way of becoming successful. The Age of Enlightenment, a movement of intellectuals during the 18th century, was a time when people used their minds and had a passion to question society, instead of conforming along with everybody else. If these theories created by Emerson are true, there is no point in education, if the american scholar has no ambition to do his best.
Emerson explains that the american scholar only does well in school coincidentally or without effort. Although it does apply to the modern day scholar, it did not apply to the scholar of the past, or when Emerson actually wrote this essay.
