Nicole Raikin Commented [1]: I'm so sorry if I sounded really

arrogant, it was just for the sake of hopefully writing a

2522 AP Lang Road good paper :)
Wake Forest, NC 27587

April 23, 2018

Ralph Walter Emerson

9612 Psalm Field Lane
Concord, MA 01742

To Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

I am humbled by the very idea of writing to you. You have changed my life for the better,
sir, in more ways than you can even imagine; thus, I want to properly begin this letter by
thanking you. You have opened my eyes to the world around me, a place that I have been
struggling to understand for the longest time. I had grown frustrated by the ignorance of my
peers and the corrupt atmosphere in which this country lives. It led to my endless thoughts, my
endless self-doubt, my endless sense that there was something wrong with me. However, the
minute I read your works, it finally all made sense: “To be great is to be misunderstood.”
This is the most beautiful statement that I have ever heard. It is simple, yet it holds so
much truth. I believe what you meant is that intelligent individuals of their times (who spend
their hours thinking, reading, and learning) are not accepted by those in their society. These
thinkers are enlightened, they know what they are talking about, but the people around them are
not intelligent enough to comprehend it. All of the pure beauty within these crafted thoughts are
just completely missed and unappreciated. As poor souls point fingers and laugh about the ideas
they cannot understand, it is really the thinker who will have the last laugh. I triumphantly
grinned as you made a list of great men who experience this treatment. As a result of Galileo’s
improvements on the telescope, he was ridiculed by the traditionalism of the Roman Catholic
Church; however, he made spectacular discoveries and has gone down in history as a brilliant
polymath. Luther reformed the Catholic Church in order to realign it with the proper teachings of
God. Although he was tried and imprisoned, his legacy continues to live on in hundreds of newly
formed Christian sects. Finally, Jesus, the very human form of God himself, was tortured and
killed by the people He came to save. He proved them all wrong by conquering death and rising
again from the dead. Yes, all of these men were misunderstood by the world they were trying to
improve, but over time, they became remembered for their greatness.
As you must already tell, I could not agree with you more. My very life is a
representation of this phrase. Just the other day, I was in a debate tournament for my speech and
debate class. On my first match, I was up against an individual who lived on the essence of his
personality and image. He was practically a celebrity, but that did not stop me from wanting to
defeat him. We both fought a great intellectual fight; however, there was no doubt in my mind
that I had won. I counterclaimed like a champion, and I found creative solutions to any problems
within my position. After the debate, we waited patiently for the class to decide its verdict, and,
to my surprise, I lost. I was the highest scoring loser. Let me repeat that: the highest scoring
loser. According to my teacher, I had won by at least two points, but my peers all voted in
support of my opponent. Thus, thanks to the majority, he had claimed victory. These peers do not
understand how to grade a debate. They do not even know how to hold a proper conversation, let
alone understand the time and effort I put towards my work each and every day. I have to give,
and give, and give to show them that I can be great while they just ignore me, enjoy a wonderful
time at this weekend’s ball, and unfairly call each other great. What kind of world do we live in,
sir? Well, based on both of our experiences, one that hates intelligence and admires artificial
vanity. After reading your works, I did a little research and discovered the Dunning-Kruger
Effect. I am sure that you must already know this term, as well as how much it proves your
quote. Just in case you do not know, it is a psychological term in which those of lesser ability
think that they are much smarter than they truly are, and thus, they fail to comprehend ideas
easily understood by those of greater ability. Greatness is misunderstood because those who are
less simply do not have the ability to understand it. It is as if great people and people of lesser
ability are living on two different worlds within the same one. The greats are the minority in
which the only people who truly comprehend them are each other, while those of lesser ability
dominate the entire globe flaunting the tyranny of their majority. Because there is so many of of
those who are less, they decide that anyone who challenges them is simply not accepted.
All in all, Mr. Emerson, I want to thank you once again for enlightening me on the issue
of being misunderstood. Forgive me for my tangent, but at the same time, I am very grateful for
someone who is finally able to explain what I am going through. I appreciate all of your work,
especially in the religion of transcendentalism. The religion itself is not exactly my cup of tea,
but I understand most of your reasoning behind it. You have had these complex thoughts that no
one in your generation had wanted to address: positivity, nature, and humans in relation to the
environment. It is quite a humbling philosophy that you have created. I admire the way that you
are able to support it with such confidence, even knowing that you are misunderstood by the
general public. What you want is nothing more than fulfilment between your relationship with
God and the rest of the world. Even though your ideas of learning from nature seem odd, that is
what makes them beautiful, and your struggle to spread your knowledge is something in which I
can easily relate. Continue in your teachings, and one day you will show them all just how great
you truly are.

Best Regards,
Nicole Raikin