Trust Thyself

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart, is true for all men,- that is genius.” (pg 80) I believe that this sums up what Emerson is saying in this piece. He believes that the individual should think for themselves and not conform to what society says they should think or do. “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” He thinks that each person is made unique and has a divine purpose. He says that people should never be afraid to voice their own opinions, even if they believe that their opinions may be unpopular with the majority.

Dead Poets Society is a movie that reminds me of Emerson’s idea of non-conformity. John Keating, the boys’ teacher urges them to think for themselves. He also urges them to seize the day. (Carpe Diem) Keating also told his students, “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!”(Keating, Dead Poets Society) I believe that Emerson would agree with Keating.

Not only does Keating have the same views as Emerson with becoming their own person he also believes that every person is unique. “Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go, that's baaaaad." Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Keating, Dead Poets Society)

In the film clip, Keating encourages his students to think outside the box and strive to look at situations in different ways. Some of his teaching styles would be considered to be strange or nonconventional, but I think it is through this style that he makes the most impact on his students.

As a future teacher, I want to try to make an impact on my students like Keating did in the film. I also agree with Emerson that every person is unique and that trusting yourself should be more important than thinking about what the majority think. I want my future students to realize that they can have a voice and that what they have to say and think is important even if their views may be unpopular. I hope to convey some of Emerson's views to my students.




"Dead Poets Society (1989) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=deadpoetssociety.htm.