The Enemy of Genius is Genuius

Isn't it true that we seem to fail every time we try to perfectly mirror our idol? I can not count the number of times I have attempted to write a poem as amazing as one of Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, and William Chaucer and have failed miserably. Emerson made a point to tell his readers that by mirroring the genius writer a person is only holding themself back. To be a true scholar one must make an attempt to discover new ideas, experience life, and put them in words that are unique and have not already been used. Before reading the "American Scholar", I would have given anything to write in the style of Emerson and do so successfully. After finishing this truth-filled piece, I realized I need to put my own ideas on paper.