According to Emerson, how should gifts be given? Received?
The first rule that comes with giving gifts is that, outside of necessity, they must come from the heart. The best gift that can be given is one that is entirely personal and represents something between the giver and the receiver. It is a connection between the two people that cane be symbolized in whatever it is that is given. For this reason, a lot of the time, a gift is not something that is materialistic or can be physically given. A gift is given with the best intentions and with emotion. It is not something that is merely given for the sake of giving something.
Receiving a gift can be even trickier than giving one. The key is to receive a gift as graciously as possible, but without flattering your benefactor. That is really the only way to receive a gift.
What social commentary does Emerson offer here?
Emerson states that a lot of gifts and the way society perceives how we should react to them are wrong. He brings out the importance in more than just the materialistic value of gifts and declares that they should have an emotional value to them too. He continues on by saying that despite all the "gratitude" people show towards one another when receiving gifts, the gift givers are still in some danger of being "bitten by the mouth that they fed." It is simply human nature. It appears as if Emerson is trying to state that we are a "what have you done for me lately" society.
What is he critiquing?
Emerson is critiquing the way in which society treats gifts and how we respond when things are given to us or we give something to others. We expect nothing at first, but when we receive something something, we expect everything. He critiques throughout the entire piece as to why we are such an extreme society. "Our tokens of compliment and love are for the most part barbarous." "We ask the whole. Nothing less will content us." "We do not quite forvie a giver. The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten." Emerson goes on and on about how people do not do enough when gifts are involved. It is clearly apparent that he doesn't think gifts are given or received well, and this is his manual on doing it correctly.
The first rule that comes with giving gifts is that, outside of necessity, they must come from the heart. The best gift that can be given is one that is entirely personal and represents something between the giver and the receiver. It is a connection between the two people that cane be symbolized in whatever it is that is given. For this reason, a lot of the time, a gift is not something that is materialistic or can be physically given. A gift is given with the best intentions and with emotion. It is not something that is merely given for the sake of giving something.
Receiving a gift can be even trickier than giving one. The key is to receive a gift as graciously as possible, but without flattering your benefactor. That is really the only way to receive a gift.
What social commentary does Emerson offer here?
Emerson states that a lot of gifts and the way society perceives how we should react to them are wrong. He brings out the importance in more than just the materialistic value of gifts and declares that they should have an emotional value to them too. He continues on by saying that despite all the "gratitude" people show towards one another when receiving gifts, the gift givers are still in some danger of being "bitten by the mouth that they fed." It is simply human nature. It appears as if Emerson is trying to state that we are a "what have you done for me lately" society.
What is he critiquing?
Emerson is critiquing the way in which society treats gifts and how we respond when things are given to us or we give something to others. We expect nothing at first, but when we receive something something, we expect everything. He critiques throughout the entire piece as to why we are such an extreme society. "Our tokens of compliment and love are for the most part barbarous." "We ask the whole. Nothing less will content us." "We do not quite forvie a giver. The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten." Emerson goes on and on about how people do not do enough when gifts are involved. It is clearly apparent that he doesn't think gifts are given or received well, and this is his manual on doing it correctly.
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