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Comparing and contrasting emerson and thoreau essay
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A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Beliefs concerning Simplicity, the Value and Potential of Our Soul, and Our Imagination.Henry David Thoreau tests Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideas about nature by living at Walden Pond, where he discovers that simplicity in physical aspects brings deepness to our mind, our soul to its fullest potential, and our imagination to be uplifted to change our lives. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others’ ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all.Thoreau lives at Walden Pond to find the true meaning of life. He wants to experience things for himself.
Thoreau says, "I wanted...to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion" (Thoreau 235). He takes Emerson’s advice who says, "Let us demand our own works and laws and worship" (Emerson 215). Emerson tells how modern generations live life vicariously through the stories and traditions foretold. We do not experience things for ourselves. We take what our ancestors and others before us have said and do not think twice about whether we should try things for ourselves.
Emerson decides not to conform to modern ways, but to be an individual.Furthermore, in Nature, Emerson says, "Standing on the bare ground - my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infin...
Henry Thoreau uses specific rhetorical strategies in Walden to emanate his attitude towards life. With the use of many strategies Thoreau shows that life should be centered around Nature. People live their lives not ever taking a second glance of what Nature does and has done for humanity and Thoreau is trying to prove his point. Humanity owes Nature everything for without it humans would be nothing.
To conclude, Thoreau believed that people should be ruled by conscience and that people should fight against injustice through non-violence according to “Civil Disobedience.” Besides, he believed that we should simplify our lives and take some time to learn our essence in the nature. Moreover, he deemed that tradition and money were unimportant as he demonstrated in his book, Walden. I suggested that people should learn from Thoreau to live deliberately and spend more time to go to the nature instead of watching television, playing computer games, and among other things, such that we could discover who we were and be endeavored to build foundations on our dreams.
In Thoreau’s excerpt of “Walden”, he writes about moving to the forest to live in a cabin. He gets away from the busy world around him and secludes himself to nature. While living out in the forest, Thoreau would take the time to enjoy the beauty of nature and come back to the cabin and write about it. In Emerson’s excerpt of “Nature”, he writes about the relationship of humans and nature.
There are some, however, who have speculated as to what the giant stone structure could have been constructed for. Theories such as observatory, burial grounds, temple, and others are much debated among those who care to look into these matters. Among those who do not care to question its existence, Stonehenge is just a large pile of huge stones that happen to make a circle. No matter which side a person might take, there is no definite way to prove what Stonehenge was used for. There is no way to know because there are no written records of the construction of Stonehenge, there are not even depictive carvings on the stones themselves that suggest a purpose to the massive
Emerson's view in ‘The American Scholar’ encourages his idea of an intellectual power of a common man in an open approach, liberated from the literary and materialistic ties of Europe, supporting Emerson's ideas through his beliefs in mystical philosophy and its importance in the individual. He also emphasizes the role that nature plays in man's development. According to Emerson nature teaches the individual that there is a plan too much of systematic detection. For the American people of his time, technology has replaced the dictionary of life, and books provide not to "inspire"; instead, they are the manuals ordering people of letting the falsely believe in how they should live their lives. Yet, the American Scholar that is placed in Emerson’s heart strikes in many a young modern heart the angry independence. The scholar explains the mystified nature; one must be absorbed with nature before he can appreciate it. Nature teaches man to attach things together; trees sprout from roots and leaves grow on trees, hence proving that one comes from another being and supports each other’s sentiments. Man learns how to categorize and organize the things in nature- which simplifies his views, thoughts and judgments. The scholar must also take action fulfilling each and every moment of the day. The scholar should explore opportunities and be open to creativeness, work different jobs and learn new professions. Then he will learn new languages and modes in which to ...
Henry David Thoreau’s Walden encompasses a variety of themes and elements which cultivate an astounding work of American literature. “Spring” is focused on the changing of the season from winter to spring, and Thoreau’s analysis of Walden Pond and the area surrounding the pond. Thoreau looks at the pond from a spiritual aspect, describing the relationships between life and nature with an abysmal passion. Without Thoreau’s incorporation of precise literary elements, and integration of the themes of solitude, newness of life, and transcendentalism to clearly outline the spiritual revelations he obtained from his retirement at Walden Pond, the readers of his work would not be able to completely grasp the concepts Thoreau presents.
Throughout our history, we have repeatedly tried to exploit the environment (i.e. nature) in order to perfect our lives. We not only manipulated the materialistic and economic aspect of our world, but we have also struggled to use the moral and the spiritual in making progress within ourselves. Instead of relying on ourselves to accomplish this purpose, we have unfortunately sought help from society's traditional institutions. These institutions, in turn, have tired to manipulate us for their own good, resulting in more harm than help. During the nineteenth century, authors such as Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne recognized this and have tried to stop it through their writings. To this end, they have adopted Ralph Waldo Emerson's view that people choose to deny the power of reason, or their own mind. He believed that until people choose to see the "light" of reason, they will remain morally dead. With the achievement of reason, external institutions will remain useless and they will understand that the spirit they so vehemently desired is indeed within them and will without a doubt eliminate their moral darkness. Therefore, Emerson affirmed that the only eternal law is that of experience and that "the one thing in the world of value is the active soul-the soul, free, sovereign, active." This essay will discuss how these authors (Melville, Hawthorne, and Dickinson) composed writings that mimicked Emerson's view of life to accentuate individualism against subjugation.
However, that meaning is not always known. It is believed that Stonehenge was most likely made to bring people of a community together as well as to mark a place where individuals could gather to perform rituals, although many theories about why it was built and the purpose it serves exist. For example, recent studies show that the monument may mark the graveyard of a ruling dynasty. There is evidence of over 200 cremated human remains that have been buried at the site within a period of 500 years. Some evidence suggests the site may have been a piece in a larger series of structures used for funerary rituals. The only thing that is knows for sure “is that Stonehenge held meaning for the Neolithic community that built it”
In this passage from the famous text Walden, the author Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist and transcendentalist, gives an account of his experience while living in isolation at Walden pond for two years of his life. While in isolation, he sought to enjoy life away from the hustle and bustle of society and live more simplistically without concern of the small things in life.
The name Stonehenge is believed to have been derived from words that mean either “circle of stones,” “hanging stones,” or “stone hinges.” (Wendy Mass 8) it was originally called stanhenge; stan, which means stone in OLD English, and henge, which means “to hang.” There are several theories as to t...
Spring is a season of life and fertility in which many plants and animals are abundant. In his work “Walden”, Henry David Thoreau displays a strong admiration for nature by describing his personal experience with springtime at Walden Pond. In his description, Thoreau observes his surroundings and shares his attitude toward nature and how its important to us. To help better describe his experience, he uses imagery, tone, and point-of-view to give readers an idea of his attitude toward nature. By examining these three literary elements in Thoreau's writing, it is clear that Thoreau does indeed hold a strong admiration for nature.
Thoreau settles in a small, simple cabin on the banks of Walden Pond. The cabin?s ...
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
The Stonehenge at Salisbury Plains has been shrouded in mystery even before the time of Christ, but the truth of the matter is that nobody truly knows how this monument came to be. The origins of this monument range from logical theories to totally far fetched science fiction and middle age theories. This site has been around for over 4 millennia, but before the stones were even erected or on British land, it was used as a burial site. Then comes the weird theories, like Merlin from the King Arthur tales using his powers to move all of the stones into their formation or extraterrestrials coming down from outer space and giving knowledge to the ancient people in the area. Aside from these theories that lack any form of logical reasoning, the most widely accepted theory is that the monument was created as a religious shrine for the Druids of the area.
One person dies every six seconds due to a tobacco related disease, which results in a shocking amount of ten deaths per minute. Tobacco is one of the most heavily used addictive products in the United States. Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals; approximately 250 are dangerously harmful to humans. Smoking is a major public health problem. All smokers face an increased risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular problems and many other disorders. Smoking should be banned due to its many health risks, its second hand related smoke illness, and its excessive cost.