Henry-David Thoreau's The American Scholar

When Ralph Waldo Emerson gave his famous “American Scholar” address in front of the Phi Beta Kappa Society in Cambridge, it just so happened that the young Henry-David Thoreau was sitting in the graduating class, being sprinkled with all of Emerson’s wisdom and influence. It was in this very oration that Emerson spoke about the three most important characteristics of the true American Scholar, the final of which was action. When Emerson referred to action, he spoke of it thus, “action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is essential.” Although Thoreau was clearly heavily influenced by the words of Emerson, it is also apparent that Thoreau took Emerson’s words and revamped them, adding a great deal more emphasis on the action; instead of

Even while he was staying at Walden Pond in his little cabin in the woods, he was arrested for standing up for a social cause for which he had fought. He spent a lot of time in the woods in order to get his thoughts straight and to write his books and collect his thoughts, but it is obvious from many of these same writings that Thoreau believed that action is at least as important as nature and

In terms of Emerson’s definition of an American Scholar, Thoreau’s life is a stellar example. He was educated at Harvard College and continued his education on his own, as many intellectuals often do. Proof of this is evident in Thoreau’s relationship with Emerson himself; Thoreau relied on Emerson as a mentor and a source of inspiration and knowledge. It could be that because Thoreau was in the audience while Emerson gave his speech about the American Scholar, or the fact that Thoreau was heavily influenced by Emerson and his writings that Thoreau believes so strongly in what he