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A Comparison Of Henry David Thoreau And Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson's Beliefs
Essay written by Kelly Cooper
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 infinite space - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a
transparent eyeball (Emerson 215). Here, he is saying that being in such a simple
environment he is able to see things more clearly. He has deeper thoughts. Like Emerson,
Thoreau also wanted to live a simple life, in order to find deeper meaning in life.
Thoreau says, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so
sturdily and...