A Comparison Of Henry David Thoreau And Ralph Waldo...

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†¦show more content†¦He has deeper thoughts. Like Emerson, Thoreau also wanted to live a simple life, in order to find deeper meaning in life. Thoreau says, quot;I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, ... and reduce it to its lowest termsquot; (Thoreau 235). Thoreau also says, quot;We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon usquot; (Thoreau 237). This means that some things which we believe make our lives simpler actually make it more complicated. Both Emerson and Thoreau believe that in order to find deep meaning in life, you must live simply.In addition to living simply, both men believe in the value of the soul. Thoreau goes to the woods to contemplate life and to get in touch with his soul He wants to get in touch with his soul. He wants to, quot;get the whole and genuine meanness of itquot; (Thoreau 235). Emerson similarly says, quot;the one thing in the world of value is the active soulquot; (Emerson 218). He also tells of the soul’s quot;boundless resourcesquot; (Emerson 218). All people have a soul, however, not everyone’s soul is active. The resources of the soul are immense and go far beyond our highest imagination. We do not know our soul’s potential, however, we do know that it is almost immeasurable.Finally, both men believe that the imagination can uplift and change our lives.Show MoreRelatedChris Mccandless Was A Transcendental Person Or Not?2024 Words   |  9 Pagesyou must first must understand what transcendentalism is before you can decide whether or not Chris McCandless was a transcendental person or not. The key things to know about transcendentalism is its core beliefs, those who â€Å"found† transcendentalism and their differences, and how these beliefs from these founders differed from what McCandless did during his transcendental trip. So, did Chris McCandless leave everything behind to become transcendental and die as a transcendentalist or was he a foolRead MoreHenry David Thoreau: The Grat Transcendentalist Essay1932 Words   |  8 PagesHenry David Thoreau along with a select grou p of people propelled the short movement of transcendentalism during the 1830s to the 1850s and was later brought up during the Vietnam War. Many of the transcendentalist ideas came from student who attended Harvard University during this time period. Henry David Thoreau’s individualistic anarchist views on society were developed throughout his early life and later refined in his years of solitude; these views on society and government are directly expressedRead MoreMakenzie Mcfall. Mrs. South. Language Arts 11 . 2 February1788 Words   |  8 PagesMakenzie McFall Mrs. South Language Arts 11 2 February 2017 Henry David Thoreau Things do not change, we change, wrote Thoreau, in perhaps his most well known book, Walden. He was a most interesting man and lived a life full of changes and his works are still relevant today. Thoreau did not follow the traditional paths that most did during his time. The results of a life lived on its on merits and free to explore and adapt has provided us with invaluable writings that are relevant today.Read MoreHenry David Thoreau And Ralph Waldo Emerson1604 Words   |  7 Pagespar. 1) Henry David Thoreau reminds us about the importance of simplicity, authenticity, and downright disobedience. Born July 12, 1817, just west of Boston in Concord, Massachusetts, his father operated a pencil factory and his mother rented rooms out to boarders. Thoreau graduated in 1837 from Harvard College, but did not take on assumed careers in law or medicine, he went on into education. After a failed attempt at teaching he befriended American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was a