Views On Emerson s And Thoreau - 2508 Words

Views on Emerson ´s and Thoreau ´s Works Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are definitely two of the most influential writers in the 19th century. Thoreau was born in Concord, and Emerson in Boston. They both attended Harvard; Thoreau decided to pursue the career of teaching because of his brothers, while Emerson decided to become a Unitarian minister just like his father. These two writers lived during the transcendentalism period and both of them used this philosophy as way of living their lives to its fullest. Despite the fact that these two prominent figures of the transcendentalism share some of the same thoughts such as nature, simplicity and individualism, because of the time Emerson spent as Thoreau ´s mentor. In Thoreau ´s book Walden (1854), we can see that he criticizes the government for being responsible for promoting social conformity among the citizens, while in Emerson ´s book Self-Reliance (1841) we can see that he is trying to teach a lesson for the readers about how the self does not need to follow the patterns of the society to be happy. Clearly, Thoreau was for a long time a follower of Emerson ´s ideas and he learned a lot from his mentor. But, the truth is that Thoreau used this time of learning as a â€Å"step† to support his own ideas, which later on influenced even his mentor Emerson. As Robert D, Richardson says, â€Å"it is sometimes impossible to say who took what from whom† (283). The story of this friendship begins, when Emerson ´s sister-in-lawShow MoreRelatedThe True Transcendentalist: Thoreau and Emerson775 Words   |  3 Pagestranscendentalism began to start two people played a major role Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, but who is truly a transcendentalist. Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 25, 1803. His father was a minister as well as seven of his male family members. He graduated from Harvard University at the age of eighteen. Then he taught school with his brother William for three years. Which Emerson was unhappy teaching so he decided to go and change his life.Which wasRead MoreRalph Waldo Emerson And Thoreau975 Words   |  4 Pagesreason. A following of the heart rather than the mind. Also the setting apart from society. There are two who comes to mind; Thoreau and Emerson. 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