Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson Were Two

Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson were two of the romantic American writers of the transcendentalist movement, which in essence stresses that less is more, that nature is to be studied, to be a true intellect you must read the classics and that living a life off the beaten path is more satisfying than one on the beaten path. Though Emerson began his writings first, Thoreau and Emerson are both credited with this movement. Emerson was clearly the founder of this initial movement, but Thoreau's writings were also critically acclaimed. The publishing of Thoreau's Civil Disobedience (1849) and Walden (1854) followed the 1837 commencement speech of Emerson entitled "The American Scholar" and the 1841 essay "Self-Reliance." The similar views of these two men and their principles for living are seen throughout their respective works though it can be said that Thoreau applied Emerson's beliefs to his own.

"The American Scholar" was a commencement speech that stressed three basic, but universal elements. These elements were literature, scholastic function, and nature. He puts the most emphasis on being a scholar, and that nature is the teacher of these scholars by saying, "nature solicits with all her placid…him the past instructs; him the future invites." He continues with "Is not, indeed, every man a student, and do not all things exist for the student's behoof?" One of his main philosophies is that an intellect is a "true master." As for his opinion on learning through literature, he concedes that "Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst." The person who learns entirely from books cheats himself of nature's influence, which Emerson concludes as the most important influence in someone's life.

In his essay "Self-Reliance," he echoes his original sentiments, but takes it up to another level. "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men -- that is genius." Emerson takes this idea one step further by condemning any person who envies another, copies another or follows society's idea of what is success. He challenges that "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." Emerson's idea of conformity was that it is like poison. He concludes this rather long speech by saying that "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles."

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience also agrees with Emerson's ideas regarding conformity and the need to prioritize your life and morals in spite of the law. He goes into more political detail with it, though, with his opposition of the Mexican-American War and slavery. He uses the idea of self-reliance to say that the government rarely proves to be of any use to anyone and that people should do what they think is right over anything else. His essay correlates most with Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance." The shared principles are that only the individual is responsible for the individual and that by conforming to others is to not do yourself justice. Thoreau, as stated before, takes it further by criticizing the establishments our country was built upon.