Nonconformity In Henry David Thoreau And Ralph Waldo Emerson

American Transcendentalism was an important philosophical and literary movement which placed an emphasis on staying true to one’s beliefs and expressing oneself no matter the situation or consequence. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau fully embraced these beliefs as their influence has allowed these

Transcendentalism is to understand who oneself is by having confidence, free thought, and self-reliance. It is to isolate themselves from society and find themselves through nature, to find what they want and who they are. They must have self-reliance and leave the people they know, and isolate themselves from society, so they will not be told who they are or who they should be. Going into nature without the luxuries and only the essentials, confidence is imperative. They have to be confident in themselves to know they can survive on their own. Free thought is also crucial because they need to be able to live a simple life and explore new ways to live, while enjoying every second of it and making everything they do meaningful to them. Thoreau

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away” (Thoreau 385). Thinking for ourselves is very important. Transcendentalism values individuality, and not doing what others tell you. In the movie Dead Poets Society, the new English teacher, named Mr. Keating, teaches a group of boysthe boys the true value of their identity, and believing what they want to believe. Dead Poets Society represents Thoreau’s ideas of nonconformity or going against society, discussed in Walden, through Mr. Keating and Neil Perry.

Like before, a critical idea of transcendentalism is about the importance of being yourself. Basically, people should never act like other people because it’ll only hurt them in the process. Hence the quote or life lesson from Emerson, who lives by Transcendentalist beliefs, “Imitation is suicide.” By acting like someone else, you are only killing yourself because you will be making bad choices and decisions. Because of doing that, they’ll act like a different person and take actions that they normally wouldn’t do. Henry David Thoreau, who is another person who lives by Transcendentalism, believes that people should always be themself. He believes that people should never obey to laws that are unjust. If a law is created to make someone not act like themselves anymore, it is their duty to stand up for it

Transcendentalism is an idea shared by many famous 19th century authors. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Jon Krakauer, and Michael Donovan all believe in the idea of transcendentalism and it is shown in many of their literary works. Many of the authors show a nonconformist character in their story or poem. Some of them portray themselves as the nonconformist. Nonconformists believe that you should find and be yourself. They also believe that you should never change yourself to fit in with the world or society.

Nonconformity, the belief of following one's own path and not listening to the majority in order to follow one's beliefs, is developed throughout transcendental work in order to develop the belief in personal values and personal morals. Nonconformity is a difficult and tedious path to follow throughout life as this path will result in persecution from the majority. Throughout his time at Walden pond Henry David Thoreau notes that the world has created "deep ruts of tradition and conformity" and that if one broke free of conformity by dreaming large that they should be large and all those dreams need are "foundations" (Thoreau, Walden 203-204). Thoreau recognizes that most citizens of the world follow their forefathers footsteps and that these peoples never took the risk of breaking away of from society and trying something new. Thoreau is disheartened by this lack of

In life one might often focus on ideas and concepts that do not matter. A false perception is created, and the individual forgets what truly matters to him. To say that “Our life is frittered away by detail” is an understatement (218). Henry David Thoreau’s literature from Walden clearly illustrates how one’s life can not only be frittered away by detail but rather almost destroyed.

Seeking solitude and being an individual are not a means of shutting yourself off from the world, but a means of maneuvering and relating to it. Some seemingly passed methods of self-discovery and transcendence are becoming ever more pertinent to seeing the world for what it is and living a fulfilling life within it. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau’s perspectives, philosophies, and composed writings on the topic of solitude’ society, and self reliance serve as guidelines to achieving individualistic ideals and freedom from the constraints of society tends to have on the mind, spirit, and, soul.

Transcendentalism is entirely unique, due to the literature's tendency to explore spirituality and individuality in a broad and progressive manner. Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson are considered the “fathers” of this movement in literature. After reading the two most famous pieces of work from these writers, Self-Reliance and Civil Disobedience it becomes clear that they both originate from the same purpose. Transcendentalism teaches that humans are fundamentally good, and that it is the nature of this society to corrupt and sin rather than an individual's. Both writers display this concept, but in opposite ways. Emerson and Thoreau share the theme of individuality in their pieces, and the passion they put into their essays Self-Reliance and Civil Disobedience. However while Emerson focuses on inward reflection Thoreau focuses on outward disobedience towards society.

In Walden, he says “Our life is frittered away by detail.” this says that we shouldn’t be worrying our lives with being perfect and he also says “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!”. He stresses being simple because he sees that we ruin ours lives trying to the best when we should just be average and simple. Walden is one of his examples of transcendentalism.

One of the most famous texts ever written for the sheer purpose of Transcendentalism was Emerson’s Self Reliance. In his essay, he writes about the importance of nonconformity and individualism. In Self Reliance, Emerson tells us to “trust thyself.” From only two words, one can gather the whole purpose of his essay. With nonconformity, man can defend himself against the tendency to become satisfied with life, and lose his own individuality. With “good- humored inflexibility” the self-reliant person can become someone who obeys himself. When it comes to a battle of law or a battle of morals, the self-reliant man will follow his morals and discard the law. One is not to use their logic, but use intuition. Emerson simply was striving for not the superiority of one man, but for originality and individuality of all humankind. He wanted to

Transcendentalists believed that society and social institutions, such as organized religion and political parties, were corrupting the purity of individuals. The guiding principle of transcendentalism is that people are best when they are self-reliant and independent. Emerson's literary

The idea of Transcendentalism has greatly intrigued many scholars, poets, authors, and just ordinary people, for many years, as it provides an interesting outlook on the importance and beauty of nature. Two avid writers who focused heavily on Transcendentalism were Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. These two poets wrote many excellent works in their time, and they often helped each other, as they were good friends and mentors. They both had very similar, realistic takes on Transcendentalism, and how much better nature is for our society than materialism or new technology. Many of Thoreau and Emerson’s work was written in the mid-19th century, as they were both born in the early 1800s and began their work early in their lives.

Never having a reason for reading nineteenth century writing in depth previously, I find myself stricken by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poetic nature. I specifically find myself drawn to Nature. Since his writing is not as common amongst other nineteenth century writers or philosophers, other than Henry David Thoreau. Both of these philosophers were born in the early nineteenth century in Massachusetts. Emerson was born in Boston and Thoreau in Concord. Both attended college at Harvard. They respectively dedicated both of their careers to pursue Transcendentalism philosophy. They have parallel beliefs about nature and the simplicity of material goods and spirituality. Thoreau was an easier read for sure, however, my love of Emerson’s poetic and brash writing came swiftly. You either love him or

The last significant transcendental idea that Emerson and Thoreau implied was to march to a different drummer. While throughout history, people are thought to be conformists, Emerson and Thoreau were beginning to experience a whole other side of life, where they lived at nonconformists. “Thoreau encourages us to