Thoreau And Roger Williams Comparison Essay

Identity crises, most people had them at least once in their life, it probably happened in college or in that one time in life where one asks themselves, “ What am I doing?”. Similar problems had also happened to both writers Henry David Thoreau and E.B. White. Thoreau, in “Why I Went to the Woods” went and “lived in the woods” and he did this because he wanted to determine what was really important in life. White had an identity crisis due to his past memories and had the fear of losing himself into his son as described in “Once More to the Lake”. While some similarities between Thoreau’s and White’s essays are noticeable, the differences are more pronounced. As the similarities between the two essays is that each setting is associated with nature and finding oneself and the differences are the reason and mood or feel of the essay. At least once in a person’s life, most human beings experience an identity crisis as stated in both Thoreau’s and White’s writings,but there are also differences, as in both authors ' causes of their identity problems are contrasting, and both writers use nature as a solution to their problem, and the similarities, are that both authors go through an identity crisis .

Author, Henry David Thoreau and Mary Oliver are both very passionate about nature and what it has to offer in life, as well as the symbolism behind nature and its creatures in their works of literature, in “Walden”, and “The House of Light”, Both authors discuss their views of nature and the beauty of the world that they want to make familiar to their audience. In this essay, I’ll provide my reasoning behind this statement.

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are still considered two of the most influential writers of their time. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a lecturer, essayist, and poet, Henry David Thoreau is his student, who was also a great essayist and critics. Both men extensively studied and embraced nature, and both men encouraged and practiced individualism and nonconformity. In Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self Reliance" and Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden" and essay "Resistance to Civil Government ("Civil Disobedience")", both thinkers speak about being individual and what reforms and changes need to be made in society. Thoreau stayed with Emerson for a while and was affected by his ideas, especially relating to the individual and

You may be dead now, but you left a huge impact on the world and on the lives of high school and college students reading your essay Walden, for school. You spent two years at Walden Pond. Why you spent exactly that much time, why you got away from society, why you lived in a small house, will be cryptic to us. You say that this lifestyle was to avoid materialism and find yourself in nature to achieve transcendence. And, this was true in your large essay, for the most part. I began to learn from your writings (Walden, Civil disobedience), however confusing and metaphorical they are. I respect you and what you have taught society. But, you always contradict yourself. Also, I want to tell you know that in your essay of Walden you said that ‘’As you simplify live your life, the laws of the universe will be simple; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness will be weakness.’’ I agree with you but considering that in the light of these modern days it is almost impossible to keep up with simplicity even though I know that to keep up with simplicity is a good thing. like I said, it is almost impossible for our generation to live without technology, without light, and without any facilities because in today’s modern world technology is one of the most important parts of each of the individual lives. Technology is like our soul, and we (the people) can’t live

Lastly, Roger Williams is a strong supporter of religious liberty. Religious liberty is another example on how Williams believed the people should be able to practice their own religion, not have it decided by the government. He protests that “civil authority should be limited to civil matters and that magistrates had no jurisdiction over the soul” (174). Meaning that the government does not have the right to enforce religious duties on people, to let them believe on their own. Williams put it as wanting to “build a wall of separation between state and church in order to keep the holy and pure religion of Jesus Christ from contamination by the slightest taint of earthly support” (Miller 174). This was the main argument of Williams that caused him to become unwelcome in both Plymouth and Boston. John Winthrop did not oppose to dissent just that there needed to be limits set. He worried that if dissent was not kept within bounds, it would undermine the community and that integrity of the community demanded religious conformity. Winthrop believes challenges to religious authority could undermine the political

A similarity in both the essays is that both Martin Luther King jr. and Henry David Thoreau advocated civil disobedience. King mentions in “letter from Birmingham Jail”, “Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek”. King states in his letter how important it is to peacefully protest and not violently retaliate. Thoreau also stated how he did not desire to fight or be superior to his neighbors. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau revealed, “ I do not wish to quarrel with any man or nation. I do not wish to split hairs, to make fine distinctions, or set myself up as better than my neighbors”. These humble man only care to change racial injustice and inequality, so that the world can evolve to a place where everyone is equal.

Followers of the Transcendentalist movement stressed the religious, philosophical and ideological importance of life. Henry David Thoreau was a staunch supporter of the movement. Thoreau felt that a person lived a good life by following his conscience and instincts. He also felt that materialism was a sure way to distract a person from leading a good and moral life. Thoreau proposed for the government to be involved in as little of a citizen's life as possible; he felt too much government control just complicated a person's life. Like most Transcendentalists, Thoreau believed there was a direct connection to God through nature. If a person appreciated nature he would gain a higher understanding of God. Finally, Thoreau encouraged

It’s the end of the school day. I finally breathe and release myself of the stress and the frustration of a normal school day. I sit on the benches outside and wait for my ride. With technology gone and no people to talk to, I just sit still. The evergreen trees gently move in some of the final gusts of the summer breeze. And as I’m looking at life’s beauty and as thoughts swim through my brain, I become frightened. Because, I have never thought of life, as a whole, so profoundly. It transforms into satisfaction. Without distractions, I sit with my thoughts and world’s alluring nature. As I relive this moment in my mind, I can’t help but think of Henry David Thoreau. How he just sometimes sat and took in everything, and absorbed everything

Thoreau was arrested for not paying a tax, a tax that put a fee on voting. Thoreau also peacefully served his time. Both men knew the consequences for their actions, yet went along and committed the crime. Their crimes were not vengeful or harmful against a living soul. However, their crimes were statements stating that the government cannot make anyone goes against his or her beliefs.

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

Thoreau wrote that people must be willing to go to jail if they want to change a law by disobeying the law. Thoreau went to jail instead of paying for his taxes because he believed the government used the money for unjust things. This is how Henry Thoreau thinks people can change unjust laws. He thought that if people willingly would to go to jail and quit their jobs, then the revolution will take a place and reform will come. Thoreau was willing to go to jail to change unjust laws because of his conscience.

Many people claim that Thoreau’s ideas were simply taken from Emerson’s, in fact, some critics call Thoreau Emerson’s miror. And although their philosophies greatly reflected one another, they differed in many ways as well.

     Henry David Thoreau was man of simplicity, and if he were to experience life in Cary, he would not only be surprised, but disappointed in humanity itself. Thoreau believed in the necessities of life, nothing more, and the people of Cary live lives exactly the opposite. Cary residents live lives of material possessions, business, and over-complexity. These traits of society are precisely opposite of Thoreau’s

David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi were both people that wanted to persuade others to follow their causes, and they did so in different ways. They wanted their conscience to come out into the open and be known by everyone around. They both were going against their government, but trying to be peaceful about their conscience. While there are mainly differences, there are some similarities.