Comparing Emerson and Thoreau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Comparing Emerson and Thoreau - Essay Example consistency [which] is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines† (Emerson) and independence which is free from any unwarranted neediness that enables one to appreciate existence better as articulated by Thoreau. Emerson begun the transcendentalist thought by urging people to seek solitude to be attuned with their own self. Emerson urges to be your own genius, that is, â€Å"to believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men† and not to fall prey to the coercion of society to conform, which according to Emerson is the â€Å"hobgoblin of little minds† that conspires against the manhood of every one of its members (Emerson, ___). This can be accomplished by freeing oneself from living a â€Å"simple lifestyle† that is devoid from the trappings which the society impose. For Thoreau in his Economy book Walden, he clearly defined simplicity as by reducing his desire. Thus, in his Walden Pond experiment, he embarked on his social experiment that would give him a clearer insight about life and appreciate the experience of existence better through a grounded living. To paraphrase Thoreau in his intent to live in the woods of Concored; "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms". In essence, Thoreau argued that by living simply, he was able to â€Å"suck out all the marrow of life† because he is able to appreciate it more in the