Comparing Emerson And Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalism

Living out with nature, being confident in oneself, not conforming to what societies wants, and being able to rely on yourself and speak your thoughts is somewhat of a dream for many people. Although it may be a dream for many people, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were able to live that dream and capture it in their writings. They lived life as transcendentalist. In choosing to do so, they began to adapt different traits of who and what transcendentalist were. Transcendentalist think intuitively and reflect on everything around them. Transcendentalist portrayed different concepts such as, self-reliance, being in nature, confidence, free thought, and nonconformity. With the writings of Emerson and Thoreau, the concept of confidence was captured in a similar fashion.

Not only was he able to portray an image of confidence but he also provided an oversight of how one with confidence is. In his writing, “Self-Reliance”, Emerson reflected on the idea that many great people have turned out to be more so trusting with themselves even at a young age. In doing so, these great people were able to understand their own ideas and what they wanted in life. In the end, they were able to achieve great things in life, only because they had believed in themselves (Emerson 370). Looking at Emerson’s idea of confidence one would be able to notice that confidence is the idea that motivates people to achieve goals in life. Not only would goals be achieved but people begin to develop trust within themselves, allowing them to accept different ideas and concepts around them. Emerson’s idea captured the point that one would be able to achieve things in life and learn to grow in themselves when they have confidence for