Chris McCandless and Thoreau had a lot in common. Both men had the same intelligent and wise thought and actions. Transcendentalism means to assert the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that empirical. Its scientific reality and is knowable through intuition: (quote- Webster’s Dictionary Online). We all can see that Chris and Thoreau share the same beliefs of individualism, self-wisdom, and self- confidence.
Thoreau believes that government should be lenient with their people and work with them for their common good, Gale actions as an individual shows that he agrees. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau explains his belief that the government should be tolerant. He explains, “[He] heartily accepts the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’
Thoreau and Steinbeck’s Ideals for Government Since the beginning of early societies, people have evaluated the written rights in which the government provides its people, and the unwritten rules that keep many from living freely. Henry David Thoreau, in his essay, “Civil Disobedience”, discusses the importance of protecting one’s rights and using those rights to protest the government for its discrepancies. John Steinbeck, in his novel, Grapes of Wrath, presents a similar argument in Chapter 17, through the story of a community of families with a set system of governing.
Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson had two different views on how America should be ran and two different views on society. Thoreau didn’t like people acting against the government, but he also believed that the government shouldn’t be in other people’s business. Emerson believed that the government should have power, but not control people’s lives. They both believed that the government shouldn’t be able to interfere in people’s lives. “Government is best which governs not at all.”
Although, Thoreau does not like the way government rule however his not an anti-government. He believes the government is necessary for ruling the country, but the corrupt government is not beneficial at all because it is only benefiting people who are involved in the politics. He believes government power should come from the people and citizens should receive all the advantage than political leaders. Therefore, Thoreau thinks the current government is flawed; thus, we must create new form political system. When he mentions this statement his intentions become more clear “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government.
The early 1840s till the early 1950, a person 's desire to follows laws varied. Some people didn 't question any law and just followed them to avoid any trouble. But a few people objected. Two very influential writers, Ralph Emerson and Henry Thoreau, put together their opinions to form essays. Emerson’s work as published around 1841; Thoreau’s work was published around 1849.
You can’t walk in the woods and see a leaf that doesn’t quite know if it wants to fall to the ground or stay on the tree. Thoreau noticed this, and thought that if people could be decisive in the same way that nature was, then they could “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put as to put to rout all that was not life… cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner…” (Walden 771) This is something that Thoreau highly valued. He wanted to live as his own person, which was, in his mind, best accomplished by living in nature and not being involved with the government.
In Socrates’ trial in Plato’s Apology, the court offers several different choices of punishment for his accused crimes. If Socrates were to accept any of these compromised consequences, it would mean that he would have to accept accusations that were brought on him, which is why he chose death. My analysis of Socrates’ argument from the Apology reveals that even if it means he will have to die, he will stand by his behavior and his beliefs because he believes that he is being obedient to God, which is essential to an overall understanding of the Apology because there are reoccurring themes of piety and not betraying one’s own philosophy throughout the text. The author of the Apology, Plato, is known to be the ‘Father of all Western philosophy’.
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.
Authors Harding and Meyer, internationally recognized experts on Thoreau and Transcendentalism say that, Transcendentalism deals mainly with the matters of: idealism, the relationship between imagination/intuition and reality, a “living religion,” morals, self-improvement leading to social gain, a certain type of human divinity in which salvation is not required, freedom, art, a reliance on God rather than society, and general optimism able to see potential
Transcendentalists are the people who believe that there is so much more to the mind than any man knows, and that mankind needs to see what’s been hidden within them in order to become more self aware. In Henry David Thoreau’s manuscript “ Walden,” he wrote, we must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep.” ( Thoreau Walden pg. 748). In this it is evident that Thoreau believed mankind should be driven to find what their minds have subconsciously hidden from them in order to achieve a healthier enlightened mind. Thoreau also believed that not everyone was capable of reaching this state of awareness when he wrote, ‘ the millions are awake enough for physical labor; but only one in a million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion.”
Transcendentalist writers were focused on the belief of the divinity of the individual soul, the inner voice, (Crawford, Kern & Needleman, 1961) to overcome social stereotypes and to avoid conformity. It is highlighted the importance to return to nature to enhance the quality of humans beings by living simply since being apart of common social rules is the only way to be in communion with nature’s wisdom. Those transcendental characteristics could be seen in Emerson’s ¨self-reliance¨ or Thoreau’s ¨Walden ¨ bearing in mind that although, Emerson’s ¨Self-reliance¨ adheres more descriptive examples to illustrate metaphors and Thoreau’s ¨Where I lived and what I lived for¨ introduces metaphors creating much more imagery, both make a critique of the modern individual using
Transcendentalist believes that knowledge come through instinct or insight,not through facts or logics. They thought that people could be their own jurisdiction, they could make their own decision about right and wrong based on their sixth sense. These people felt everyone should be able to rule themselves. Transcendentalist leads many stands including, women’s rights, the reform, education, and abolition. They tried to spawn a generation of new creative minds, imagination and action.
He was not against all government; all Thoreau wanted and hoped for was his personal freedom without government and bureaucracy overstepping its boundaries. Some readers might view him as a sort of libertarian. He stood for protected individual rights for both individuals and government interference. But he also understood that without any government the country would be in complete and utter chaos, and he did not support that idea. Thoreau wanted the minimal government interference that was needed to keep a society efficient and calm.
This citation shows that Thoreau did not want to follow the laws. Thoreau also believed in living life by following moral law and not law stated in the constitution. Thoreau also believed that the government does best if it does not rule over the people. In the essay Civil Disobedience it says “That government is best which governs least”. This shows what Thoreau felt the government should not do.
