Comparing Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau Essay Example for Free

Comparing Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau Essay In many works of literature, authors express their viewpoints on society and times in which they live. In the essay â€Å"Self Reliance† by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau, the authors speak out against conformity and materialism in society. Both were romanticism authors during the 1800s. They focused on simplicity and individuality. Both writings can advise teenagers today on the importance of non-conformity and the value of rejecting materialism. In â€Å"Self Reliance†, Emerson discusses being one’s own person and not allowing society to mold someone like a piece of clay; â€Å"Trust thyself† are the exact words he used. Trusting oneself means it is okay to be different if one wants or chooses to be different. It means that one does not have to follow the â€Å"bad† crowd just because everyone else may be choosing to do so. One must know that if they have a good idea and if they believe in that ideaeven if it is different from the norm of societysome people will follow. Emerson also says, â€Å"Whoso would be a man, must be a non-conformist. † This means that to be a true and real person, one must stand up for what they believe in and not allow themselves to be completely changed by society. One must not conform to ways that will cause them to be someone or something outside of their own desires. In the beginning of his writing, Emerson gives us a definition of what he believes defines genius: â€Å"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius. ’ This is his way of saying that every person should know that doing what one thinks is right is the best decision—for him/herself. Every educated person does not conform to society if they do not think that society is going in the right path. Emerson also says that people who have good ideas are misunderstood. In his statement, â€Å"To be great is to be misunderstood†, Emerson is saying that most people who had great ideas in history were misjudged because their ideas were not along with the norms of society’s ideas. Therefore, the societal conformists thought that their ideas were wrong. Emerson gives reasons as to why most people conform to society and try to be the same. He says, â€Å"The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency†meaning that people might follow society because that is what they are used to doing. They are only doing what they saw happening when they were younger. Their parents and other adults probably did the same thing that most people do todayconform. Emerson disputes this reason in his statement by saying, â€Å"But why should you keep your head over your shoulder? Suppose you should contradict yourself; what then? It seems to be a rule of wisdom never to rely on your memory alone†. Relying on the past could be problematic when someone questions things since most were probably brought up a certain way and are used to doing things the same way, but never really knew a good reason why to conform. In â€Å"Walden†, Thoreau explains how having less material things can simply your life. He says, â€Å"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things† In saying this, he means to own your items and do not let them own you. Thoreau thinks that people have the desire to own things, thus, causing them to have to use all of their time working to own said things. Working all the time means that one can not do the things that one wants to, and that the items that one desires ends up owning them. Through this statement, Thoreau is basically saying that having all these things such as cell phones, iPods, laptops, and televisions are distracting people from the more important things in life such as family, health, and well-being. One of Thoreau’s famous quotes is, â€Å"Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! † This means to make ones’ life as simple as possible. He thinks that the poor are the fortunate ones since they have the least to look after and worry about while the rich have so much to look after that they do not have time for themselves. Living a simple life enables one to be free of commitment and obligations. One only has to worry about one’s self. Both Emerson and Thoreau believe that following one’s own path in life is the best way to go. They believe that being oneself and having a simple life is the best life. Both lessons can be relevant in today’s society by looking at the rural areas that still exist in the United States. Some of these areas still follow the principle of a simple and non-materialistic life. Their lives are not filled with technology and other things that distract most people from life. Young people (myself included), can take away much from Emerson’s and Thoreau’s writings. I could focus on more important things in life rather than wasting lots of time on unnecessary technology such as Facebook and Twitter. We could use technology under moderation and make sure that those things do not take up more time than necessary in our lives.

William Blake :: essays research papers

William Blake is said to be a very visual artist and in his visions, is where he got all of his ideas. In this essay I’m going to explore some of Blake’s works and the visions that caused him to write about some of the things that he wrote about. William Blake, born November 28, 1757, grew up as the son of a haberdasher, Blake, with close to zero education in a London suburb due to having a bad temper. He taught himself everything that he knew. From the ages of 0 to 14, he taught himself how to read and he had read many of Milton’s pieces, the Bible, and some of Shakespeare’s work. He also taught himself Latin (Norton 65). During his free time since he didn’t attend school, he spent this time in a print shop. He spent his pocket money for engravings of different Italian Masters. All of this freedom that he had helped him to gather impressions and sensations from the world that helped him with his drawings until he died. Later in his life he decided on apprenticing as an engraver instead of becoming an artist, even though he was a friend of many of the great artists. He worked as an apprentice for a well-known engraver. His engraving skills that he learned helped him with his craftsmanship, and a higher br anch of art (Raine 9-10). Blake married an illiterate woman at the age of twenty-four, named Catherine. He decided on courting her in Battersea, and the church where they were married is the only church still standing to this very day (Raine 7). Blake encountered many hardships in his life including being arrested for making slanderous statements about different things. All of the events that Blake endured in his life had a great influence on his masterful writings and drawings. It was once said that Blake and his wife were so poor, that his wife would lay an empty plate in front of him at dinner because they didn’t have anything at all to eat, and this made Blake start drawing pictures of what he wished was on his plate. One task that he was assigned was to draw many of the monuments of kings and queens in Westminster Abbey. When Blake was young he had many different visions that also caused him to start drawing these visions on the flaps of his dad’s books.

Equality of the Sexes: Elizabethan Era and Now

Equality of the Sexes: The Elizabethan Era and Now Equal rights have always been a major issue and dispute. Analysing the role of women in the Elizabethan Era, through Shakespeare’s representation in Romeo and Juliet, and comparing them to the role of women in the 21st century, will help to demonstrate that equality of the sexes has been achieved, and come a long way in the past 400 years. Three ways in which equality of the sexes has been achieved is the role of a married, and unmarried woman, and roles of women in society.Married women’s roles have changed significantly since the late 1500s. A dowry has been abolished when women get married. Their sole purpose of being has changed and is no longer to just provide and raise children and complete household tasks. They can now get a job and have rights in marriage and families much the same as men. In marriage, women had to have a child every two years, as childbearing was considered an honour even though it was potentia lly life threatening.Also in the late 1500s, women had to instantly obey their husbands and any other males in the family, and their punishment for not obeying was being beaten into submission. An example of this in Romeo and Juliet is when Juliet refuses to marry Paris, and Capulet calls her a â€Å"disobedient wretch† for not following (Act III, Sc. V, 160). In the 21st century, men can no longer legally chastise their wives and are not always considered the head of the marriage as they were in Shakespeare’s time.In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare has represented the roles of married women in the Elizabethan Era. In Act 1, Scene 1, Montague and Lady Montague arrive in the square where the fight is breaking out, Lady Montague tries to stop him, but has no control after attempting to hold him back, as she has no authority over him, he also demands that she give his sword to him in a very abrupt manner, â€Å"Give me my long sword, ho! † (Act I, Sc. I). Therefore, women’s roles in marriage have equalised over the past 400 years.The roles of unmarried women have also changed over the past four centuries. Unmarried women are now allowed to work, whereas the only alternative for unmarried women in Elizabethan times was domestic service, such as being a maid. Arranged marriages for unmarried women were very common in the Elizabethan period, as fathers wanted their daughters to marry somebody of a higher class to improve the family’s social status. Fathers liked to arrange a marriage as soon as sensibly possible, because unmarried women were looked upon with suspicion.In Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet arranges a deal with Paris about the marriage of Juliet when she was only 13. Capulet describes Juliet’s age, â€Å"†¦She hath not seen the change of fourteen years†¦ † (Act I, Sc. II, 9). Paris replies with, â€Å"Younger than she are happy mothers made,† (Act I, Sc. II, 12) which is representing the fact that women in the Elizabethan Era could be married and have children as young as 12. In a modern Western women’s world however, women no longer have arranged marriages and are allowed to choose their significant other.They are not looked upon with suspicion if they are unmarried, as it is very common in the 21st century, and women often don’t marry until around the age of 25 or older. In summary, an unmarried woman’s roles and rights have changed considerably since the Elizabethan period, and Shakespeare has conveyed an unmarried woman’s tradition through Romeo and Juliet. The roles of women in society have changed a sizeable amount since the late 1500s. In the Elizabethan period women had minor roles in society.They were raised to believe that they were inferior to men and that men were the leaders and women were the weaker sex. Shakespeare has represented women being the ‘weaker sex’ through a conversation between Gregory and Sampson, when Sampson states, â€Å"†¦ and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Act I, Sc. I, 20). Women were not allowed to go to school, but the wealthy were allowed to have private tutors, so they were highly educated, but the poorer families couldn’t get any education easily.They were not allowed to get jobs, and domestic service was their only choice. An example of this is the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet. In the 21st century however, women have a very significant role in society, with many even being political leaders and in important professions, such as lawyers, doctors, teachers and scientists. They also have political and rights in society the same as men. Therefore, a woman’s role in society has changed and equalised over the past 400 years.Since the Elizabethan Era, an unmarried woman's role, women's roles in society and their roles in marriage have changed significantly. Equality of the sexes has been achieved and com e a long way over the past 400 years. It is clear that this is true, through analysing an Elizabethan woman’s role and their portrayal in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and comparing them to a 21st century woman’s rights and roles in marriage, society and being single or unmarried. Women’s rights have gradually equalised over the years, and someday, possibly, women will take over the world.

Religion Of The Ancient Civilizations - 1801 Words

From the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations to the Muslim world, antiquity has always been filled with religions of all sorts. These religions helped guide how ancient peoples lived life and came about doing even the most common tasks that people like us do today. Religion impacted the civilizations of the ancient world by greatly influencing how peoples of ancient civilizations acted, how they thought about the world around them, how civilizations were organized and maintained, and how they interacted with civilizations of another religion. First, religions in civilizations of the ancient world impacted the way of life for followers of the religions. Followers of different religions worshiped their religions differently, but it is true that all followers of religion have some sort of way to practice their religion. It is known that many ancient peoples spent a significant amount of time in their lives to practice their religion. For example, the religion of Islam stresses the importance of praying five times a day. Thus, Muslims, compared to adherents to other religions, would have had spent more time each day on praying. Another facet of Islam is jihad. In wars, this principle of striving in the way of Allah motivated Muslim soldiers to fight gloriously and fearlessly, knowing that their actions are honorable and righteous. Undoubtedly, this common belief within Muslim armies boosted war morale and helped Islam under Muhammad spread like wildfire throughout the ArabianShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Religion On The Growth Of The Ancient Civilizations908 Words   |  4 PagesThe Role of Religion What role did religion play in the growth of the Ancient civilizations? Religion can invade, conquer, and rule masses of people far more effectively and efficiently than any empire or conqueror. This is not to spark a heated discussion about religions. 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