Emerson vs.Thoreau

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” and Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Resistance to Civil Government (“Civil Disobedience”), both transcendentalist thinkers speak about being individual and what reforms and changes need to be made in our society. However, the two essays differ in their idea of what reforms must be made. Emerson takes a much more general approach to what changes a person should make where as Thoreau’s essay gets into much …showed first 75 words of 585 total…

…showed last 75 words of 585 total…until it treats the individual with respect as a neighbor. Although both essays stress the importance of being individual, Thoreau’s speaks in greater detail on what a person should do with his or her power where as Emerson speaks more about self-fulfillment. “Self reliance” is more personal that “Civil Disobedience”, which is more about social change. Both Thoreau and Emerson’s essays, however, do stress the one important idea of breaking free of conformity.