“Dance to the beat of your own drummer:'; A piece of advice that I have been told my whole life, and have tried my hardest to follow. The words were taken from Thoreau’s quote, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.';
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau changed our lives. How? Well, the answer is not so simple as the statement. To understand fully how they affected our lives, we have to understand the philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau, and the relationship between the two. So let’s begin with the relationship between Emerson and Thoreau.
Emerson was born in 1803, into a family of ministers. He went to Harvard where he studied theology and philosophy, among other subjects. It was at Harvard where Emerson discovered transendentalism, and his career shifted paths. He started to give lectures on his philosophy of life and the human spirit. It was at one of these lectures that a young, influential man by the name Thoreau first was introduced to Emerson.
Thoreau, born in 1817, was the son of a pencil maker. His mother ran a boarding house where she hosted many of the intellectuals of their time. Thoreau attended Harvard as well, and that was where he was introduced to Emerson. He became fascinated with Emerson’s philosophy while sitting in o...
know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my
Much of Henry David Thoreau’s work was affected by his early life and education. Henry David Thoreau was born into a normal middle class family in Concord Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. Thoreau’s family were shopkeepers and later operated a small but profitable business making pencils and selling graphite that later turned out to be very prosperous (Sattelmeyer 1). The fact that Henry’s family had money made it possible for him to get a good education. Instead of following the family business which could have been a prosperous decision, Henry went to better his education in high hopes of making something of himself. This decision marks the starting point of Thoreau’s educational adventure.
Ralph Waldo Emerson grew up in Boston, Massachusetts his childhood was good. Emerson’s father William Emerson was a clergyman, which the majority of Emerson’s lineage had been. Emerson went Boston Latin School and later went to Harvard University and the Harvard school of divinity. In 1826, he was approved as minister and ordained to the Unitarian church in 1829. Emerson had three main points about scholars being educated. The three key points were that nature, books, and action educate the scholar. The first point was that nature’s variety conceals fundamental laws that are the same time laws if the human mind: “the ancient principle, “Know Thyself” and the modern principal, “Study Nature”.
An influential literary movement in the nineteenth century, transcendentalism placed an emphasis on the wonder of nature and its deep connection to the divine. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience”, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In “Self-Reliance”, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government.
As his life was expanding meeting new people he grew into a friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was also a poet and essayist. It made it easier for Thoreau to write. Their friendship started when Emerson settled in Concord during Thoreau's sophomore year at Harvard. In the year of 1837 they were great friends. If it wasn't for Emerson's self-reliance then he would still be Thoreau's friend.
John Winthrop and Ralph Waldo Emerson were two prominent figures in the literature and the political scene of the American history. Winthrop (1588-1649) was a governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He left England, along with a group of entrepreneurs in search of economic opportunities in the new world. Winthrop grew to become a strong puritan believer and possibly the pioneer of the Puritan faith. He believed that the English church was corrupted by its selfish leaders. Winthrop envisioned an idealized community in which all citizens would offer their lives to the service of God. On the other hand, Emerson (1803 –1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, thinker, philosopher, and poet. He was the leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century. He was regarded as a champion of individualism and a leader of the march against the pressure of society. His work and beliefs were documented in his published essays and lectures. Emerson gradually changed his views regarding religion and society. In the process, he developed his own way of thinking which revolved around the principles of transcendentalism and individualism. Winthrop and Emerson ideas of a utopia might have flourished from religious roots. However, their principals of Puritanism and transcendentalism were completely incongruent.
The New York Police Department has a mission to "preserve peace, reduce fear, maintain order," and protect its civilians in their communities (NYPD, 2016). On the contrary, civilians do not see the police officers as individuals who are there to protect them because they do not trust the police officers or the justice system. In the past few decades, police officers have not been held accountable for their actions in a few incidents where a few unarmed young black males were killed by the police. Communities responded to this issue with the Black Lives Matter movement with protests nationwide to show support for the unarmed young black men who were killed by police. In response to the aggressive policing, methods of using body cameras and detailed incident reporting ...
Emerson was a prominent writer and philosopher of the time famous for his transcendentalist view on life and God. Transcendentalism divided the universe into "Nature and Soul" and classified people as either "Materialists or Idealists" (Schneider, 1987). Transcendentalists disagreed with John Locke's "blank slate" theory of human development believing rather that we are, "born with certain innate ideas that provide a direct connection between the child and God." Therefore, a transcendentalist should "hold oneself above merely material concerns and to focus one's energies on attaining moral and spiritual excellence." (Schneider, 1987). Thoreau held these ideals very close to his heart. Even as a boy he had...
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a philosopher and transcendentalist of the 19th century, composing controversial, philosophical and religious essays in order to inform people. Emerson was a strong influence on other personalities of his time, including American figures such as; “Henry Thoreau” and “Walt Whitman”. “Emerson’s father (William Emerson) influenced the good taste of Emerson’s essays due to he was a man of the church.” William died because of a stomach cancer just two weeks before Ralph Waldo fulfilled eight years old. This death leads the family to an edge of poverty and a life of limited luxuries. That’s the point when Emerson’s career began. “His mother managed so that all of her children could get accepted into Harvard University with scholarships.” There was Ralph's stop when he was only fourteen years old. In Harvard College he was an apprentice under the president of the constitution. The task was to accuse his colleagues in criminal activity letting the ‘faculty’ know. Meanwhile, Emerson began keeping a list of books he had read and started a journal in a series of notebooks that would be called ‘World Wide’. Emerson performed odd jobs to cover his school expenses, including as a waiter for the Junior Commons and occasionally working as a teacher with his uncle Samuel in Waltham, Massachusetts. He began his famous Journal, an anthology and patchwork of passages that surprised and astonished his readers with their comments, ended up reaching 182 volumes. In his senior year at Harvard, Emerson decided to take his middle name as Waldo. He attended class Poetry; as usual, and presented an original poem on Harvard's Class Day, a month before his official graduation. On August 29, 1821, when he was 18 not noted as a student he...
The Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) that has spread over recent years is destroying police-black citizen relations. They are constantly spreading hateful propaganda and creating danger for the number-one protector of black lives, police officers. BLM is damaging race relations in addition to putting police in danger. The organization is reversing years of wounds that throw us back into race-relations from decades ago. Another way the relationship of black men and police officers is being harmed is by the lack of respect that is being given to officers. Subsequently, police have backed down on their proactive methods and therefore weakened our justice system, and the effects of a weak justice system could be deadly. Americans have to change
All police officers should be required to wear a body camera and a microphone that should be turned on at all times. These body cameras and microphones would eliminate lies told by police officers, and would create a true picture of the crimes. Court systems should not just provide any public defender to those who cannot afford a lawyer. Social status should not interrupt the due process of law. Public defenders should be trained to be adequate lawyers and provide adequate service to their clients. As Muhiyidin D 'Baha stated, we need a citizens’ review board that has subpoena power, so as a community we can monitor officers and review their actions to prevent events such as the death of Walter Scott from happening. The biggest thing that should occur is trust should be restored with our community and officer. Somehow we have to make sure that officers respect our communities and our people, and in return we must trust them to protect. We have to erase the idea of officers fearing black men because of the color of their skin, and we have to not fear officers due to other officer killings. There has to be some balance and understanding between officers and communities, where they trust us and in return, we trust them. Finally, we should honor and protect the fourteenth amendment, which states equal protection. Obviously, we do not have
Throughout his life he stated some amazing and inspirational quotes including, “Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses” and “When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the
The word Marijuana also known as cannabis, pot, weed, herb and green stuff has been universally criticized since the beginning of the century. According to (Fitzgerald, K. T., Bronstein, A. C., & Newquist, K. L. 2013) “the term "marijuana” typically refers to tobacco-like preparations of the leaves and flowers” (Fitzgerald et al., (2013). (McGuinness, Teena M, PhD,P.M.H.-N.P., B.C. (2009) stated that “Cannabis cigarettes are also called joints, nails, and reefers; pipes for smoking are also known as bongs and bowls” (McGuinness et al., 2009) The truth is that the legalization of Marijuana has positive effects on both society and the wellbeing of individuals and should be legalized. The government can monitor and tax Marijuana thus helping the economy. Secondly Marijuana can be used as medical therapy; thirdly there would be less youth and adults in jails and prisons. Conversely the use of Marijuana can be proven highly addictive among individuals in our society; Marijuana is more harmful that cigarettes and Marijuana is known as the (Gate Way) drug to harsher drugs. The benefits of legalization Marijuana outweigh the cons.
Police brutality and racism are an ongoing problem in our country. It goes back hundreds of years with no sign of it stopping. Police officers have been abusing their power since they have been around. Abuse against African American males by white police officers is getting out of hand. Most officers face no punishment at, and all there is a special code that they follow. Officers follow The “Blue Code of Silence”, which is a code that means they look out for one another. Even with video recording devices, the news, and social media, these events still go on. African Americans take most of the abuse and it looks like there is no end to this. This is a reflection on our society, and it makes us look ignorant to what is going on around us.
Henry David Thoreau’s early life began in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. He was baptized as David Henry Thoreau later reversing his middle and first names. He was raised with his older siblings John and Helen and his younger sister Sophia. His father managed a local pencil factory, and his mother rented out rooms in the family’s house to boarders. His mother encouraged his love of nature. As a young boy, every morning he would go out for a walk in the woods to seek inspiration and admire the natural beauty. When Thoreau started school, he attended Concord public schools and later, his mother insisted that all the children go to a prestigious private Concord Academy. A bright student Thoreau entered Harvard College in 1833. Unfortunately, for financial reasons Thoreau had to drop out and began teaching a small school in Canton, Massachusetts. In 1838, he left to start his own school with the help of his brother John and it prospered for a while. However it eventually collapsed a few years later when his brother grew ill. Thoreau went back to help his father in the pencil making business. After college, Thoreau met Ralph Waldo Emerson and shortly after they beca...