Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Baudelaire

Throughout centuries the world has been faced with many obstacles and setbacks such as the tragedy of war, disputes over religion, racial segregation, or even financial reasoning. However one that never seems to transition is the staggering idea that society is able to change the thoughts and actions of a thousands, or millions of people throughout the world every day. People are constantly exposed to new conceptions, logics, interpretations, and technologies. Nonetheless society thrives off of these notions in hopes of improving and making life more superior for themselves. Yet is society suggesting one live a certain way based off of these ideas? Along with the new modern perception, humanity is faced with the temptation to convert to these ideas in order to fit in with society. In their poems and short stories, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Baudelaire emphasize society’s vulnerability to living in a world where they are powerless.

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self Reliance”, he accentuates that humanity fails to notice that they are living under society’s expectations, meaning that many live their lives acting, dressing, and living a certain way based off what society tells them is appropriate. Emerson argues that it is first important to recognize if one is truly making their own decisions or merely basing them off of others. To get a better understanding he asserts, “in history our imagination plays us false” (74). Emerson addresses that from the beginning of time humanity is unquestionably told to live and be a certain way by a higher power weather it is religion or even parents, society follows the ways of this higher power without question or doubt. Furthermore he states, “The world has been instructed by its kings, who ...

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...lied to how it was in the 1900’s as in today’s society as they too were exposed to higher powers to look up to and be like. These ideas tie together Baudelaire’s beliefs on the powerlessness of humanity caused by temptation, ultimately becoming untrue to oneself. Additionally Richard Brookhiser states, “Emerson believes in the unity of existence-that everything is one thing: everything is in you, and you are in everything”. Furthermore the more one is consuming the more they fall into the trap of being consumed. What’s interesting is that both writers wrote entirely different styles and stories however they seemed to find the same flaw that was in society during the time. At times society reaches a point of powerlessness, weather is being tempted with every day situations or focusing ones attention on the beliefs and ideas that come along with living in the world.