Views of Slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau's Works

Views of Slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau's Works

Two men, similar in their transcendentalist beliefs and yet so different in their methods of expressing their beliefs on handling the issues of society, were major voices in the anti-slavery movement. While their focuses are more on the subjects of morality and individual choice, they still reflect on how slavery should be addressed by the American people, American referring to the free whites who actually make the decisions. Ralph Waldo Emerson is highly regarded for his views on Transcendentalism during what some of deemed the “American Renaissance.” Emerson establishes his place in history by expressing his liberal agenda through his beliefs that truth is based on intuition and law should be based on individual reflection. He believes that the only way one could truly learn about life is by ignoring knowledge from outside sources and relying on one’s internal voice; he incorporates this belief into the convincing rhetoric of “Last of the Anti-Slavery Lectures.” While Emerson asserts his views on self reliance, he is really trying to sway the views of his audience. This makes us ask the question: Is he really right, or is he only convincing us that he is right? Henry David Thoreau, however, serves as both a complement and a foil for Emerson; while he also expresses his transcendental beliefs, he converges on a split between these beliefs and reason. He articulates his ideas in “Slavery in Massachusetts,” a piece that illustrates how Thoreau separates himself from his own state because of his “contempt for her courts” (1991). While some would argue that Thoreau is somewhat of a better writer than Emerson, it cannot be denied that one cannot reach...

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...ety. He strengthens his views with his inclusion of images of nature and his comparative analysis of the beauty of nature with the good of society. Both men support transcendental views that complement each other’s beliefs. While their paths to the solution differ, the resolution that slavery is an unscrupulous product of an immoral society unites their views.

Works Cited

Cadava, Eduardo. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism 98 (2001): 38-54.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Last of the Anti-Slavery Lectures." Ed. Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology American Literature 6th ed., Vol A. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 1207-1216

Eulau, Heinz. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism 21 (1989): 329-332.

Hyman, Stanley Edgar. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism 7 (1984): 384-388.

Thoreau, Henry David. “Slavery in Massachusetts.” Baym 1982-1992.