A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson's Beliefs concerning Simplicity, the Value and Potential of Our Soul, and Our Imagination.

Henry David Thoreau tests Ralph Waldo Emerson's ideas about nature by living at Walden Pond, where he discovers that simplicity in physical aspects brings deepness to our mind, our soul to its fullest potential, and our imagination to be uplifted to change our lives. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others' ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all.

Thoreau lives at Walden Pond to find the true meaning of life. He wants to experience things for himself. Thoreau says, "I wanted...to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion" (Thoreau 235). He takes Emerson's advice who says, "Let us demand our own works and laws and worship" (Emerson 215). Emerson tells how modern generation

Finally, both men believe that the imagination can uplift and change our lives. Emerson speaks of Thoreau at his death saying, "He knew the worth of the imagination for the uplifting and consolation of human life..." (Emerson 226). These men realize that in order to have a comfortable and improved life they must put their imagination to work. Thoreau, speaking of the wind that blew through his house says, "To my imagination it retained throughout the day more or less of this auroral character, reminding me of a certain house on a mountain which I had visited the year before" (Thoreau 235). Thoreau allows his imagination to be free. With a free imagination he can see things which others cannot see. In Brute Neighbors, he sees the ants fighting, reminding him of a battle in the Revolutionary War. Using our imagination allows us to gain valuable insight from everyday life.

s live life vicariously through the stories and traditions foretold. We do not experience things for ourselves. We take what our ancestors and others before us have said and do not think twice about whether we should try things for ourselves. Emerson decides

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Approximate Word count = 762
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)