Compare And Contrast Emerson And Henry David Thoreau

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau had many similar and contrasting views in their writings. Both believed that citizens should not conform to the rules of society if they find them unjust. They both believed in individualism, and urged citizens to think for themselves and follow what they believed in, even if that meant going against society. Civil Disobedience and Self Reliance contrast in some ways. Thoreau wrote his work in a form of a lecture while Emerson wrote it like a sermon. Thoreau was a straightforward thinker and believed that people know what they should be doing but don’t act on it. He believed that the citizens are not courageous. Emerson took a more religious stand than Thoreau. He believed spontaneity and instinct