Views of Slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreaus Work

Views of Slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreaus Works twain men, similar in their transcendentalist beliefs and yet so different in their methods of expressing their beliefs on handling the issues of confederacy, were major voices in the anti-slavery movement. bit their focuses are more on the subjects of morality and single(a) choice, they still reflect on how slavery should be addressed by the American people, American referring to the free whites who actually settle 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 ground on intuition and law should be based on individual reflection. He believes that the only way one could truly learn intimately life is by ignoring knowledge from outside sources and relying on ones internal voice he incorporates this belie f into the convincing rhetoric of stomach of the Anti-Slavery Lectures. While Emerson asserts his views on self reliance, he is really trying to stimulate 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 have 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... ...ety. He strengthens his views with his inclusion of images of constitution and his comparative analysis of the beauty of nature with the good of society. Both men support transcendental views that complement each others beliefs. While their paths to the solution differ, the resolution that slavery is an unscrupulous product of an immoral society unites their views.Works CitedCadava, Eduardo. Nineteenth-Century literary works critique 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. 1207-1216Eulau, 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.