Engineer Emerson and Thoreau Blog

In “Nature,” Ralph Waldo Emerson, shares a fresh perspective on nature and portrays nature as being perfect through the eyes of the beholder. Emerson uses different themes and symbols found in nature such as; commodity, beauty, language, discipline, idealism, spirit and prospects to imply that nature is perfect, but gets distorted by our flawed interpretation. In the introduction, when Emerson narrates, “Universe is composed of Nature and the Soul,” he is implying that nature and soul are one and when philosophy tries to place nature in a separate box by portraying all things external as “Not Me,” the very essence of nature is lost. Emerson describes man’s connectedness with nature through an eclectic lens as to how, “In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child,” to suggest that that just as how a snake sheds its snake and becomes new, similarly man needs to view nature just like a child with a fresh pair of eyes each time. Emerson portrays commodity provided through nature as an integral part of our well being as he says, “All the parts incessantly work into each other’s hands for the profit of man.” He believes that, “nature is medicinal and restores their tone,” as a benefit of being one with beauty found in nature.  Emerson sees intelligence as being connected to God as he narrates, “The intellect searches out the absolute order of things as they stand in the mind of God, and without the colors of affection.” Language is another means by which nature interacts with man as Emerson quotes, “Language is a third use which nature subserves to man,” to show that words that we use to describe things are connected to natural facts. Words express an emotion or thought that is present in our spiritual nature through symbols. Emerson is convinced that nature is perfectibility and we can replicate perfectness in our daily lives through discipline through property and debt, when he says, “good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they are executed.” Emerson uses idealism to show how nature is very neutral, accepting, and forgiving as, “Idealism sees the world in God.” Emerson describes spirit as “the organ through which the universal spirit speaks to the individual, and strives to lead back the individual to it.” The prospects of man being perfect in nature through his spirit is reflected in Emerson’s belief that, “Every spirit builds itself a house; and beyond its house a world; and beyond its world, a heaven. Know then, that the world exists for you. For you is the phenomenon perfect.”

In “Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau wants to steer the American people away from just following the government to being more individualistic. Thoreau is of the idealistic view of government and people being perfect based on governance through their own consciousness. In his opening line Thoreau states, “That government is best which governs least,” to imply that the government is too involved in control and he believes, “That government is best which governs not at all.” He believes that the government which consists of a handful of people is too involved in dictating what is right and wrong; examples being the Mexican war and slavery.  Thoreau is strongly against the injustice done to other humans under the guise of loyalty and patriotism and he writes, “Thus, under the name of Order and Civil Government, we are all made at last to pay homage to and support our own meanness.” Thoreau is concerned that through submitting to governments will, we are sacrificing our own principles and not willing to fight or stand up to injustice found in the world. He says that, “if the injustice is part of the necessary friction of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth—certainly the machine will wear out. This is a powerful message to the American people, that by not supporting injustice, the government machinery will wear out in time. He believes that ideal justice that is present in each person and states that, “if one HONEST man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually…...” he is asking people to rise up and abolish slavery. Thoreau defies the government by not paying taxes and claims, “I have paid no poll tax for six years.” He narrates that, “they force me to become like themselves,” and serve the threat, “Your money or your life.” Thoreau concludes by saying, “There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the Sate comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.” Thoreau believes that the power should be in the hands of the people and this would be the ideal state.