Comparing Emerson And Thoreau's Philosophy

"We may not arrive at our port within a calculable period, but we would preserve the true course". Emerson graduated from Harvard and was the father of Transcendentalism. He believed that relationships with people interfered with nature. He thought humans could never truly understand nature and the grandness of it. Emerson is explaining through this quote that we might not end life how we thought, but if we stay true to ourselves, our life will stay true and have meaning. Emerson's main teaching was nonconformity and staying true to yourself. Thoreau's main teaching was not letting money control your life. I agree with Emerson about staying true to yourself and doing what you want to do. If you live a life someone else wants you to live, …show more content…
I observed the cafeteria at Archbishop Mitty High School. As the classes dismissed and lunch began, a swarm of student pushed, shoved, and crammed into the limited space of the cafeteria and everyone went to their classes "assigned" seats and began engulfing their lunches. As I continued watching, the immaturity soon revealed itself. The upperclassmen "role models" catapult food at the sophomores, antagonizing the sophomores to retaliate. After the small dispute several sophomores and juniors were pulled aside and interrogated as to what their motives were. The total disregard for cleanliness and neatness was also noted. Mostly every student left his or her lunch and garbage on the table for someone else to clean. Food was left all over the tables and sticky, staining food was covering the floor. The consistent styles and identical backpacks of the majority of students astounded me. The few students who daringly expressed themselves were quickly harassed and excluded. The bland and uninteresting majority of students were ironically making fun of the individuals who strayed away from the norm. I quickly attained a headache from the constant screams and shouts of students. The noise level for myself was almost unbearable. People slamming their hands on tables and clapping contributed to the unpleasant noises. The warm musty air with the smell of garbage makes the cafeteria unappealing and gross. My final observation was of outside during lunch. Almost instantly my head felt relieved and everyone outside seemed to be in a better mood. The open space and smell of fresh air relaxes oneself after the hectic cafeteria and makes people more