Henry David Thoreau Analysis

Ben Franklin, an eighteenth century inventor, poet and writer was in many ways similar and different to the transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. Both men had a way of doing things, even though they were following different ways of living. Ben Franklin would write a daily plan/goal for the day in a virtue journal. The virtue journal would give Franklin virtues he would have to follow for the day, in which he had trouble. One of the virtues he had was industry. The ideas that come from it are “lose no time;be always employed in something.” This is very similar to Thoreau’s idea of “We only have a limited amount of time on earth in which to live our lives, and out of self respect we should not waste that time.” Clearly both of the ideas …show more content…
Even though both men share many similarities, they share just as many differences. One obvious difference is that Franklin had virtues and you could follow them anywhere. Thoreau was a transcendentalist, which involves being in nature, in which Franklin did not attempt to disengaged from the urban way of living. When I was both I experienced that there is a different sense between the both of them. When I was writing in a journal trying to be like Franklin it was hard to think of my schedule. I experienced many things that disrupted my schedule which made it hard to follow. On the other hand though it was easier to be a transcendentalist because I didn't have to do anything hard I just had to be outside and take in what nature has to offer. They are completely different. In the end my life mirrors more towards Ben Franklin's because my schedule is usually the same, but I would rather prefer to be a transcendentalist. It would be way more fun to go out and be one with nature trying to be a