Thoreau's Analysis

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”- Ralph Waldo Emerson. Like what Emerson said, as the world increasingly shifts toward mechanization and logic and away from religion and spirituality, there is an inevitable pressure for individuals to conform to what is accepted as “normal”. This pressure to be homogeneous continues the cycle of mechanization, making the world a difficult place to live in for those who lead a spiritual life. In “Teddy” by J.D. Salinger, a spiritual Teddy asserts that “it’s very hard to meditate and lead a spiritual life in America. People think you’re a freak if you try to”. Teddy’s claim is correct as a similar idea is discussed in Thoreau’s “Civil …show more content…
However, the ideas outlined in Thoreau’s aesthetics are not feasible considering the time period his works were written. Hence, the genuine purpose of his writings were not to decree people to overthrow the government, but to highlight that it is indeed difficult to lead a spiritual life in America but people should still find a way to live spiritually. In fact, he underlines how most American citizens are seemingly vehement about issues of America but are in reality accomplishing nearly nothing to resolve those issues. For instance, in regards to slavery, Thoreau maintains that “there are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them...and say they know not what to do, and do nothing”. From this, he makes the readers question how Americans can embrace spirituality when they are even so unconcerned about issues as glaring as slavery. Anticipating such reaction from the audience, Thoreau intentionally employs assertive yet impractical suggestions in “Civil Disobedience” to incite Americans to actively participate in and explore issues that matter with conscience and reject the “tradition” if