Henry David Thoreau

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Thoreau, who graduated in 1837 from Harvard College, was influenced by Transcendentalists, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Bronson Alcott, who were drawn to a more personal and perceptive relationship with God. The author points out that, from an early age, Thoreau was drawn to the natural world around him; at the age of five, he was taken to Walden Pond on Emerson's property, and it is there his love of nature was born. The paper relates that Thoreau's association with science can be evaluated from ecological, humanist, and symbologist viewpoints; the author believes that Thoreau as a poet reflects a combination of these viewpoints.

From the Paper:

"Why was Thoreau so obsessed with measuring, calculating, and cataloging everything he observed? While reading through is journals, I suspected I had found an answer. While under Emerson's tutelage, Thoreau's beliefs were a virtual photocopy of Emerson's. In fact, I couldn't seem to find any discrepancies in their beliefs. Both assumed a Creationist view, which held that the maker of the universe was still maintaining his creation. Both believed that internal divinity allows the individuals to directly know their creator. Their belief was supported by nature itself: since nature was created by God and nature can be experienced by the individual, he/she directly experiences God."

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