Customer center

We are a boutique essay service, not a mass production custom writing factory. Let us create a perfect paper for you today!

Example research essay topic: Through Franklin Emerson And Thoreau - 1,892 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

Daniel Higgins September 13, 2000 Transcending Life by Adapting the Concepts of Franklin, Emerson, and Thoreau Everyone one of us struggles daily to survive in a manner befitting our individual beliefs, hopes, aspirations, dreams, and goals. There is not a universal code on how exactly we should go about doing this. Benjamin Franklin, Henry Thoreau, and Waldo Emerson were some of the most unique thinkers influencing the way of thinking in America. Their concepts where simplistic in nature, with underlying themes based on Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is defined as an individual transcending their senses and gaining a better understanding of beauty, good, and truth through activities such as work, art, and being at one with nature. A course in life should enable an individual to maintain individuality while at the same time contributing to the good of the whole.

Applying many concepts on life adapted by Franklin, Thoreau, and Emerson will allow an individual to reach their potential to live the best life they possibly can. "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of" (Franklin). Benjamin Franklin had many simple concepts that he lived by, but what made him so unique was that the application of all these concepts made him a very virtuous and honest man. He was a moral perfectionist, evident by his tedious struggle to live by thirteen virtues which he deemed to be the most important in benefiting himself and society.

These virtues were temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues (Franklin). Franklin was realistic in his quest for moral perfection, apparent by the fact that he began concentrating on one virtue at a time: And like him who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt to eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and his strength (Franklin). Taking a lesson from Franklin in evaluating our own lives, we should realize that we are human and have many limitations and faults. Synonymous to Franklins quest for moral perfection, was his appreciation for hard work. "God helps them that help themselves. "Haste makes waste. " (Franklin). It is obvious that Franklins background instilled in him a determination to better himself and rise above the social class in which he was born into.

Franklin achieved the majority of his success through hard work, and this made him a firm believer in doing for self and not relying on others. "Never leave that till to-morrow which you can do to-day" (Franklin). Franklin understood that every day was an opportunity that should not be squandered, but taken advantage of in every way possible. Clearly Franklins and-procrastinator standpoint is one that can be employed in our own lives with more frequency. Like Franklin, Emerson maintained that morals are a valuable commodity to live by.

Emerson believed that right and wrong, and moral truths are made clear to us through everything around us. The moral law lies at the center of nature and radiates to the circumference. It is the pith and marrow of every substance, every relation, and every process (Emerson). Each individual is influenced in different ways by the moral influence of nature. There is no formula to measure the amount of influence that an individual receives from nature, but we should all allow ourselves to accept what nature has to teach us. We should not get so wrapped up in our everyday lives that we are blind to what messages are made clear in all things around us.

In essence, we should be a receiver, always available to decode messages interpreted through our spirituality. In order to do this; we must eliminate the noise of our everyday lives so that in turn we will receive a clear signal of what is truly important from nature. Nature, as Emerson believed, was the source of Gods laws. Nature is also the source of beauty, truth, and wisdom. "I am not solitary whilst I read or write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate him and vulgar things" (Emerson).

Emerson was ordained a Unitarian minister in 1829, but he experienced a religious crisis after the death of his wife from tuberculosis. In 1832, he became friends with Carlyle, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, and began to formulate his transcendental faith. Like Emerson, many of us do not question our existence or place in nature until something traumatic happens in our lives. It could be the death of a loved one, or a religious experience.

Emerson believes that nature should be explored constantly to search for truths, it should be a part of our everyday existence. "Between man and vegetable. I am not alone and not unacknowledged" (Emerson). Emerson believed that we are all connected universally, man vs. man, and man vs. nature.

We as humans need to respect the intricate inter-workings of nature, and how this process allows us to survive on this planet. More servants wait on man than hell take notice of (Emerson). Our daily tasks occupy us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically to the point where we take for granted everything around us. We need to separate ourselves from the daily distractions that plague our life, and become in tune with nature. Only through this process can we see more clearly the universal truths evident in our lives. The spark of divinity lies within man; that everything in the world is a microcosm of existence; that the individual soul is identical to the world soul, or Over-Soul (Emerson).

Nature does not simply give man the resources with which to make a living, but also gives man the knowledge to convert these resources into needed materials. A man is fed, not that he may be fed, but that he may work (Emerson). Emerson had the beliefs that man has adapted to his environment only because nature has made that possible. Humans are shown the path to evolve through natural processes that occur in nature. We watch the animals hunt and gather, and we in turn learn this process.

We witness fire in its natural state occurring in nature, which enables us to replicate this process to satisfy our needs and desires. In essence, nature is the means and the end to everything man needs and desires. We should never forget that we are connected to nature, not anything more or less. Obviously Emerson believes that we should appreciate beauty in its raw form as it appears naturally. All men are in some degree impressed by the face of the world; some men even to delight. This love of beauty is Taste.

Others have the same love in such excess, that, not content with admiring, they seek to embody it in new forms. The creation of beauty is Art (Emerson). Emerson believed that art was a simply nature expressed through the eyes of man. Thus is Art, a nature passed through the alembic of man (Emerson).

We can never hope to obtain in the slightest, a replication of nature nearly as magnificent as the phenomenon in its original form. We should remember that man couldnt hope to compete with the paintbrush of the creator of this world. This concept should give us an appreciation for the beauty evident around us, but also within us, for we are at one with nature as well. Thoreau's simplistic views of living life can certainly be incorporated to improve our current society. We as humans seem to be in a constant struggle to obtain material possessions, loosing site of what is truly important in our lives: family, friends, health, true happiness. It is very hard these days to slow down and take inventory of what our true priorities should be in life.

For many of us, slowing down only occurs when we are forced to, by some sort of tragedy or health problem in our lives. Thoreau never lost site of what was important in life because he was never wrapped up in the quest for material possessions. These concepts should be applied in our lives, as we should all strive to remember what is truly important. Thoreau believed that only things necessary to life should be valued. By the words, necessary of life, I mean whatever, of all that man obtains by his own exertions, has been from the first, or from long use has become, so important to human life that few, if any, whether from savageness, or poverty, or philosophy, ever attempt to do without it (Thoreau). Thoreau believes that the quest for material objects which are not necessary to life hinder mankind from reaching full potential.

Living without the distractions of the material world enabled Thoreau to hear the messages apparent in nature. In essence, the only things Thoreau consider a necessity of life are Food, shelter, clothing, and fuel (Thoreau). We should as a society take a lesson from Thoreau, and remember what is truly important rather than committing our lives to extravagant material possessions which in reality do us no good. This most likely means going against the norm in our society, non-conformity if you will.

Thoreau lived his entire life as a non-conformist. He did not live in conjunction with popular principles existent in society. Thoreau lived his life rather simply, never borrowing to obtain more, but working hard to obtain what he needed. Thoreau believed that society would benefit from adhering to these principles. Parallel to his views on modern society, is Thoreau's non-conformist view of how government should be. "That government is best which governs least" (Thoreau).

Thoreau believed that government should not interfere with the daily lives of individuals unless necessity requires. Thoreau most likely believed this way due to his extreme appreciation for individuals and the importance of searching for self. Our society today could benefit greatly by individuals taking more action to improve themselves and society, without relying so heavily on the government to do so. Realizing of course, that circumstances are different for every individual, we should all make an effort to strive hard to meet individual goals despite what obstacles we face. Government should not be viewed as a crutch, but rather a springboard, helping individuals and society reach maximum potential. Consequently, life is full of questions but very little answers.

Much of life is spent looking for answers. What we loose site of is the importance of finding the answers. We spend our lives in the constant struggle to obtain symbols of wealth, happiness, and prosperity, only to find that these things only make us poor, sad, and desolate. We should only concern ourselves with survival and the means necessary to accomplish this. We should use the rest of our efforts bettering ourselves and society. Franklin, Emerson, and Thoreau accomplished this.

Their hard work, integrity, and search for truth, beauty, and wisdom through a transcendental nature enabled them to reach full potential as human beings on this planet. Never loosing site that we are all the same at the core, and connected spiritually with the universe, we should not be afraid to go against the stagnant aspirations of a modern society to find out what is truly important in life. Bibliography:


Free research essays on topics related to: emerson believed, benjamin franklin, one with nature, emerson and thoreau, thoreau believed

Research essay sample on Through Franklin Emerson And Thoreau

Writing service prices per page

  • $18.85 - in 14 days
  • $19.95 - in 3 days
  • $23.95 - within 48 hours
  • $26.95 - within 24 hours
  • $29.95 - within 12 hours
  • $34.95 - within 6 hours
  • $39.95 - within 3 hours
  • Calculate total price

Our guarantee

  • 100% money back guarantee
  • plagiarism-free authentic works
  • completely confidential service
  • timely revisions until completely satisfied
  • 24/7 customer support
  • payments protected by PayPal

Secure payment

With EssayChief you get

  • Strict plagiarism detection regulations
  • 300+ words per page
  • Times New Roman font 12 pts, double-spaced
  • FREE abstract, outline, bibliography
  • Money back guarantee for missed deadline
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Complete anonymity of all our clients
  • Custom essays
  • Writing service

EssayChief can handle your

  • essays, term papers
  • book and movie reports
  • Power Point presentations
  • annotated bibliographies
  • theses, dissertations
  • exam preparations
  • editing and proofreading of your texts
  • academic ghostwriting of any kind

Free essay samples

Browse essays by topic:

Stay with EssayChief! We offer 10% discount to all our return customers. Once you place your order you will receive an email with the password. You can use this password for unlimited period and you can share it with your friends!

Academic ghostwriting

About us

© 2002-2024 EssayChief.com