Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman. Three smart, classy, and influential men. Three men who built a spider web between themselves of interconnected ideas, beliefs, and even metaphors. Yet three men who enacted the ideas they wrote on paper in very different ways.
Of the three Emerson is the most hypocritical. Through his dense philosophical gospel he rarely if ever bothers to include information that could come of use or seem practical to the common man. He revels in hiding true instruction under piles of metaphors and spiritual thoughts.
Of the three Thoreau is the most humorous. His apparent ease and comfort with how he approaches life. His clear neglect of duties most would consider necessary. His laziness. These are that attributes that, when combined with his prodigious writing ability, serve to grow him into a character that easily brings a smile to my face.
Of the Three Whitman is the most approachable. His humanity, wit and sociability serve to present a man who I would like to sit down for coffee with. The image of him as a "dirty man from down south" make him even more endearing in my mind. His poetry, while insightful and beautiful, is also bold in a way that almost feels reckless and rebel. I see him as a man who balanced a healthy enjoyment of society and bravery towards it.
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Great post, Max--and I think there may be a kernel here for the essay which we'll begin work on next week (it's already posted if you want to take a look at it, though we'll be going over it together in class tomorrow). I like the way in which you've 'differentiated' these three writers, and it might be fun to 'bring them forward' into contemporary life and demonstrate the ways in which their styles (and attitudes?) differ by having them respond respectively to some of the hallmarks of contemporary culture.
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