First, discuss the idea of conformity vs. nonconformity in the works of Emerson and Thoreau. Give consideration to these things in your answer:
- how the transcendentalists view man
- Emerson’s concept of “man thinking” and a “foolish consistency”
- what it means in their eyes to really be a “man” (think of Self-Reliance and the “different drummer” quote)
- how society affects the individual
- obstacles that keep a person from truly being himself
- the general lesson about conformity that can be drawn from the path Thoreau wore between his house and the pond
- how Thoreau defines true success
- Thoreau’s story of the beautiful bug
