Comparison Of Society And Solitude By Frederick Douglass And Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many people either spend majority of their time alone or in a group, but never an equal amount of both. People become overwhelmed from always questioning their position in the chaotic society. They desired to know how their puzzle piece fits into the puzzle, known as society. Some famous authors, during the transcendentalist period express their thoughts about life, such as Henry David Thoreau described in “Walden”, how people need to find their purpose in life and Ralph Waldo Emerson in “Society and Solitude” explains that life should be lived in simplicity and in the present. Frederick Douglass, unlike the other famous authors, in his speech, “What to a Slave is Fourth of July?” illustrates how people finding their identity can lead to impact
In “Society and Solitude,” Emerson expresses how to create a balance when he says, “Solitude is impracticable, and society is fatal. We must keep our head in the one and our hand in the other.” He describes how the head is the independence of being by alone and the hand is the the sympathy for others that through affection we get closer together with others. If a person spends too much time by themselves, they will never rise to their full potential, and if a person spends too much times with others, they will sink down with the sympathies for others. Furthermore, the balance permits one to find themselves within and learn from others to reach a higher level and become a better person. In addition, Emerson states “Conversation will not corrupt us, if we come to assembly in our own garb and speech, and with that energy of health to select what is ours and what is not.” The balance is created from realizing what , as humans, are necessities in life. Sometimes, when too much time is passed with others, people change their outlooks on life, on themselves and consequently this causes questioning themselves and changing. One person should not change based on what others say, they should express oneself in their own way. Therefore, a person should find their balance between individual and society to gain time to
For example, in his speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, he declares, “The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men,” to display that those signatories believed in something and though it could cost their life, they did not run away, they stood and faced the challenge head-on. Douglass displays how people should distance themselves from society, similar to Emerson’s opinion to create the balanced relationship, and should take the time to understand who they are. Overuse of collaboration and communication with others causes distance from themselves and leads us into the traps of society, however do not limit it completely. Every single individual’s opinion and action together forms society, not just the decisions of one person as Douglass says, “There is not a nation on earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than the people of the United States at this hour.” He refers to specific nation as one whole piece, but he never mentions the specific individuals of the nation, because every one person in the nation is responsible for this action. For a change to happen, the change starts within the individual person, finding their belief before reaching out to society, after the change would be emphasized on convincing society. Frederick Douglass claims that the balance