Henry David Thoreau And Ali Comparison Essay

Henry David Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer during the 1800s. While Muhammad Ali was an Islamic boxer born in 19 42 and is still living today. One would think that these two would have beliefs and proceedings that completely contradict each other. However, even though Henry David Thoreau and Muhammad Ali have similar beliefs, their approaches towards civil disobedience couldn’t be more different.
Thoreau seemed to be a man who cared only for himself and did whatever he wanted whenever and wherever. This was obvious in his strong “individualism” shown though how little he cared for meeting “external expectations” (Wilson 151). Thoreau’s good friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once said that he thinks “the severity of his ideal interfered to deprive him of healthy sufficiency of human society” (qtd. in Wilson 152). This showed how Thoreau cared more for his own beliefs and values than anything else. He also showed how little he cared what society thought when he moved into a small cabin for two years, two months, and two
One would be they both strongly believe in standing up for what you believe in and not bending to the will of others. This is shown through Ali’s defense in his Islamic belief and Thoreau’s strong individualism. Another similarity between the two would be their beliefs in civil disobedience. This would be a similarity because neither Ali nor Thoreau believed in, or wanted to use violence in their protest. This is because of Ali’s Islamic belief [people of Islamic faith do not believe in violence] and simply because Thoreau couldn’t be more nonchalant about what people thought of him. The difference between the two comes in the way their protests were carried out. Thoreau remained under the radar merely writing about what he felt and believed in. While Ali, on the other hand, made all his actions and views public and wanted everyone to know what he had to say the moment he said