[Amy Potter]

Stanton’s Solitude of Self adds to the ideas that Thoreau discusses in Walden, the most prominent being self-reliance. In her writing, she says, “The isolation of every human soul and the necessity of self-dependence must give each individual the right, to choose his own surroundings.” This displays transcendentalist ideals similar to the ones that Thoreau holds. The most obvious connection is Thoreau’s choice to live at Walden pond. He would surely agree that he was completely justified in choosing that place to live. He also espouses the importance of self-dependence. He was focused on this at the beginning of his book when he talked about the preparations for his time at Walden. He desires to build this life by himself and be completely self sufficient. Even when he does need to borrow things, he makes sure to make full compensation for them. For example, while building his house he requires the use of an axe, and describes it as follows, “The owner of the axe, as he released his hold on it, said that it was the apple of his eye; but I returned it sharper than I received it.” He makes every effort to rely on himself for his own survival during his entire time at Walden.

Alcott’s Transcendental Wild Oats shows a different take on transcendentalism than either Thoreau or Stanton. She seems to see the transcendental movement as irrelevant and impractical. In her writing, she describes the men as sitting around discussing and arguing while Sister Hope does the work meant to sustain them. This is a different experience from Thoreau’s as he viewed farming and relying on himself for subsistence as an integral part of the transcendental experience. Alcott’s portrayal of the transcendental spirit doesn’t show this self-reliance and self-dependance that the other two writers do.

[Amy Potter]

Thoreau talks a lot about how people are chained to their careers, especially with the example of farmers, and that their desire to work and be prosperous makes them miss out on a real life. This is exemplified when he says, “But men labor under a mistake. The better part of the man is soon plowed into the soil for compost. By a seeming fate, commonly called necessity, they are employed, as it says in an old book, laying up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt and thieves break through and steal. It is a fool’s life, as they will find when they get to the end of it, if not before.” For me, higher education, including my time here at Geneseo will hopefully allow me to avoid that fate. I think that if you are pursuing a career you’re passionate about rather than working a job you hate solely to acquire as much money as you can, or even to just provide the essentials for you or your family, you will have a more fulfilling life. If you are able to use something that you love doing to support yourself, then I don’t think spending your whole life in a career is as bad as Thoreau makes it out to be. College degrees often allow us to do just that. Without one, in today’s society here in America, your job prospects are very limited and usually very boring. Specializing in a certain field through higher education allows you to have a career that doesn’t plow you into the ground (as Thoreau would say) but actually lets you experience life more fully and deeply. It lets you follow your passions rather than being chained to something you don’t enjoy and are merely doing out of necessity. So I think that the cost of a college education is worth it, and this route is also in accord with Thoreau’s ideals.

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