Beginning of Essay
“Dance to the beat of your own drummer:” A piece of advice that I have been told my whole life, and have tried my hardest to follow. The words were taken from Thoreau’s quote, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it i ....

Middle of Essay
.... Thoreau, born in 1817, was the son of a pencil maker. His mother ran a boarding house where she hosted many of the intellectuals of their time. Thoreau attended Harvard as well, and that was where he was introduced to Emerson. He became fascinated with Emerson’s philosophy while sitting in on one of his lectures. Emerson became Thoreau’s mentor and advisor. A relationship that soon deepened to a friendship. Many people claim that Thoreau’s ideas were simply taken from Emerson’s, in fact, some critics call Thoreau Emerson’s miror. And although their philosophies greatly reflected one another, they differ ....