Communicating Author Vision

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Communicating Author Vision

Walt Whitman declares his praise for the human body in the poem I Sing the Body Electric. It is clear that he as an admiration for the human physical form as expressed in the poem. He sees this perfection in the different organs of the body as well as in its relation to the soul. In the poem, the author does not distinguish between male and female or between free people and slaves in his description of the bodily perfection. Instead, he reasons that all people are sacred, and all bodies are perfect (Whitman 300). In his other poem, I Hear America Singing, Whitman celebrates the ability of the human body. People express their abilities in the work they do. He praises people undertaking different tasks including the woodcutters, carpenters, mechanics, boatman, shoemaker, the ploughboys, and the masons (Whitman 193). Every person’s work is important as he also notes the work that women do in the home. The inclusion of the women in this category continues to advance Whitman’s belief that people are the same. He equalizes the work that they do. This was not a popular sentiment, as many people do not place household chores in the same category as other forms of work. Emerson continues to express the belief in human ability in his essay Self-Reliance.

Emerson encourages people to depend on themselves and not to rely on outside help or charity. Self-reliant people are successful. He believes in people’s ability to get the best out of themselves. He encourages each person to trust in himself and believe in his intuitions. People have the capability of transforming their world. However, they can only do that if they trust in themselves and become self-reliant instead of depending on the society or on past figures to give them direction (Turpin). Great people in the past managed to transform their societies. They were willing to advance their ideas even though other people did not seem to accept them. However, this belief and their courage transformed their societies. People have the capability of original thought, but they cannot achieve this if they only think of being accepted by the community. In the essay, Emerson compares adults to children. He urges people to be childlike in terms of being unspoiled in nature. Children do not hesitate in executing their ideas, and they are not hypocritical in nature. On the other hand, adults are more concerned with the approval of others and in acquiring a good reputation. This ends up limiting what they can do. Thoreau has the same opinions concerning personal beliefs and intuitions in his essay on civil disobedience

In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau urges people to be more concerned with what is right and wrong instead of following the government blindly. He focuses on the human conscience, and he considers it more important to the rules and dictates of the government. He notes that soldiers lose a crucial element of their humanity because all they do is follow orders. He shows respect for human life and dignity by opposing the decision of the government to continue with slavery and by opposing the government’s war with Mexico.

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide, Robert Stevenson looks at the human body in terms of its capacity to do good and evil. Dr. Jekyll discovers that there is an evil side to him. That side is so bad to the extent that he ends up committing murder. The human body is capable of many things. People are directed by many influences. These influences shape their thoughts and perceptions in life. They determine the extent to which they are willing to change. This informs the doctor’s decision to invent a solution that exposes his evil nature.

Works Cited

Schneider, Richard J. “Life and Legacy: Thoreau’s Life.” The Thoreau Society. 2015. Web. 30 July 2015

Stevenson, Robert L. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Project Gutenberg. 2011. Web. 30 July 2015

Turpin, Edna. The Project Gutenberg Ebook of Essays, By Ralph Waldo Emerson. 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 30 July 2015

Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass, 1860: The 150^th Anniversary Facsimile Edition. University of Iowa Press, 2011. Print