... have no need for a governing body at all. The essays of both men remain immensely popular and affecting even to this day. Emerson is widely referred to as the father of the American Literary tradition and Thoreau's name is seldom mentioned without the obligatory references to Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr ... real dangers. Emerson does admit the difficulty inherent in being a non-conformist, remarking, "This rule [nonconformity], equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder because you will alwa...

• Word Count: 1633
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate