Comply or die. In Mark Twain's Opinions on Corn-Pone and Thoreau's Essay on Living Without Principles, it is clearly expressed that it is human nature to conform, either based on society's opinions and/or expectations of life, to the fullest degree. Throughout his essay, Twain shows how society conforms to the majority view based on its locality. Additionally, Twain states that there is such a thing as first-hand opinion, also called original opinion. Fundamentally, it is a flaw of American society that citizens seek to ultimately approve themselves through the opinions of others. It is interesting to note that Twain chooses to use “we” rather than “I” when presenting his views on American society. Thoreau's essay is primarily about how people choose to live their lives by working for wages. Working only for money is not really living according to Thoreau. Furthermore, Thoreau states that Americans are slaves to the taxes and political systems that form the basis of their views. Thoreau also states that gossip is a waste of time and should be better spent on more important matters. Both share opinions about American society and its flaws. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Henry David Thoreau and Mark Twain both assert that society is based on opinions and expectations to do what is considered the norm. In Corn-Pone Opinions, Twain writes, “It is our nature to conform: it is a force which few can successfully resist.” Ultimately, it doesn't matter what a man has to agree with society and whatever the rules of the majority are, otherwise he will suffer. Mark Twain is clear that fashions come and go for no obvious reason. He explains this further when he states: “We are creatures subject to external influences; as a rule, we do not think, we only imitate.” Thoreau agrees: “So men will lie on their backs, talking about the fall of man, and never make an effort to rise again.” Man is doomed to repeat his mistakes and the present is reflected in the past. Thoreau says that man will repeat work for a living no matter what because that is the norm in society. History is doomed to repeat itself, especially with man and his need for approval from civilization. The use of the pronouns I in Life Without Principle and we in Corn-pone Opinions make a clear distinction that Thoreau does not see himself as part of the normal American. Company. While Twain's use of we allows us to clearly see that he too fell in love with the majority and its conformity as a whole. Thoreau's Life Without Principles is an essay on society. An example is Thoreau's view of paying taxes as a system of slavery: "Even if we admit that the American has freed himself from a political tyrant, he is still the slave of an economic and moral tyrant." . Thoreau does not want to be part of this society. He stands out both in his lifestyle and in his way of writing about Americans. Both have clear statements that throughout civilization man has tended to chatter and not offer real opinions, but only those that others have already thought of. Thoreau writes: “It is important to preserve chastity of mind in this respect.” Basically, gossip is the dangerous part of interacting with society. Man's thoughts