Throughout the centuries the world has faced many obstacles and setbacks such as the tragedy of war, controversies over religion, racial segregation, or even financial reasoning. However, what never seems to change is the perplexing idea that society is capable of changing the thoughts and actions of thousands or millions of people around the world every day. People are constantly exposed to new concepts, logics, interpretations and technologies. Nonetheless, society profits from these notions in the hope of improving and making life more superior for themselves. Yet society suggests we live a certain way based on these ideas? Along with the new modern perception, humanity is faced with the temptation to convert to these ideas in order to adapt to society. In their poems and short stories, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Baudelaire highlight society's vulnerability in living in a world in which they are powerless. In "Self Reliance", Ralph Waldo Emerson points out that humanity fails to notice that it lives under society's expectations, meaning that many live their lives by acting, dressing, and living a certain way based on what society tells them it's appropriate. Emerson argues that it is first important to recognize whether you are truly making your own decisions or simply basing them on those of others. To better understand he states: “in history our imagination deceives us” (74). Emerson states that since the beginning of time humanity has unquestionably been told to live and be a certain way by a higher power, whether it be religion or even parents, society follows the ways of this higher power without question or doubts. He further states: “The world was taught by its kings, who…middle of paper…lied about what it was like in 1900 as it is in today's society as they too were exposed to higher powers to look and be like. These ideas tie together Baudelaire's beliefs about humanity's helplessness caused by temptation, ultimately becoming false to themselves. Furthermore, Richard Brookhiser states, “Emerson believes in the unity of existence, that everything is one thing: everything is in you, and you are in everything.” Furthermore, the more you consume, the more you fall into the consumption trap. The interesting thing is that both writers wrote completely different styles and stories, yet they seemed to find the same flaw present in the society of the time. Sometimes society reaches a point of helplessness, time is tempted by everyday situations or focuses attention on beliefs and ideas that arise from life in the world.