Although one uses a pen and the other a banjo over a hundred years later, the song The Otter by Caamp lies parallel to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The Rhodora” in a wide variety of ways. From the simple romantic nature of referencing the outdoors to finding a more divine, unquestioned sense of purpose, to just finding beauty without a purpose, both works demonstrate the full extent of the romantic spirit.

Primarily, it is abundantly clear that both works are about the outdoors. “The Rhodora” describes a flower, while The Otter depicts, shockingly, an otter. This depiction of nature lies in the center of romantic works, as a key foundation of romanticism is the importance of a human connection with nature. This in itself, while not demonstrating the direct correlations between the two, helps to set the base for the underlying commonalities that we will explore shortly.

One of these such commonalities is found in each works’ unquestioning nature towards a higher purpose or meaning behind life. In “The Rhodara,” Emerson claims that he “never thought to ask” how the flower or himself got there, and that he simply is happy to experience this moment. This same theme occurs in The Otter, where the Taylor Meier acknowledges that “[he doesn’t] understand how it all began,” a clear relation to the sense of peace in the face of a higher power as seen in “The Rhodora.”

The feeling of peace in light of a higher power is not the only similarity shared between the poem and the song from a thematic standpoint, however. In both works, the artists acknowledge the purpose in simply existing to be beautiful. In “The Rhodora,” this is the central theme of the poem. The poem itself directly states that “beauty is its own excuse for being” and that it is the Rhodora’s beauty that gives it purpose in the world. While not the main theme of The Otter, it is certainly an important portion in the song nonetheless. In The Otter, the artist describes the otter as “unfamiliar” and simply “floating in deep water.” This description of the seemingly carefree, purposeless nature of the otter’s life demonstrates how the otter solely exists for the purpose of its beauty, and doesn’t serve a true external purpose. The acknowledgement of the possibility of existing solely because of beauty is yet another commonality between the two pieces.

Although the form of the two could not be more different, the same messages resonate throughout the poem and the song. These similarities demonstrate the universal nature of many romantic themes, and how easily applicable they are to everyday encounters.