Emerson and Thoreau each write in the genre of essay. The word essay comes from the Latin root exigere, meaning "to examine or test." In what ways is this genre appropriate for the work of both Emerson and Thoreau?

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were leading transcendentalist and philosophers. They came up with theories and theories need proof, or explanation, to be deemed true. When publishing their beliefs, they used essays to structure their findings/theories so that the facts could back up their statement.

Explanation:

Simply: they're philosophers creating a new branch of philosophy so they are using a formal writing style that structures their theories.