Bipedalism is what distinguishes man from his fellow primates and the very ability, to walk upright, carries a lot of significance. This form of locomotion has allowed man to transition from his primitive ancestors to what he is today, a modern human or homo sapiens. As an essential part of the evolutionary history of mankind, it is expected that this topic would be frequently mentioned in literary works and such is the case in the following essays. At first glance, both “The Vertical: The Fundamental Principle of Classic Dance” by A.K Volinsky and “The Physiology of Walking” by Wendell Holmes seem to be very similar as they revolve around this concept of verticality; both essays discuss how walking upright is a step towards progress in humans, but the way in which they approach this issue is profoundly different. Each essay leaves a very different impact on the reader: the former leaves us with a notion of superiority while the latter leaves us in awe.