Final answer:
Walt Whitman was the author who was influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson and was praised as the "good gray" poet toward the end of his life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author who was brought to boil by Emerson and was praised as the "good gray" poet toward the end of his life was Walt Whitman (option 2).
Ralph Waldo Emerson, considered the father of transcendentalism, had a significant influence on Whitman. Whitman, a leading figure in nineteenth-century American poetry, celebrated the common language of the common man throughout his works. Emerson's ideas of individualism and the role of nature as a gateway to greater individualism deeply resonated with Whitman, inspiring him to write unique and celebrated poetry.