...Monique Edwards M. Gonzalez-Hernandez English 2327.003 November 1, 2012 Where I Lived, and What I Lived For Where I Lived, and What I Lived For is the title of the second chapter in the book Walden on Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau. The first part of this chapter explains how he built a hut near the forest of Walden Pond close to Concord, Massachusetts where he could gather his thoughts away from society. Thoreau writes in Walden: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" (Thoreau 1028). Thoreau was an educated man who chose to live in poverty to explain to his readers that life can be as simple as nature. According to some critics, life cannot be as simple for various reasons: “This is contrasted to the human society from which he isolated himself, of whose utilitarianism, materialism, and consumerism he was extremely critical” (Environmental). In order to agree with Thoreau, one would need to have the same open mind and the ability to see and think outside the norm of society. Those who disagree with Thoreau do not believe that one can still “live deliberately” (Thoreau 1028). The critics clearly see that living such a simple life as Thoreau writes about is impossible. Life cannot be as simple as nature for many reasons. One reason is the outcome of life is not always simple...
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...reading, I continued reading the Walden’s Universities cover page and ran across the mission and the vision statement that Walden University wrote for its students. The mission statement was such an inspiring statement that let me know that Walden University continues to provide an assortment of scholarly, educational courses, which gives all professionals the ability to go into the community and become that great inspirational person that could create social change among...
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...Comparative Essay Ginsberg, Hughes and Thoreau Confidence and self-reliance are qualities that are admired and desired by many people. Confidence is defined as a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances, and a faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way. Self-reliance is defined as the ability to care for one's self. Because people aspire to be confident and self-reliant, these qualities are common themes in literature. This essay compares three quotes, taken from three very different pieces of literature about American values, in which confidence and self-reliance are illustrated. “I refuse to give up my obsession. America, stop pushing. I know what I’m doing.” – Allen Ginsberg, “America.” Allen Ginsberg’s “America” presents a sharp criticism of American culture by someone who has almost completely rejected its values. The poem’s speaker addresses America directly, as if he were giving a lecture or a sermon to the nation itself instead of to the American people. The nation’s aggressive anticommunist foreign policy and its culture of materialism and conformity are the targets of the speaker’s criticism. This poem was written in 1956 and was one of the first widely read literary statements of political unrest in the post-World War II America. Themes from the recent wars are prominent such as the nuclear bomb or Asian foreign policy, but the poem also depicts national racial unrest...
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...Brendan Wu This World and the Next Kevin Goldstein November 29, 2014 A Thoreau Examination of Materialism In Walden, Thoreau admonishes society for succumbing to material desires and forsaking greater, more worthy pursuits like knowledge and self-reliance; similarly, in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Dick creates a world where dependence on material possessions causes society to sacrifice its humanity and ultimately creates irreversible ruin. Yet both authors acknowledge that material items are important, with Thoreau depending on things like his house and his field for survival, and Dick introducing pet animals and empathy boxes as possessions that heighten human experience rather than suppress it. Thoreau and Dick argue that material possessions themselves have the potential to make powerful and positive impacts. It is the unchecked desire for material possessions that leads to societal decline and unhappiness. Throughout Walden, Thoreau is largely critical of materialism, venturing into the solitude of Walden Pond for two years partly to escape society’s preoccupation with material possessions. In the beginning of “Economy,” he observes young townsmen strapped with large inheritances and comments that having a massive farm, which is typically perceived as a sign of prosperity, only creates obligations and forces its inhabitants to spend their entire lives toiling, whereas owning a meager plot of land both allows for self-sufficiency and provides time to explore...
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...This unprecedented fast produced unexpected challenges, enjoyments, and reflections in the attempt to mimic Thoreau’s outrageous and timely experiment, ultimately creating an extraordinary experience. I spent my twelve hours with my family --unlike originally planned to do it alone-- hiking and camping at a state park . Contrary to previous belief, boredom had a very thin grasp on the experiment and I didn’t consider my experience to be that unproductive. I was doing homework over vacation. I also didn’t feel I was not fulfilling my duties on the farm by walking around all day while my family worked, for they weren’t working either. Technology --as predicted-- wasn’t that hard to give up. I did miss having music but everything else didn’t bother me. The lack of technology actually helped in closely observing nature. It encouraged me to notice the little details I could use to answer questions that I had because I couldn’t look them up. The trout I observed varied in size from about ten inches to about sixteen inches. And for as small as they were, they had endurance like no other, swimming against the current all day. Fish truly are the masters of aquatic movement. They can go forever against a force yet never be moved by it. I also noticed they had a sort of spotted pattern that made them blend into the rocks and weeds as the swam near the shores. I assume it was camouflage from birds in the sky and that made me notice how humans don’t really have organic camouflage. We stick...
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...from society. For Thoreau, being close to nature is the best part of his choice of place to live. Acquiring the material possession of a house is something he must put up with in order to live in nature. Independence Day has symbolic meaning as the day Thoreau becomes self-reliant and the day that he becomes one of nature's inhabitants. Thoreau's close observation of nature testifies to his profound relationship with it, characterized both by awe of its spiritual greatness and intimacy with its everyday workings. Nature is his spiritual guide, leading him in its simple natural rhythms toward his own spiritual path and his proper work. PLOT SUMMARY | Seeking solitude and self-reliance, Thoreau says, he moved to the woods by Walden Pond, outside Concord Massachusetts, where he lived for two years, writing this book, before returning to society. In the book he sets out his beliefs about society and the nature of human existence, saying first that he believes men need not work as hard as they do, if they are willing to simplify their lives and follow their own instincts. Thoreau designs a life of "voluntary poverty" for himself, determining the absolute necessities of man's existence to be: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel. Criticizing society's spiritually empty obsessions with clothing and elaborate homes, as well as with formal education, travel, and the use of animal labor, he praises the savage man, who is free from the distraction of society's institutions and...
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...James A Life of Simplicity We are always taught while growing up that we must always aim for the stars, that life can always get better, if and only if you aim big. We are taught that a great life can only be achieved through material and monetary means. That your self worth is only equal to what you own. The aim of society is no longer to be free and live a life of comfort but to be a part of the bigger picture and feed the machine. Henry David Thoreau expresses his concern on these issues in detail in his works Walden and “Civil Disobedience”. Life should be led with simplicity. This is Thoreau’s mantra as he began his two-year experience of minimalist living. Thoreau is explicit that life should not be so difficult and so overwhelming. That life should be just what you need it to be, no more no less. It’s an odd train of thought into today’s culture. We are always aiming and asking for more. Whether it is the newest cellphone or the newest video game system (which are both overpriced and offer little to no modifications). Thoreau speaks on this, “Most luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” This statement is still true to this day. What good does it do us to have the biggest, most gas guzzling vehicle on the street? How do we benefit from excessive means of social media? The short answer: nothing. While most people will agree that, in general, a majority of the most...
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...Thoreau claims that nature aids in the individual prospering and becoming purified of the corruption caused by society. In the second chapter of Walden, titled Where I Lived and What I Lived For, Thoreau states, “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself” (❡14). Through this quotation, Thoreau is showing the clarity brought by nature and the positive qualities it causes in those who embrace it. Thoreau uses “innocence” to suggest that nature is pure and is not a sinister thing like the society Thoreau escaped from through nature. This quotation aids in understanding Thoreau’s view on Nature and the positive effect Thoreau believes it brings. This evidence explains...
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...Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were both born in Massachusetts in the early 19th century. Emerson was born in Boston in 1803 and Thoreau was born in Concord in 1817. Both are writers and proponents of Transcendentalism--the belief that man, by studying nature and examining self, can transcend his humanity and become one with God. Both used literary devices in their works (essays), metaphors and have similar themes. Both Thoreau and Emerson used the theme: trust yourself, know yourself, be yourself; slow down and "simplify, simplify, simplify"; examine nature to find truths about yourself; human ingenuity will always show itself; trust self before government; man is inherently good. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others' ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all. In Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”, social responsibility is important. Similar to “Self-Reliance”, Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” shares the same philosophical ideas. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” and Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Resistance to Civil Government (“Civil Disobedience”), both transcendentalist thinkers speak about being individual and what reforms and changes need to be made in our society Social responsibility is often encouraged and is used to describe how all men have the inherent responsibility to bring forth justice to those...
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...Henry David Thoreau’s attitude toward the woodchuck at the beginning of his encounter is one of scientific curiosity. The language with which he describes the animal is measured, precise and categorical. For instance, when the author first notices the woodchuck, he associates the measurement of rods with the animal and its surroundings. Additionally, the way Thoreau broadly describes the animal’s appearance is clinical and detached. For example, he describes the woodpecker as an animal with different shades of black and white. The manner in which the piece is written appears to be that of an entry in a science journal. He describes exactly where he encountered the woodchuck, his observations about its appearance and his observations...
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...The Romantic Heart Christina Jones ENG/106 02/24/2014 Debora Aubuchon The Romantic Heart Emotion plays a large part in our lives, no matter what time period we live in. Emotion has fueled literary masterpieces from Ancient to modern times. Shakespeare wrote of love, anger and revenge and Jonathan Swift wrote of what is behind the curtain of love. As you read on you will encounter three literary works and see the part that emotion plays into them and how these pieces are influenced by the many authors who came before them. Jonathan Swift’s poem entitled, The Lady’s Dressing Room tells the story of Strephon, who takes a peek into his love, Celia’s, dressing room. Strephon is appalled by what he finds. In the beginning Strephon refers to Celia as a Goddess, “The Goddess from her Chamber issues, Array'd in Lace, Brocades and Tissues.” (Swift, 1732/2008, pp. 1994). However, as the poem continues Swift makes it clear that Strephon no longer feels this way by writing, “But swears how damnably the Men lie, In calling Celia sweet and cleanly.” (1732/2008, pp.1994). The Lady’s Dressing Room explores and tries to explain the private relationship between male and female. This literary masterpiece digs deep into the core of what is beneath just outside attraction or lust. True love is more than what is just on the surface. True love is when you can love both the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Swift’s poem is filled with many emotions. The character, Strephon, moves from...
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...In Walden, Henry David Thoreau writes of his experiences living in a cabin in the woods in his pursuit for solitude, self-reliance and greater self-awareness. Similarly, in this particular passage, Thoreau urges the reader to be unperturbed by daily happenings and to live and let live as one with nature. Thoreau’s underlying message of self-sufficiency is apparent through his usage of diction as well as natural imagery as metaphors. In this way, this passage is typical of the wider text. Firstly, Thoreau implores the reader to strive to do his or her best under any given circumstance and not be affected by insignificant events, or societal pressures. The passage opens by requesting we “spend one day as deliberately as Nature” and not be distracted by “every nutshell and mosquito’s wing”. In nature, there is only survival of the fittest and everything happens with purpose. By requesting we live “deliberately as Nature” Thoreau is perhaps appealing for the reader to find purpose in life and give his or her best in working towards it each day. Thoreau also questions conformity, wondering why we should “go with the stream”. These ideas coincide with Thoreau’s belief that through pursuing meaningful work one can truly become self-reliant and thus attain fulfilment. Secondly, Thoreau’s usage of natural imagery as metaphors serves to criticise the superficiality and pretensions of society he disagrees with as well as reveal his reverence for nature. Thoreau appeals for the reader...
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...Thoreau “Walking” From the essay “Walking”, Thoreau gives an explanation of the relationship between men and nature through his first sentence “absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil”(Thoreau, 71). Throughout the essay “Walking”, the text involves much language and arguments that might be recognized as anti-civilization though today. Although Thoreau feels that men should live closer to nature in order to achieve a more fulfilled life, and stay away from the forces come from the past, society and today’s materialism, Thoreau neither fully rejected civilization nor completely embraced wildness. In “Walking,” Thoreau demonstrates his strong anti-civilization proclivities in his introduction of the essay “to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than as a member of society…there are enough champions of civilization. The minister and the school committee will take care of that.” (Thoreau, 71). Thoreau believes that man has more value as an “inhabitant of Nature” than as a member of society. Society introduces toil, oppression and indebtedness. However, isn’t these toil oppression and indebtedness made us as a more superior “inhabitant of Nature”? Suppose we never had a chance to evolve a civilization like today’s society and we are stilling living in the woods and forests like primitive people did millions of years ago. Words like capitalism or materialism would never exist. We only worry for our empty stomach...
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...Chris McCandless believed in the concept of non-conformity. His upbringing impacted his life of ease and simplicity. However, he always felt as if he was independent but never was able to fully arrive at complete independence. Chris’s constrained values of appreciation of the power of nature and non-materialism brought him to be labeled as a transcendentalist. Alexander Supertramp was the epitome of non-conformity. That is the reason Chris created him. “To symbolize his complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name. No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny.” (p.23) He felt as though he had accepted society too deeply into his life to regain happiness into his life as Chris. So he created an alter ego that was and did everything Chris wanted to but could not because of his acceptance of society. Alex was a totally independent man who was in control of himself. The main concept of transcendentalism is living and communicating with nature to find yourself. Chris did exactly that by journeying into the Alaskan wild without any preparation to fill the emptiness he felt. "Gallien offers to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go.’No, thanks anyway.' Alex replied, 'I'll be fine with what I've got.'" (p.6) Chris's refusal of Gallien's help proved his loyalty to the values of Transcendentalism. He knew there was no other way...
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...For years people have strived to live a life of simplicity. Today, that simple living is called minimalism and it has become a true way of life. Henry David Thoreau was one of the first people to bestow in a simple life and produced a true American literature classic from the lifestyle. Walden gives us detailed insight on Thoreau’s beliefs and what it was like for him to live in the woods. Thoreau had many reasons for wanting to go and live in the woods. One of the reasons was to live a simple life, Thoreau wanted to create a lifestyle without all the luxuries everyone else lived with. Thoreau thought that one could live a perfectly well-rounded life with just a few things. He said “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail” (Thoreau 65). Through this quote he talks about how he believes that he can live a grand life with the least amount of necessities, and he did. At Walden Pond, he built himself a small cabin, grew his own food, and earned his money by his own manual labor. While living in the woods, Thoreau was able to truly understand how little a person needs to live a simple, free, and...
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