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Thoreau's Life Research Paper

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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 …show more content…
When we were first given this assignment I found it hard to comprehend why someone would do this, yet just in twelve hours, I felt like the burden of society had been lifted off my shoulders. However, I believe it would be hard to “live simply” in 21st century America according to Thoreau’s views. Modern society persuades us to have “a rigid economy, a stern and more than Spartan simplicity of life and elevation of purpose” (Thoreau, 237). Throughout one’s life, we are told to do things that go against Thoreau’s ideal of simplicity; “to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life”(Thoreau, 235). Eating, sleeping, and drinking are the essential facts of life. We have to work in order to pay taxes and in America, according to the Compulsory Education laws, children have to go to school --or homeschooled-- for a certain period of time. This already breaks Thoreau’s simplicity for we do not need school to eat, sleep, and drink. This makes it very hard to live simply for If kids do not go to school they will be sent to jail. Some may argue that jail life is simple, for Government can not take away the niceties of life. However, are you truly being deliberate then? Prisoners can not do everything they intend to do. I believe a simple life in modern America is not possible by Thoreau’s ideals, however I feel everyone should conduct his experiment in their

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