"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices." - Henry David Thoreau, Walden, or Life In The Woods…
Henry David Thoreau decided to remove himself from his ordinary life in society, and relocated himself to an area outside the town Concord. His once typical life now became that of a forest dweller. He built himself a quaint little home near Walden Pond. He chose to approach a life of simplicity by building his own home, living in the forest gathering his own food and fending for himself in essentially all aspects of his life. Ezra Pond makes a claim that Thoreau is demonstrating his indifference to humans and traditional societies, but that is not the case. Thoreau was merely trying to demonstrate just how unnecessary most societal desires were to live a fulfilled life.…
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s maxim, “Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense”, Emerson supports the notion of individuality and conveying one’s beliefs without the fear of controversy. This maxim relates to the play, “The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail”, in which the main character Henry doesn’t conform societal expectations and stays true to his beliefs. While instructing a class of students, Henry refuses to teach according to the school’s curriculum. He is criticized by the Deacon and is scolded for dismissing the administration’s rules. Despite this, Henry continues to argue against the use of the school’s textbooks and denounces the idea of religion. He recognizes the contributions that individual has on society and…
4. Transcendentalists believe that individuals "transcend" by learning from and living in harmony with nature. Thoreau put this philosophy into practice by living alone in a cabin he built himself at Walden Pond for two years (1845 -1847). Thoreau's experiences during this period provided him with the material for his masterwork Walden (1854). The quote below is fromWalden. Describe two specific things Thoreau learned about life by translating the lines below in your own words:…
"He keeps casting conformity behind him". Henry David Thoreau was never one to conform to society's norms. It is very apparent that this entire play's main idea is nonconformity. That is the way Thoreau lived his life. Many transcendentalists speak of what they wish to live their life as, however, it was Thoreau who went further than just discussing Transcendentalism; he put it into practice when he refused to pay the poll tax that supported the war efforts. He lived in the way he viewed as correct, rather than the way society told him to live. For example, when he completely leaves society behind and goes into the woods to thrive on his own and when he went against the teaching methods of the time period and of religious views. He never wanted to be like anybody else, and this play reflects both his personality and beliefs. If he was told to do something that he seemed unfit or contradicting everything he believed in, then he just wouldn't do it.…
I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, and cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. (pg. 8)…
In order to discuss a topic, one must know what said topic is. Transcendentalism is a movement in the nineteenth century and it encourages the idea of individualism, dislike for materialism, a strong connection to nature, and to rely on one’s intuition above all else. This belief and the well-educated people who followed it were decades ahead of their time, as it was for self-independence and was against slavery. These philosophies are established in the story.…
Written during the 19th century, while the movement of transcendentalism was developed and active, Thoreau considered himself a transcendentalist, influencing him to write this literary piece, and his thoughts and perspective of life within it. Targeting an attentive, intellectual, and mature audience, he describes his attitude toward life through composition of rhetorical methods, such as alliteration and metaphors.…
Thoreau uses tone and imagery to make his theme stronger in Civil Disobedience. He uses the rhetorical devices in a convincing matter.…
This passage, written by Henry David Thoreau, resonates with me personally, as it remarks that humans are often too focused on the events around them that they end up ignoring their individual nature. Within the passage, Thoreau asserts, “After a night’s sleep the news is as indispensable as the breakfast. ‘Pray tell me anything that has happened to a man anywhere on this globe’” (Thoreau 10). As humans beings, we crave to know what is happening to others of our nature. However, because of this, we often ignore our own identity. For instance, I feel as if I am focused on my phone more than I should be. I find myself indulging in stories coming from around the world, whether they be affecting me or not. Because of this, I find myself to be ignorant…
In 1968, close to 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed by an assassin's bullet. He had given us a decade of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience during the civil rights movement of the 1950’s. While the idea of nonviolent protest was still relatively new, MLK hadn’t invented it; he had been one of a few who pioneered the idea and made it popular. The theory of civil disobedience can be traced back to an essay by Henry David Thoreau by the same name. This theory was adopted and popularized by Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and eventually, Martin Luther King, Jr.. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau said that if a law “requires you to be the agent of injustice to another,” you should break that law, rather than be unjust to another person.…
Transcendentalist believe that people are inherently good, and that it’s society that corrupts us, so wouldn’t a generalized statement such as this contradict what Thoreau believes? While the above could be considered pretentious, it is still fairly thought provoking, it really allows a person to look at themselves and question whether or not they believe the “shams and delusions” they put on for themselves. While it may not do the same for everyone, it certainly did so for me. This quote has inspired me to look within myself and see that I’m not as independent and self-reliant as I had convinced myself I am. Self reliance and independence are the two ideals that I value the most, and yet here I am, not fully accepting that I’m not as confident as I had originally thought. I’m taking grand delusions and pushing away the truth as fictional, invasive thoughts. This insight has helped me to realize that I need to work on my weak personality traits for myself rather than pretty them up for others. To grow as a person, I need to realize that pushing things down to avoid conflict can only harm me, and that I need to accept that not everyone will like…
Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience had the original idea of and was put affect. He was revolutionary as he endorsed a form of protest that did not need violence or fear. Thoreau’s initial actions involving the protest governmental issues like slavery. It then landed him in jail as he refused to pay taxes. More than one hundred years later, the same issue of equal rights was dividing the U. S. apart. African Americans, like Martin Luther King Jr., followed in Thoreau’s footsteps by partaking in acts of civil disobedience. Peaceful rallies drew attention to the issue while keeping it from turning into a violent problem. Thoreau’s ideas were becoming prevalent because the ideas were used in cases as Brown v. Board of Education. The main…
Living amongst nature was of a great importance because it was seen as a source of truth and inspiration. There was also a dignity of manual labor, which surrounded the idea of originality. Advocators encouraged self trust and confidence. There was also a value for individuality, nonconformity, free thought, as well as for self reliance and simplicity. The men that were responsible for making the Transcendentalist Movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson and soon Henry David Thoreau, who was mentored by Emerson. These men encouraged individualism and nonconformity. Most importantly, supported fighting for justice against the corruption in government, more so Thoreau with his essay with the focus of civil…
They say money drives the world, however may the world be driving the money? Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817. He wrote many famous pieces, Civil Disobedience stands out for its steadfast statements and theories on the government machine. Notably where he writes “Absolutely speaking, the more money, the less virtue; for money comes between a man and his objects, and obtains them for him; and It was certainly no great virtue to obtain it” (Thoreau 231) stands out due to its factual way of explaining how the more money one has the less quality in character he/she has, Because with more money it is easier to obtain objects rather than working for them. Thoreau's statement hold true to reality in examples such as money corruption in government, making an individual's character to…