thoreau's idea of simplicity
Scarlett Huang
Ms. Tunik
English 3
Period 3
10/10/2014
Thoreau’s concept of simplicity
In the modern world, though the living conditions become better and better, lives become more and more sophisticated and materialistic. Lots of people feel they get lost in the modern society. Therefore, an increasing number of people begin to advocate a simplified life style to find the essence of life. This idea of simplicity is not new, it has already been expressed by Thoreau hundreds years ago. Through his famous novel Walden, he urge people to live simply by getting rid of the unnecessary things, getting in touch with nature and being aware of surroundings. As a result, the simplicity of life can lead a person to a better existence. Different from his contemporaries who are obsessed with luxury, Thoreau raises a brand new notion that people should abandon superficial and unnecessary things because they can afflict people’s lives with limitation. Thoreau notices that people are buying a huge number of sumptuous clothes. He says “We don garment after garment, as if we grew like exogenous plants by addition without”. (Walden, page 18, 2nd edition). The clothes just become parts of our body. People regard the luxury as necessity. Tempted by the fashion, they buy cloth not for the need for covering the body anymore but for the requirements of different situations. Even the cloth may not be suitable for them, they will still be content. People only pay attention to the external cloth instead of the internal personality. Gradually, the cloth becomes the only way to distinguish different people, the essence of the cloth disappears, and the inner world of people becomes deserted. Also, because people are so concerned about their look, they set lots of rules and standards in order to make sure that their behavior match their beautiful cloth. They are so meticulous to make every move and acts, afraid their behavior doesn’t match their cloth and look
Ms. Tunik
English 3
Period 3
10/10/2014
Thoreau’s concept of simplicity
In the modern world, though the living conditions become better and better, lives become more and more sophisticated and materialistic. Lots of people feel they get lost in the modern society. Therefore, an increasing number of people begin to advocate a simplified life style to find the essence of life. This idea of simplicity is not new, it has already been expressed by Thoreau hundreds years ago. Through his famous novel Walden, he urge people to live simply by getting rid of the unnecessary things, getting in touch with nature and being aware of surroundings. As a result, the simplicity of life can lead a person to a better existence. Different from his contemporaries who are obsessed with luxury, Thoreau raises a brand new notion that people should abandon superficial and unnecessary things because they can afflict people’s lives with limitation. Thoreau notices that people are buying a huge number of sumptuous clothes. He says “We don garment after garment, as if we grew like exogenous plants by addition without”. (Walden, page 18, 2nd edition). The clothes just become parts of our body. People regard the luxury as necessity. Tempted by the fashion, they buy cloth not for the need for covering the body anymore but for the requirements of different situations. Even the cloth may not be suitable for them, they will still be content. People only pay attention to the external cloth instead of the internal personality. Gradually, the cloth becomes the only way to distinguish different people, the essence of the cloth disappears, and the inner world of people becomes deserted. Also, because people are so concerned about their look, they set lots of rules and standards in order to make sure that their behavior match their beautiful cloth. They are so meticulous to make every move and acts, afraid their behavior doesn’t match their cloth and look