...Daynah Clements Mr. Bergeron Portable #3 Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 Walden Walden was written in first person about the events and ideas that came to Thoreau during his time living at Walden Pond in the eighteen hundreds. Walden is based on Thoreau’s journey at Walden Pond which was a sixty-two acre body of water a few miles from his parents' home in Concord, Massachusetts. He decided to build a cabin and live at Walden Pond for 2 years so he could show people that they only truly need 4 things in life which are food, shelter, clothing and fuel. He officially started this expedition in late March 1845 and left the Pond on September 6th 1847. Thoreau focused on many different themes, including the relationship between light and dark, the ideas and importance of nature, the meaning of progress, the importance of detail, and the relationship between the mind and body. While being at Walden Thoreau developed many philosophical ideas concerning knowing yourself, living simply and deliberately, and seeking truth. He was a poet and a philosopher who lived a life of simplicity in order to make a direct connection between people, God, and nature. I could adapt to Thoreau’s philosophy to an extent. There are somethings I like about his novel Walden like; not wanting to go with society, being your own person, finding yourself, living life to its fullest, seeing that everything is a want not a need etc… I wondered throughout the whole book if he left and at the end I got my answer...
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...Walden Summary In his first chapter, "Economy," Thoreau introduces his purpose in writing the book, saying he intends to answer questions people have asked about his reasons for living alone in a cabin in the woods near Walden Pond for two years. He explains that most people live their lives as if sleeping, blindly following the ways of their parents, and become trapped into these lives by owning property and slaving in jobs to maintain their way of life. In contrast, he sought to discover the true necessities of life and built a cabin, for the cost of $28. 12 _ near Walden Pond, where he lived for two years, beginning in the summer of 1845. Making a profit of $8.71 _ by selling the beans he grew and working occasionally at odd jobs, he found he was able to support himself with very little work and much time for contemplation of himself and nature. Thoreau, in the second chapter, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," talks about how he once considered buying the Hollowell farm for himself but the purchase fell through. Instead, he created a new existence for himself at Walden, where he found joy and fulfillment in nature, truly awakening in his mornings there, while most of society remains perpetually asleep, living mean lives when the possibility of a much better life is possible. The key to achieving such a life, he says, is simplicity. In the third chapter, "Reading," Thoreau describes how he derives enlightenment from reading Homer and other great writers, men who spoke...
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...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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...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. Thoreau wrote...
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...Castro 1 Jessica Castro Professor Kazarian Mosaic II 22 November 2013 Paper 2 - Thoreau on Work, Debt, and Slavery For this paper, I chose to focus on subject 7 of the syllabus which was Thoreau on Work, Debt, and Slavery. The first chapter of Walden, Thoreau states that his neighbors seem to work their lives away and are deeply in debt. Readers have come to read Thoreau’s book on stolen or borrowed time, robbing their employers of time. Readers are also imposing slavery upon themselves. These three claims relate to one another in the mode of economy. In order to acquire the necessities of life, man must work to make a living. In order to make a living, man must have money to acquire tools in order to make that living. If man does not have the means in which to acquire tools, he himself becomes the tool of production via labor power. Men who constantly work in order to produce these necessities daily are slaves to themselves and to those who employ them. One without the other leaves man without life’s necessities; thus, leading to his demise. In Walden, Thoreau claims: . . . my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, and cattle . . . Better if they had been born in the open pasture . . . might have seen with clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in (8). Castro 2 In this passage, Thoreau clearly provides an example of how man works his life away. The inherited land given to the new “serf of the soil” must be constantly...
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...Michael Lichtenwalner Father Samway Texts and Contexts 11 April 2012 In What Ways Does Thoreau's Walden Embody the Concept of Transcendentalism? Social networking, a craze sweeping across America, allows people to become connected with their friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Users of social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter are periodically updated with happenings and insight into the lives of others. This would likely seem meaningless and idiotic to Henry David Thoreau, a prominent transcendentalist American author. He encourages his readers to live lives “simple and well as Nature”, independent from those of others and society (Thoreau 53). He therefore moved to Walden Pond on July 4, 1845 for two years and two months in order to live a simple and independent life. Thoreau claims that “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 have not lived” (61). In Walden, Thoreau upholds beliefs that he shares with transcendental authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson. These beliefs include solitude, self-reliance, immersion in nature, and spiritual rebirth. Transcendentalism, a philosophical movement in the 19th century, stood against the individual’s conformity to societies and institutions. Instead, transcendentalism encouraged individuals to rise above society and...
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...Reading the excerpt from Walden helped me appreciate life as it is. The novel Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, is a day to day account of his experiences at Walden Pond. Thoreau focused on the idea of a simple life and encouraged his readers to simplify their lives as he stated, “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.” It may have been easier to live by his theory of a simple life in the 1800’s as opposed to today because of the latest advancements in technology. The American population has become very dependent on the luxuries of life (such as the computer, the car, the cell phone, etc.) that it would be more difficult to live and function without them. Thanks to the media and advertising, there is a constant race between people to obtain the latest technology or even fashion apparel. For example; about a three weeks ago, a pair of Jordan sneakers, the Concords, were released in stores. Almost every teenager in America battled to buy these sneakers. It got way out of hand, to the point where a group of boys stabbed a young man just to steal his sneakers. Thoreau’s idea of living a simple life should be taken more into consideration these days. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The general public is more materialistic these days than ever and it would be very difficult to break them out of this habit. Thoreau...
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...However, this does not mean that this utopia he creates in his story, called Walden Two, emulating Thoreau's Walden Pond in Maine, is not without flaws. The most obvious flaws that stand out to the modern day reader are simply due to the fact that this book was published nearly 60 years ago. Values in the post-WWII era differed from modern ones, and psychology took a back seat during the war for other "real sciences." This social commentary is extensively relevant to the study of psychology, especially conditioning/behaviorism, because all consequences of all the actions of people in Walden Two directly stem from some psychological event, be it the shaping of the children to want to learn, or the way the officials (planners/managers) are appointed (and not elected). The interesting thing about this book is the way in which it is written. The main protagonist's name is Burris, awfully close to the author and psychologist's name Burrhus, and they share nearly identical lives and professions. I believe this book basically breaks down B.F. Skinner's feelings about creating utopia's into the characters. Burris would be closest to B.F. Skinner himself, with Skinner's moderate point of view being exemplified in this character, his extremely in favor feeling exemplified in Frazier's character, and his extremely against/skeptical feeling exemplified in Augustine Castle. In order to understand why in fact "Walden Two" is a commentary on American society, we must juxtapose...
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...2. Define and clarify three characteristics of Emersonianism/Transcendentalism Three main characteristics of transcendentalism as defined by Emerson himself in “The Transcendentalist,” are; respect for intuitions, withdrawal from labor and competition, and pursuit of a critical, solitary lifestyle. Transcendentalism can also be defined as a pursuit of the truth. Fundamentally, truth can be anything that an individual believes to be correct, based on his or her own intuition. All generally accepted social beliefs are to be tossed aside and one is to follow his or her instincts. Emerson rejected labor and any outcomes of labor. He did not believe in competition or government but rather in a self propelled world. Living a solitary lifestyle is thought of as an important feature in transcendentalism. Simplicity is said to stem from self-dependency. “Society is good when it does not violate me; but best when it is likest to solitude” (Emerson). It is believed that is one lives a simple life; all will go well for them. These are just three of the many principles and characteristics of transcendentalism. 4. Explain this statement in Thoreauvian terms: “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.” This quote taken from Thoreau’s “Civil Obedience,” is a statement that has made a large impression on countless. Thoreau believed that if the government is committing unjust actions, one should put his or her entire selves...
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...While comparing Henry David Thoreau's Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854) and Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature (1836), there are comparable beliefs regarding simplicity and the capacity of the human mind. Transcendentalism is considered a philosophy of self-reliance and individualism, however transcendentalism was often seen as more than a philosophy; it was treated almost as a religion. Nature was viewed as its church and it idealizes God as its sacred being. Emerson’s and Thoreau’s key theme in their writings was to help one reconnect with nature and gain a simpler understanding of life. For instance, Henry David Thoreau experiments the transcendentalist beliefs about nature by living at Walden Woods in a small cabin on Emerson's property. Here Thoreau discovered the simplicity in nature and the exposure it brings to our mind. Both Emerson and Thoreau believe that nature is what imposes us not to rely on others' ideas but to establish our own. Nature is always changing so we must keep seeking for the meaning of human life. Thoreau wanted to live a simple life, in order to find a deeper meaning of human existence. He writes, "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...
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...Walden University enrolls students around the world from different ethnic backgrounds and professions/fields whom all are interested in contributing social change in society. The current study defines social change as an evolving solution to society’s problems and happens when there is a deviation in the core fabric of society where a phenomenon occurs. Walden University is a growing part of the technological era that uses the worldwide web to reach its students across the globe. This new way of assessing scholarly programs has allowed students and graduates of the university to contribute change in their communities. According to Laureate Education (2017), Jonathan Kaplan states that Walden students have unique perspectives and share a common desire to make an impact on their community. According to Ravitch and Carl (2016) social change may occur due to an action or inaction; moreover, Aguinis and Glavas (2012) offer a multilevel and multidisciplinary theoretical framework that includes a reactive or proactive predictor of responsibility related to policies. Social change can be anything from starting organizations that relate to issues regarding injustices or combating social problems to...
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...Chris McCandless, Jon Krakauer, and Henry David Thoreau all believe in the central idea of Transcendentalism. After reading Into the Wild by Krakauer and some excerpts from Walden, we start to gather that Chris bases some of his actions and how he lives based on Thoreau’s ideas. Chris and Henry both embrace to not stay on a particular path, to embrace the idea of wanting more in life, and simplicity. Both men’s life choices are examples of Transcendentalism. One of the first examples of transcendentalism is when Chris embraces to not stay on a beaten path. For example, Chris sends Ron a letter telling him to have radical change in his life, to do things that he has never done. McCandless says, “ I think that you should make radical changes in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things in which you may previously have thought of doing”…(Krakauer 56). McCandless wants Ron to experience the life of nomads, Chris’s belief to not stay on a set path, to do his own thing. Thoreau says, “It is remarkable how easily and sensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for yourself …” (Walden). This quote relates to McCandless’s belief to not stay on a set path, to live the extreme, and to not remain doing the same thing for a lifetime. Not having a...
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...relate to his anger of not being heard or even acknowledged for his history in the America’s. Sherman Alexie is a Spokane Coeur d’Alene Indian and he now writes everything from the point of view from his heritage. I read the poem first and then read the brief biography of the author. I found that after reading the biography, I had a much better understanding and more clear and concise grasp of where the author was coming from when he wrote. In analyzing this poem, it seemed that Sherman Alexie was very angry with the white man. He expresses this throughout the poem, but shows the woman who speaks of Walden Pond respect. Sherman appears to only show her respect and continued to listen to the woman described in his words close to the end of the poem, because of her age, he states very pointedly that “I respect elders of every color” indicating to me the woman who was speaking of Walden Pond to him was in fact an elder. Though he was respectful to her, he shared his frustration and ill feelings in many different ways from beginning to end. In the second stanza he states that he “learned little more about American history” during his few days back east but really it seemed as though he could care less in knowing more. He expresses that everyone “should all know of the tribal stories architecture is 15,000 years older than the corners of the house that sits”. As the woman continues to speak, he sits apparently in silence, absorbing her words and lets her continue on with her pride in...
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...Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, published in 1854, is a book composed of the author’s reflections on living simply for several years near Walden Pond. One of the final chapters of this book entitled “Spring” opens the gateway for a physical and metaphorical change in the author’s life. This chapter will be examined through several topics including historical context, the audience, the speaker and the text itself in an attempt to analyze the rhetoric utilized by Thoreau. “Spring” calls forth a transformative and, almost, biblical attitude leading those who read this excerpt to sense the physical changes occurring at Walden Pond. Thoreau, himself, anxiously awaits this seasonal change as it is almost as if the Earth is experiencing a rebirth of its own. “…One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the Spring come in” (Thoreau, 1854, p. 322). Thus, the analysis will commence as the historical context of this chapter is investigated further. When examining the historical context of this chapter from Walden, one must first understand that not only is the transformative period of Walden Pond documented, but it is possible that Thoreau could’ve hinted towards changes within the United States as well. When this book was published, slavery was still very much commonplace and the Kansas-Nebraska Act had just blossomed two new territories. The crescendo of tension over whether these territories would allow slavery spurred the creation...
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...movie Chris McCandless followed to large Transcendentalist ideas: living truly to himself, and living with simplicity. Chris does live the life of a Transcendentalist because he chose to leave everything behind him to live his life honestly, and with simplicity to become happy. Living an honest live is acting and believing on what is best for yourself, not what believe or value. Thoreau in Walden in Conclusion, explains the importance of the individualistic lifestyle for everyone. Thoreau says, “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth” (214). This means knowing the truth is the most important thing to know. Thoreau would rather have truth rather than relationships with others, financial success, and social success. The real truth is hiding and for one to find it must, get away from all of the distractions of...
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