Thoreau's Analysis

Henry Thoreau and Chris McCandless seem very similar. At a first glance when you hear their stories they sound pretty much like the same people in different time periods. Both left normal lives to live off the land and both loved that lifestyle to death. Chris even took inspiration from thoreau and took his book, Walden, into the Alaskan bush with him. However, McCandless and Thoreau are very different in their desire to move, social interactions, and their spiritual journeys.

The excerpt Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, is a piece that explores the purpose of life, especially if it isn 't lived to the fullest. Thoreau starts by sharing the meaning and value of life. His idea of his personal achievement was to live life and die with a sense of peace and knowledge that he did not waste a single moment. He wanted to live life while being true to himself regardless of whether he would find life to be cruel or a wonderful place, and this was a risk he was willing to take. In a modern sense we are intrigued by technology. Although those in favor of technology may say that the new devices and applications do not affect human interaction and our way of living we are, are unable to see that, even in a room filled with people, there is an isolation barrier and an inability to live life to the fullest.

What is the overall message of Thoreau's "Solitude"? Consider the term epiphany, which is a moment of clarity and understanding. Is there such a moment in this essay? If so, what triggers it?

The epigraph in this chapter was a passage from Henry David Thoreau 's “Life in the Woods”. In the excerpt, it explains how phenomenal nature is and how majority of people never take advantage of exploring it and discovering new things. Instead, they continue to live life the way its most accepted in society, “All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality... The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening”. McCandless meets Ronald

In the essay “Resistance to Civil Disobedience” by Thoreau, Thoreau argues about the unjust laws by the government and what we should do to resist their demands. The essay argues against the government and how the government cares very little about what we think. Thoreau lets us know that as a single person we do little effect on the government, but if we were to unify and work together for what is right then we would see a change. Thoreau’s argument on the resistance to civil government is, in fact, effective because he mentions the effectiveness, examples, and our rights to unjust laws.

Henry David Thoreau, born in 1817, is the author of Civil Disobedience, an essay the highlights the importance of individualism and maintaining autonomy within a society that strongly favor majority rule. In 2017, especially within the past election, this is of major significance. In his essay, Thoreau focusses on many ideas, some of the most prevalent being, standing up for what one believes is wrong, no matter the consequences, along with the idea that with the right leaders government can work.

An American Author, Transcendentalist and tax resister, Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord Massachusetts, and lived there most of his life.  He was opposed to many of the things that went on in our society and debated many issues in his life. Two of these major issues are , the Mexican American War and the implement of Slavery in our society. This was the reason for many of his writings include “Slavery in Massachusetts” and “Civil Disobedience” where he wrote about his principles and views against the U.S government and their involvement in the Mexican American War and the evil of Slavery. Thoreau opposed to these because they promote unjust government practices which he was strongly against.

The true meaning of life. What, exactly, can objectively define a life well lived? Henry David Thoreau, a unique and prosperous man with the dedication to reject societal norms he disagreed with, believed his life of simplicity was the answer. His actions led to a life of content happiness, and he is seemingly worshipped for his literature concerning these actions. While he clearly knew how to make himself at peace, Thoreau has proven himself downright atrocious at convincing others to do the same. His allusions, which according to many literary experts are one of his writings’ most prominent features, often are convoluted and irrelevant. In some cases, his usage of rhetoric is actually counterproductive, instantly turning off the audience to his thoughts and ideals. Thoreau, through his use of forced rhetorical

1. Thoreau believed it was disgraceful for him to be associated with the American government because in his time he was battaling against slavery and the Mexican-American war. He was disgusted that we were delusioned about a Manifest Destiny and weren't being rational in regards to our territory.

After reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar,” I can see many similarities between his ideas and the themes of Henry David Thoreau’s writings. Thoreau embodies Emerson’s idea of the American Scholar in several ways.

In Thoreau’s speech From Resistance to Civil Government, the most famous sentence might be: “If one HONEST man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this co-partnership, and be locked up in the country jail, therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America.” Well, if I were to standing by him at that moment, there is one question I want to ask him: “you, as the one HONEST man, has visited the jail already, then are you still giving this speech? Why hasn’t slavery be abolished by now?”

How greatly do you value reading? For Henry David Thoreau, reading is an escape path in which people can find true fulfillment. In chapter three of Walden, Thoreau conveys the relevance of reading to the simplistic and naturalistic lifestyle portrayed throughout the essay by making use of themes such as immortality, through symbols such as mornings. Thoreau creates additional emphasis within a flowing and continuous tone by asking poetic rhetorical questions and using several strong words. By using these rhetorical strategies Thoreau is able to demonstrate his strong belief in the importance of reading

In the early mid-nineteenth century, a philosophical movement known as transcendentalism took root and flourished in America. It evolved into a predominantly literary expression which placed an emphasis on the corruptions of organized religion, political parties, and societal involvement; above all, the movement promoted the wonders of “nature” and its deep connection to the divine. The adherents through transcendentalism believed that knowledge could be arrived through intuition and contemplation of the internal spirit rather than by the means of the senses. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embrace the principles of nature

Here is why I agree with Henry David Thoreau on " The price of anything is the amount of time you exchange for it. One saying is if it comes easy and quick then it will probably not las long!

Reading through his journal, it seems that Thoreau is most committed to his relationship with Nature. Although he is not quite a hermit, it is a rarity for him to spend a significant amount of time in the company of other people. Moreover, when Thoreau reflects upon these interactions in writing, he describes them as being tedious and unfulfilling. Contrastingly, over the course of my life I have found that interactions with other people provide my greatest sense of fulfillment and happiness. I believe that an essential ingredient to living a gratifying life is to try to positively color someone else’s experience. To some degree I believe that Thoreau also felt this way because of his intensions of being a teacher, as well as his efforts in