StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
He was also a Transcendentalist and an active supporter of stopping slavery. Most of all, he had a passion for nature and the environment. It is his passion for nature and his…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97% of users find it useful
WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU"

Download file to see previous pages

His vision of a successful life, having actually following through on the suggestions he received from his inner self, was to remove himself from society in order to connect himself more solidly with nature, the source of all goodness and truth. His ultimate goal was to perhaps inspire others to follow in his footsteps at least as far as learning more about the inner self through a more intimate connection with outer nature. Within a chapter entitled “Solitude” in his book Walden, Thoreau compares his experience in the wilderness with the experience of ‘civilized’ living in terms of communication, companionship and engagement, all of which suggest the same kind of closer identification with the natural world in all areas of life.

The first concept involved in Thoreau’s consideration of the question of solitude could be considered the opposite of solitude in the form of communication. He begins this chapter of his book with a paragraph that highlights the deep sense of communication he gains with nature as he takes an evening stroll. The first sentence captures much of the essence of the rest of the paragraph when he says, “This is a delicious evening, when the whole body is one sense, and imbibes delight through every pore” (Thoreau 107).

He goes on to describe the temperature as perfectly attuned to his own sense of correct feeling, the sounds of the bullfrogs and whippoorwills as just the right note for the moment and the breathless sympathy he feels for the falling leaves of the forest, “yet, like the lake, my serenity is rippled but not ruffled” (Thoreau 107). As the evening closes down, he gains a sense of the reaffirmation of life as the night hunters begin their prowl. Thus he gains a sense of himself by being in tune with the evening regardless of where he is.

This is contrasted against the more distant communication he shares with his fellow man, many

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1559868-walden-or-life-in-the-woods-by-henry-david-thoreau
(WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU Essay)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1559868-walden-or-life-in-the-woods-by-henry-david-thoreau.
“WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1559868-walden-or-life-in-the-woods-by-henry-david-thoreau.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF WALDEN, OR LIFE IN THE WOODS BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Thoreaus Conscience about Economic Progress

Discussion henry david thoreau spent some time thinking about the relationship between conscience and self-expression, as evidenced by his masterpiece Walden.... Thoreau belief that materialism is a clouded filter through one might view life led him to simplify his life in this way, for he really believed that the meaning of life may only be revealed when a man strips his outer habits down.... To this end, thoreau was critical of the man whose habits reveal him to be materialistic, for these are the men, according to thoreau, who do not know anything....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Henry David Thoreau: Walden

In trying to prove that the poet is representative, the work Walden by henry david thoreau shall be relied upon.... Name: Course: Instructor: Date: henry david thoreau: Walden Emerson lists several qualities of being a poet.... I have settled on henry david thoreau and his work Walden.... From the outset, it is a bit too obvious that henry david thoreau was an extremely unselfish poet.... henry david thoreau details his reasons for going into the woods as follows....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Henry David Thoreau's Economy: Comparison and Contrast

Thoreau demonstrated that spiritual bankruptcy of a life dictated by possessions when he decided to live in the woods by himself and to try to make a life there that is simplified.... The novel Picture of Dorian Gray and the thesis “Economy,” from henry david thoreau's Walden have completely different ways of presenting the same thesis – that materialism is generally bad, and leads to a shallow and unfulfilling life.... henry david thoreau makes the same claim in “Economy,” but makes it in a totally different way....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau also sets out from the civilization he lives in and lives a free life in the woods where he can rise and fall in his thoughts and can admire nature at length and at his will.... Abstract This paper aims to identify how a Merlin Hawk symbolizes the behavior and to some extent the person henry david thoreau himself.... To write this paper, henry david thoreau's expeditions were read in detail.... hellip; henry david thoreau spent two years near Walden Pond living a life of solitude....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Henry David Thoreau and Walden

henry david thoreau focused his writings on how man was affected by nature.... thoreau introduced an idea of man as an individual, rather than a subject, by thoroughly describing the way a citizen should live in many of his works.... thoreau's essay, "Civil Disobedience," accentuated personal ethics and responsibility.... One night in July in 1846, during his stay at Walden, thoreau was walking into Concord from the pond when he was approached by the jailer, and charged with not paying his poll tax....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Walden: Thoreaus Spiritual Vision of Unity with Nature and the Significance of Self-Expression

hellip; henry david thoreau was a writer and philosopher whose work has influenced his contemporaries and future generations of writers and artists, naturalists and environmentalists, philosophers and politicians.... The purpose of the assignment "Walden: thoreau's Spiritual Vision of Unity with Nature and the Significance of Self-Expression" is to critically discuss H.... thoreau's vision of the highest form of self-expression with reference to his book entitled "Walden"....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Inferring from the Writing of Henry David Thoreau

In the essay “Inferring from the Writing of henry david thoreau” the author analyses inferring from the writing of henry david thoreau, particularly his work on Walden.... hellip; The author states that this is best encapsulated in the passage of thoreau's Walden “to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Henry David Thoreaus Work and Modern Environmental Thinking

The paper "henry david thoreau's Work and Modern Environmental Thinking" states that henry david thoreau is one of the philosophers who deserve recognition as having played a critical role in environmental preservation.... nbsp;… Although henry david thoreau received little regard during his lifetime, his works gained popularity after his death and have since remained influential in the modern perspectives on environmental protection....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us