Thoreau Essay example - 569 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Henry David Thoreau was man of simplicity, and if he were to experience life in Cary, he would not only be surprised, but disappointed in humanity itself. Thoreau believed in the necessities of life, nothing more, and the people of Cary live lives exactly the opposite. Cary residents live lives of material possessions, business, and over-complexity. These traits of society are precisely opposite of Thoreau’s†¦show more content†¦nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Indeed, we toil the best of our days, and â€Å"fritter away our lives by detail. ( )†, in order to earn the perishable items we acquire by destroying the ever resilient gift we have been given. We all live â€Å"meanly, likes ants†¦ ( )†, and we forget to stop and look at our lives from a different perspective. In fact, our minds are constipated with thoughts we entertain to feel important, and do the job, to once again achieve greatness through our â€Å"things.† Our lives are so complex for such unjust reasons, and we all ponder the question that a wise man once asked, â€Å"why, should we live with such hurry and waste of life? ( )† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Furthermore, our lives are lived so shallowly and are filled with the frail, irrelevant things, and not the pulp of life. We think of time as the last peanut butter remaining in the jar we go scraping for, whereas Thoreau views time as â€Å"the stream I go a-fishing in. ( )† Thoreau stresses simplicity, yet we only feel important by living complexity. The people of Cary live lives almost equivalent to that of bees. We work hard, but relax almost never. We have five televisions, but not five minutes to spare. In the eyes of the people of Cary, complexity is modern. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Again, Thoreau would look upon Cary as a symbol of the society of disgrace, for we are constantly conquered by our schedules, obsessed with our toys, andShow MoreRelated Emerson and Thoreau791 Words   |  4 Pagesand Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays â€Å"Self-Reliance† and â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In â€Å"Self-Reliance†, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in â€Å"Civil Disobedience† Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government. Both Thoreau and Emerson argueRead MoreThoreau And Transcendentalism1518 Words   |  7 Pagesmust be slaves† is a political statement that never lost its topicality during the Romantic era. 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Thoreau based his whole philosophy on the fact that man needed to get rid of material things in order to be an individual. An exquisitely educated man, Thoreau went to Harvard, which placed heavy emphasis on the classics. Thoreau studied a curriculum that included grammar and composition, mathematics, English, history, and various philosophies. He also spoke fluently in Italian, FrenchRead MoreRousseau, Thoreau, And Marx1238 Words   |  5 PagesRousseau, Thoreau, and Marx discuss man’s alienation from nature and his/her natural conscience, which is sublated by material consciousnesses that are symbolic of: luxury, liberty, and capital. The alienating effects in the transition from feudalism to the modern state are grounded within: the luxury of â€Å"commerce and money† (Rousseau, â€Å"Science and Arts,† 16); onto a false sense of liberty in â€Å"commerce and agriculture† (Thoreau, â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† 228); then towards capital in â€Å"commerce†Read MoreHenry David Thoreau4404 Words   |  18 PagesHenry David Thoreau INTRODUCTION Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian , philosopher andtranscendentalist. Henry David Thoreau was a complex man of many talents who worked hard to shape his craft and his life. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moralRead More Thoreau and Transcendentalism Essays778 Words   |  4 Pagesimportance of life. Henry David Thoreau was a staunch supporter of the movement. Thoreau felt that a person lived a good life by following his conscience and instincts. He also felt that materialism was a sure way to distract a person from leading a good and moral life. Thoreau proposed for the government to be involved in as little of a citizens life as possible; he felt too much government control just complicated a persons life. Like most Transcend entalists, Thoreau believed there was a direct