Walden What I Lived For Analysis

Ariel Rosales August 09, 2023 AP English Johnson Walden Henry David Thoreau, in the novel “Walden” (1854), claimed that by simplifying one’s life one could gain a deeper connection with the world around them, finding the meaning of life. Supporting his desired message, the novel introduces imagery to allow the readers to gain a visual on what Thoreau experiences while living a self-reliant life. The author uses imagery to persuade the reader that decreasing distractions would allow one to live a simple and efficient life. Thoreau uses a condescending tone through logos delivering his view on decreasing needs in life to man and is trusted because he is a man who speaks from experiences leaving the reader trusting of him because he appears

In the chapter titled Where I Lived, and What I Lived For from Henry David Thoreau’s novel Walden, the author utilizes rhetorical strategies such as imagery and tone to convey how the distractions that accompany a progressing civilization corrupts society. Since he is a transcendentalist, his argument encapsulates the same principles of becoming free from the binds of society and seeking harmony with nature. He emphasizes those ideals when he states that “[he] went to the woods because he wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if [he] could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when [he] came to die, discover that [he] had not lived”(276). In other words, he wanted to escape from society and live

In Henry David Thoreau’s essay, “Walking”, he exemplifies a walk in the woods. Thoreau describes his feelings and the surroundings when he walks. He walks further and further into different landscapes. Thoreau argues in his essay that the things that humans have created in this world are all minimal and irrelevant to the world and nature itself. Thoreau argues that all these things that occupy our lives are minimalistic in the eyes of nature.

1. Thoreau uses antithesis to describe his purpose for going to live in the woods to show that if he does the opposite it will be unfortunate. His contradicting points set balance to the first paragraph. If he just put that he wanted to live in the woods, his argument would not have started out as strong. By offering both points of view, he reaches out to a greater audience.

Throughout history there has been a constant, man’s desire to experience new things. Two men that come to mind are Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau. Both men shared a similar reason for traveling into the wild. The differences in their journey’s that led to McCandless’s death and Thoreau’s success is the preparation and approach to the journey’s. Even though Chris failed on his journey he still was very much like Thoreau wanting to leave society in search for enlightenment.

Henry David Thoreau stated in Walden 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 had not lived... I wanted 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” (“What I Lived For 59). The transcendental lifestyle, as explained by Thoreau, is structured by the beliefs of purifying the mind and body from the corruption of modern society and its materialistic ideals. Embracing the spiritual aspects that nature provides allows us to grow physically and intellectually as a human, and ultimately finding our individual purposes in life. Both the book, Into the

He instills imagery that elicits feelings that may not have already resided in the reader. Quite disturbing by 1840’s standards, his vivid and descriptive language could be from 20th century modernism: “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies…they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones” By subjecting the audience to the forms of discomfort associated with dehumanization, they may feel like an outside observer of their own thoughts or body, and will realize what is really in control over their thoughts and actions. Readers become be more open to recognize that perhaps not all their decisions are freely willed, especially those related to civil responsibility. The author uses this as an opportunity to delve deeper into the possibilities of free will under nationalism. Thoreau makes the claim that virtuous actions are only made through free choice.

Thoreau also related to the world, imprisoning him when he said: “I found myself suddenly neighbor to the birds; not by having imprisoned one but having caged myself near them”. That makes me think about how Thoreau was given a life to be free or to be caged, just as well as any person does too. You can be the puppet of society and live, how the government tells you to live as or not be the puppet and defy what society has to tell you about life and live as you would want to. A rhetorical device Thoreau used to be logos mixed with pathos to convey the reader to see as he sees such as “live free and uncommitted” that would move a person to think living free is what I want and if it 's uncommitted then I’ll take it in my opinion.

The bold and brash approach on life by transcendentalists was truly an ambitious lifestyle. Such individuals like Henry David Thoreau, Chris McCandless, and Jon Krakauer have renounced all of their mainstream agendas to lead a more fundamental life, but not without the criticism other have faced. The actions portrayed in their novels demonstrate how important it is to incorporate others’ ideas when one’s own choices. As the world was in the midst of transforming, Henry David Thoreau yearned to yield away from the evolving world, as he considered them corrupt opportunists who are deprived of their true nature.

In Walden and Resistance to Civil Government, Henry David Thoreau the author, uses the rhetorical strategies of personification, metaphor, and allusion/symbolism in the chapter “Conclusion” to describe what he learned from his experiment of living in Walden Pond. Thoreau’s main message of what he learned is to be undefined by what’s in front. Without the limits of conformity, humans have the capacity to achieve much greater and beautiful dreams and goals. Conformity is the boundary that doesn’t let individuals reach their great potential. Thoreau uses effective personification to imply the significance of following one’s dreams confidently.

The key to deconstructing Thoreau's argument is to understand his hierarchy of government and the individual. Thoreau's ideal communion between the individual and the state is manifest by the individual as a "higher and independent power". This relationship is entertained in Civil Disobedience in the analysis of Thoreau's 1846 imprisonment, in which Thoreau demonstrated freedom as an internal and subjective

Why I Went to the Woods by Henry David Thoreau is a piece of literature taken from the book Walden that discusses Thoreau’s desire to experience life and it's meaning by living by the most simple terms possible. Thoreau lived off the land, built his own home, hunted and fished his own food. Through these things, Thoreau experienced how life is lived without luxury and only with the raw basics. Although his passion for the natural world shows through his writing his goal is not to persuade others to follow in his footsteps by going out and living in nature. Thoreau wanted others to follow him by living their best life which would be achieved by following their passions and the things they enjoy.

Having described the main characteristics of both, Emerson and Thoreau, at this point is significant to contextualize the texts “Self-reliance” (1841) and the second chapter of “Walden” (1854) to analyze the figurative language the authors

Henry David Thoreau especially supported the interaction between man and nature. With his experiment at Walden, he addresses a modern concept known as minimalism, focusing on the way one must supply for himself with his basic necessities. His intentions were not to isolate himself, but moreso to separate himself from a life dependent upon others. Through his actions, he is able to criticise society and many of their needs.

He does not disdain human companionship; in fact he values it when it comes on his own terms, as when his philosopher or poet friends come to call. Thoreau calls for people to be givers rather than takers in the economic game of life by “living deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life” (410). Thoreau claims that by reducing the unnecessary excess in our life, one can then contribute to society and give more than they take. Thoreau suggests on how to embark upon how to reduce the unnecessary items in our life by “[letting our] affairs be two or three, [and] instead of three meals a day, [eat] but one” (410). Thoreau also introduces the concept that self-reliance can be spiritual as well as economic, and explores the higher dimensions of individualism.