Dr. Seuss said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” He is saying that one should not care what others negatively think about them because it is irrelevant to the significance of their life. Civil-Disobedience and Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson also give advice on how to make life as meaningful as possible. These pieces of literature all present diverse ways of creating a meaningful existence. Thoreau and Emerson express their opinions about creating a purposeful life through Civil-Disobedience, Self-Reliance, and Walden. In Civil-Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau advises his audience to follow what they think is right, no matter the consequences.
He gave them advice to surround themselves with what made their life a better place. The story is given through his own perspective, in which he points out the mistakes he committed which was not enjoying life. The majority of people surround themselves into society that at the end of the day, they are surrounded by negativity. Therefore, Thoreau mentions, “Time is but the stream I go afishing in” (280). This metaphor brings a mixture of emotions to the himself and his audience because it describes how nothing will stop time, it will continue with or without them.
Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that occurred in America after the Enlightenment and before the Civil War. Transcendental authors espoused closeness with nature while at the same time nonconformity with mainstream society. These ideals were clearly expressed in the literature written by both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. When comparing the the feelings of intimacy and respect held toward nature within this time period it is beneficial to look at both Emerson’s “Nature” and Thoreau’s “Walden”. Within both of these essays the bond between man and nature is portrayed as being positive.
Thoreau uses the metaphor of transcendentalism to suggest the importance of finding inner self; Steinbeck utilizes imagery of existentialism to foreshadow the tragedy of the ending; London illustrates symbolism of naturalism to describe aboriginal instincts. Among three masterpieces, Thoreau illustrates some examples of rebirth considering the transcendental concept -- looking of nature, and eventually states the metaphor as internal growth, building a better self; Steinbeck uses the imagery to make a foreseen tragedy for what Lennie does and to show the survival of the fittest – the social structure controls the individuals; London argues an incisive consideration the underlying symbolism of primitive instincts and eventually, he combines with the naturalism and shows the ancestral memory beneath our civilization. Three great writers create a worldview between human and
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.
At the end of Walden, Thoreau writes “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves”. In recording this belief, people can infer that Thoreau would be distressed with the systematic lives of people today. The repetition of the same activities day after day without adventure would bestow sorrow in his
This quote reminds me of Thoreau, of how he never conformed to what society believes. Thoreau went to Walden for the purpose of strengthening his own mind and following his own beliefs. Why should you do what everyone tells you? Well you should not because you are yourself and not society which
Thoreau uses nature to explain why he thinks a scholarly culture in the United States is essential to the country’s intellectual development. One of the first stances Thoreau uses the term nature is seen in the first main idea of the letter. Thoreau argues that nature is instrumentally important to writers and scholars because one’s natural environment inspires intellectual ideas. The transcendentalist specifically said, “Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows. Every day, men and women, conversing, beholding and beholden.The scholar must needs
He began to do many odd jobs to pay for his expenses. He wrote several books and his most famous on is Walden. Henry David Thoreau’s beliefs were very similar to those of Transcendentalists because Ralph Waldo Emerson introduced him to it when they became friends. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817. As a young boy, he worked on his parents’
Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Merton, were two very influential writers who wrote contemplative works about solitude and developing a connection with nature. Thoreau’s most famous work “Walden” discusses the authors experiences during the two years he lived consciously, in a cabin in the woods, along with the multitude of lessons he learned. Thomas Merton, a twentieth century writer, wrote several letters to Rachel Carson discussing the importance of caring for the environment from a Catholic perspective. While both authors are writing from significantly different backgrounds and different perspectives regarding religion, they both argue that by taking a contemplative and more solitary path in life can make a greater connection with nature and a stronger awareness about one’s self. One of the key differences between Merton’s and Thoreau's philosophies of nature is their opinion and view of religion.