Rhetorical Analysis Of Thoreau's Higher Laws
Thoreau, in his chapter on “Higher Laws” from Walden, uses rhetorical devices to emphasis his purpose that in order to find out who you really are, you have to seclude yourself from the presence of others and live a simple life and focus on your individuality in order to control the necessities and priorities of one’s life. The use of these rhetorical devices are evident in the relationship he establishes with his audience through rhetorical appeals and devices. The use of rhetorical appeals in “Higher Laws” helps to establish Thoreau’s credibility, the logic behind his claim, and connect on a personal level with the reader. The use of the natural prairie hunter and the fisherman in paragraph one establishes Thoreau’s logic behind his claim by …show more content…
The use of pathos affects the purpose by contrasting two different emotions in the same sentence to emphasis that sometimes you have to do something that isn’t so pleasant to bring a feeling of accomplishment and bliss when you are living a simple life. The use of Organization in “Higher Laws” helps relate the purpose to the reader.The use of Imagery in the first paragraph establishes Thoreau’s desire to engulf himself in nature and and the thrills that nature brings him. When he says “I caught a glimpse of a woodchuck…and felt a strange thrill of delight… and was tempted to seize and devour him…,” Thoreau uses his senses to stress the importance of nature and the feelings that it brings. Thoreau uses periodic sentences throughout his writings such as “I have found repeatedly, of late years, that I cannot fish without falling a little in self-respect,” to emphasis the individual in nature and the importance of the individual and the role that individual plays in the possibility of simplicity in nature. The use of anaphora helps to relate back to the purpose as using the quote from Thseng-tseu "The soul not being mistress of
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