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Slavery According To Thoreau Essay

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Within the novel, slavery is presented in a negative viewpoint by Thoreau, and although he does not directly state his views on abolition he expresses to the reader the idea that slavery is harmful to an individual. He specifically says, “worst of all when you are the slave-driver of yourself”(Thoreau 3). This means that when an individual thinks of themselves with a negative mindset, they are only a slave to themselves, which is not a beneficial attribute to contain. Moreover, if an individual is a “slave-driver” of themselves, they will only be held down and unable to live a simple, free life, the type of life Thoreau promoted. Also, he does address the topic of slavery referring to, “the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery”(Thoreau 3). Thoreau refers to it as “gross” which indicates that he was not a supporter of slavery. This conveys the notion that Thoreau would have been an advocate for abolition
According to Thoreau, how has modern lifestyle contributed to man’s “primitive and low condition”?
According to Thoreau, modern lifestyle has contributed to man’s “primitive and low condition” because individuals have no time to enjoy certain aspects of …show more content…

This uncivilized man is revered by transcendentalist for he lives their ideal lifestyle which is simplistic and efficient. Thoreau regards the “noble-savage” with high admiration because this man chose to live as a savage rather than succumb to the lavish and unnecessary lifestyle of civilized men, freeing him from being corrupt. It could be asserted that these “noble-savages” are in theory, the Native American tribes he observes. Moreover, these tribes did not follow the normal traditions, making them pariahs in a civilized society. Their savage ways will free them from being corrupted from the lifestyle a civilized individual

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