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Henry David Thoreau Rhetorical Analysis

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Thoroughly Reading Thoreau (An Analysis on the works of Henry David Thoreau) There are many classic writers that have come out of America. Many have made large impacts on the world and have truly changed the way literature is read. Inside there works, there are hidden meanings and messages written between the lines that readers are able to pull apart and study daily.Henry David Thoreau is an American writer whose works are studied daily in English classes and in other settings. He taught people that it’s okay to look at the world with a different perspective than other people. Thoreau once stated, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination” (Thoreau). Throughout his life he made a positive impact on people, and still continues to do so, even though he has been gone for over 100 years. In the works of Thoreau, there are three messages presented, which are imagination is important to have, every person is rich in their own way, it is okay to question authority to a certain extent. To begin, Thoreau’s works present a clear message that show that having an imagination is not an attribute to be ashamed of, but …show more content…

In his mind, Thoreau was able to buy dozens of properties with riches that he did not own. “I had but ten cents in the world…” (380). The writer clearly did not have an abundance of wealth in any way, shape or form, but the money he had is not what made him rich. His humility in any situation is what made him rich. His attitude in any aspect is what made him wealthy. While Thoreau’s riches may not have been tangible, the riches were still there in his mind. A designer put it best when she said, “There are people who have money and people who are rich” (Chanel). That statement shows that it doesn’t matter what kind of riches you may have in this lifetime, because in the end, the intangible riches are the ones that will matter the

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