StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Walden by Henry David Thoreau - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The essay "Walden by Henry David Thoreau" is an autobiography, in which the author appears the main character and the narrator, a transcendentalist, who disregards material things and people who are focused on them, appreciates nature and focuses on mulling over spiritual and societal problems…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.5% of users find it useful
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Walden by Henry David Thoreau"

By this, he delivers himself as quite an eccentric person who is looking for the answers to questions that bother him a lot, for example, those that deal with spiritual and social problems. In addition to this, the narrator explicitly demonstrates his somewhat scornful attitude to people and believes that life is a great gift bestowed on people, and many of them cannot use it properly.

More specifically, he shows that he is disappointed in people wondering why many of them attach themselves to material things and forget about spirituality. At the same time, the narrator delivers himself as a true lover and admirer of nature. He tends to show his love and appreciation to every part of nature, whether alive or not, and talks about them with awe. In other words, the narrator acts as and sticks to the ideas of Transcendentalism.For those, who have not read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, the main character and narrator of the peace can be described as a person who wants to simplify his life but, on the contrary, makes it more complex because there are contradictions that struggle in his mind.

For example, despite his appreciation and love of nature, he expresses an ambivalent attitude towards the impact of people on nature. At first, he argues against using natural resources in order to get material gain; on the other hand, he uses these resources for personal advantage. In addition to this, the narrator is a bit arrogant as it sometimes seems he considers himself to be superior to other people because he has managed to deal with his longing for material gain; he even calls his friend on whose land he lives by surname.

At the same time, the narrator is a wise and insightful person. In particular, he is very skeptical when it comes to society, he looks below the surface, criticizes American consumerism, and even foretells it flourish in the future. Thoreau is also determined and persistent to accomplish what he has planned to do. Finally, he appears to be a well-educated person as he is able to apply his knowledge of Ancient Greek literature to life and accepts it as a way of seeing and understanding the world around him.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Walden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1662310-walden
(Walden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1662310-walden.
“Walden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1662310-walden.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Walden by Henry David Thoreau

A Lethal Lack of Industry. Walden by Henry David Thoreau

In a day and age that promotes ultra-environmentalism, anti-capitalism, and naturalism as politically correct and spiritually savvy ideals by which to live, henry david thoreau, famed author and naturalist, has taken on a new popularity – as a New Age guru, if you will.... This sentiment is capitulated by one literary critic, who notes, “and indeed, we've solved smog no thanks to henry david, (McKibben 11), and goes on to state that smog is not as bad today as it was a century ago in Los Angeles, due to better technology....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Common Strands Regarding Man's Role

Student Professor Doe English 344 8 May 2000 Common Strands Regarding Man's Role in Government in Walden and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Separated by almost 50 years of American history, the composition Walden, by henry david thoreau, and The Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin, both reflect the values of the time in which the authors wrote.... Many have a much different idea of man's role in government, an idea that has its origin in the writing and historical period of henry david thoreau....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Henry David Thoreau: Walden

In trying to prove that the poet is representative, the work Walden by Henry David Thoreau shall be relied upon.... Name: Course: Instructor: Date: henry david thoreau: Walden Emerson lists several qualities of being a poet.... I have settled on henry david thoreau and his work Walden.... From the outset, it is a bit too obvious that henry david thoreau was an extremely unselfish poet.... henry david thoreau details his reasons for going into the woods as follows....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Analysis from walden

From Walden" by henry david thoreau Today, a lot is said about life and how it is to truly live.... The chosen text “From Walden” by henry david thoreau has indeed brought up many interesting insights about life and nature and how both can perfectly co-exist to benefit each other.... “From Walden” by henry david thoreau is indeed a literary piece that talks about the realities of life and how to soar high while you're at it instead of falling rock hard down....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Transcendentalism in Walden by Henry David Thoreau

This paper aims to examine the main principles of transcendentalism in the light of a book "Walden; or, Life in the Woods" written by Thoreau, henry david.... 'What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true to-day may turn out to be falsehood to-morrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had trusted for a cloud that would sprinkle fertilizing rain on their fields' (thoreau, 7).... 'What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true to-day may turn out to be falsehood to-morrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had trusted for a cloud that would sprinkle fertilizing rain on their fields' (thoreau, 7)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

The Different Meanings of Thoreaus Statement

This is a famous quote from Walden by Henry David Thoreau.... This is a famous quote from Walden by Henry David Thoreau.... This discussion will therefore explore the different meanings of thoreau's statement.... orks CitedThoreau, henry.... walden....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Critiquing an Argument

He claims man is just a member of society.... First man was created by God and was placed as the most special creature he ever created and was kept in charge of all his creation that means he has to be part and parcel of.... ... ...
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Critiquing an Argument

Conservationists like henry david thoreau put down the foundation of present environmentalism by conveying attention to the beauty and value of nature and manipulating us to take on the accountability of regarding this intricate system.... For thoreau, the figurative deep South was just two miles away; Agreement, though it restricted family and friends, was a kind of prison people were not aware they were in, imprisoned by materialism and conventionality (Murphy 47)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us