Inferring from the Writing of Henry David Thoreau - Essay Example

Teacher In your opinion, what creates magic in an essay? What is effective, how and why? Inferring from the writing of Henry David Thoreau, particularly his work on Walden, I believe that it is simplicity and reflection that creates magic in an essay. This is best encapsulated in the passage of Thoreau’s Walden “to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.” (73). Simplicity in this passage is articulated in the reduction of life “to its lowest terms” and to “live so sturdily and Spartan-like” so one may live a life of reflection that would “put to rout all that was not life”. Its benefit is a life of reflection that would allow one to “suck the marrow of life” or to be able to understand the essence of life. The message of simplicity and reflection that emanates from the works of Thoreau teaches us on how to create magic in an essay because the readers are able to relate what we are trying to say as it came from our hearts. After all, the magic of an essay depends on how it touches its reader and the best way to touch the reader is to write from the heart as what Thoreau’s writings teach. Also, the values of simplicity and reflection that are present in Thoreau’s works are now seemingly gone with pervasive materialism, insecurity and skepticism. Thus, Thoreau’s works are like a charm because it remind and ground students about the lost value of simplicity, reflection and self-reliance. It makes a good reminder to students about the essence of life by engaging us to a work of genius that reflects about what really matters in life. By truly understanding Thoreau and his work, we may realize that life is really not that complex and in fact can be better lived if we live in simplicity and reflection. This understanding helps us create our own magic in our own compositions because we are able to move our readers in a manner that Thoreau moved his readers albeit ours may be to a lesser degree. To be able to understand Thoreau’s magic in writing, it would be necessary to know him and examine his influences. This would enable us to know and understand where the magic came from, and with this understanding we may develop our own sense of magic in our writings. Thoreau’s Walden is a product of a social experiment of how life would be in one is to live an ascetic life. This social experiment is consistent with the writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-reliance” who was Thoreau’s teacher and role model. Both delved into transcendental philosophy through the exploration of the higher dimension of the self through non-conformity (Emerson) and simplicity (Thoreau). Self-reliance as put forth by Emerson and Thoreau is the independence of the self that does not subscribe to the “foolish consistency [which] is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines” (Emerson 7) and independence which is free from any unwarranted neediness that enables one to appreciate existence better as articulated by Thoreau. Emerson begun the transcendentalist thought by urging people to seek solitude to be attuned with their own self. Emerson urges to be our own genius, that is, “to believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men” and not to fall prey to the coercion of society to conform, which according to Emerson is the “hobgoblin of little minds” that conspires against the manhood of every one of its members (Emerson 1). This can be accomplished by freeing oneself from living a “simple lifestyle” that is devoid from the trappings which the society impose as reflected in the works of Thoreau in Walden. For Thoreau in his book Walden, he clearly defined simplicity as by reducing desire. Thus, in his Walden Pond experiment, he embarked on his social experiment that would give him a clearer insight about life and appreciate the experience of existence better through a grounded living. To quote Thoreau; I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms" (Thoreau 73). This passage talked about living in the woods to better understand life. Student today may not have to go to this extreme but we should be able to live deeply and “suck the marrow of life” (Thoreau 73). Sucking the marrow of life however must not be misconstrued by modern students as an encouragement to live an indulgent life full of vice but rather, to live a life of essence and reflection, to be true to ourselves and to be happy not because we acquired a lot of things but because we discovered what life is really all about. In a way, this could be a realization or could be a good source of inspiration for students that it is actually better to be true to ourselves than to give in to the pressure of society, media and peers. It is in this state that the mind will be free from the worldly distraction that would enable our minds to reflect. It is in this state of reflection that one is able to express compelling emotions that appeals to others because it is an emotion that everyone feels but seldomly expressed. It is in this state of reflection that we are able to fathom our true self that would enable us to express emotions that is not only felt, but also one that moves others. Thus, the magic is created because the words that were written is transformed from a mere text to a canister of human emotion that makes the reader leap with joy, gnash their teeth in anger, hopeful with their future and many more human emotions that makes us human beings. If Thoreau is still alive today, he probably would have protested if he will be categorized as part of the mainstream system that he criticized during his time. He would have protested vigorously and even harshly because the values that mainstream society upholds today are directly opposite to what he was advocating in his work during his time. For example, Thoreau was such a stickler for a simple and ascetic life that to illustrate this, he had to live in the woods evident with this passage; "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary” (Thoreau 73). Thoreau rejects all kinds of materialism and despised the mundane life. This is very evident in his work entitled Walden where he professed his love for the outdoors, simplicity, reflection and study. He sought to understand life, to be able to suck the marrow out of it not by living in an indulgent lifestyle but living deeply, to fathom nature, that through this deep reflection, he tasted life at its fullest. Thoreau may be too deep for a modern student to fully understand but if only we can digest some of the values that he manifested in his work Walden, students today would become less materialistic and more appreciated of the true meaning of life thus enabling us to create magic by being sincere and simple in our own narrations. Thoreau may have delivered a minimalist message in his work Walden but it can never be considered a nominal literature. Just as his simplicity begets reflection that compels one to write human emotion that moves us, the manner he expresses them are equally lofty. He wrote in a language that characterizes precision, loft and insight conjured by a mind that is cultivated by the contemplative serenity of pastoral solitude. He advocated simplicity that is written is in a precise and lofty language making his writings compelling because it is written with such lucidity that one cannot mistake its message in a prose that would satisfy the palate of the senses of his readers. This simplicity and reflection expressed in a lofty articulation creates magic that charms the reader. This lesson of living with reflection and writing it in a precise and lofty language is suited for students to study to improve our writing skills and probably could explain why Thoreau’s work is a requirement for us students to study. It is because of the lessons it teaches that can be encapsulated in Emerson’s assertion for us to be our own genius and to understand life which is “ to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms” (Thoreau 73). I believe that this is where the heart of the magic lies – to suck the marrow of life and to live simply or in its lowest form. This passage is very much applicable for us because as young people, we often fall prey to the manipulation of society, media and peer pressure that we ascribe our value for what others think of us and not what we think of ourselves. As a result, we lost our sense of self providing us layers of pretension that deprives magic in our essays. Thoreau’s work teaches us a healthy sense of self-confidence, to be truthful to ourselves and not to seek approval from others. This mind set and sincere sense of self and simplicity ingrained to us by studying Thoreau would reflect in our writings helping us to create magic in our own way. It is not only the substance that teaches us to “suck the marrow of life” that we can learn from Thoreau. Thoreau may have advocated simplicity in his writing Walden but the way he expressed it bears the marks of an educated man as they were crafted with such lucidity and precision which is borne of study and reflection. This combination of reflective thought expressed in a lofty language move us readers that we are easily convinced with whatever position his arguments may take which in itself a magic. Magic in an essay is not about creating the impossible but rather by putting charm in our compositions that enthral and affect our readers. The feeling that it emits may be joy, anger, inspiration, desperation, hope, anguish or whatever human emotion for as long it touches the reader. It becomes a magic because we put our readers in a spell by capturing their imagination through the written text- that they are able to understand and feel exactly the way we would like to be understood and felt and in the end, to adopt the argument that we are espousing not with the use of fancy words but rather by precise words that are derived from contemplative reflection that accurately narrates our common experiences as human beings. Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance."Self-Reliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2014. Read More