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Thoreau's view of nature
Thoreau's view of nature
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Economy and materialism are concepts that come up every day in the life of Americans. Those who are not from America may think the way Americans live is strange and wasteful and they’d be right in their thinking that. Americans are consumed by consumerism and the need to buy things because there is always some new and improved version of what was purchased two weeks ago. Although it is said that Americans are too materialistic, the truth is that materialistic does not quite cover the near obsession with the latest and greatest that Americans have. In America it is more common for a nine year old child to own the latest cell phone than it is for them to own a book. Americans are obsessed with the “labor-savers and gadgets that [they] have become addicted too” (Berry). Americans take upgrading to a whole new level; in America one could go and buy a fancy new cell phone and in just a few short months that phone is out dated and old because there is a brand new one already out. It has also become a competition of who has the best or the latest in technology. It is not just technology that people compete with but other goods to be bought like clothes and houses and even furniture and appliances. People as a whole are consumed by and possessed with the need to buy things and have better than their neighbors because it makes them feel superior and better than others and no one wants to feel lesser than someone else. People need a better approach to life, it was put best by Thoreau who said “it is necessary that we be troubled, or, at least, careful” (Thoreau). What he said could be interpreted as people need to be mindful of what they are doing lest it turn out badly, this can be implemented to the obsession of consumerism and materi... ... middle of paper ... ...one wants to be outdone by another thus the reason to have the latest and greatest in everything including cell phones, tablets, houses, cars, and clothing. People will even get competitive about whose kitchen appliances are newer and more state of the art. It all comes down to the fact that people are too materialistic for their own good. Works Cited Berry, Wendell. "Waste." Language of Composition. Boston; New York: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2008. 481-483. Print. Galbraith, John K. "The Dependence Effect." Language of Composition. Boston; New York: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2008. 477-479. Print. Rose, Phyllis. "Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today." Language of Composition. Boston; New York: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2008. 479-481. Print. Thoreau, Henry D. "Economy." Language of Composition. Boston; New York: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2008. 474-477. Print
Tocqueville wrote that Americans are inherently more materialistic than European peoples for three reasons. First, Americans have freed themselves by rejecting “a territorial aristocracy” of hierarchical societal structures on the “soil of America.” By doing so, “the distinctions of ranks are obliterated and privileges are destroyed,” therefore causing “the desire of acquiring the comforts of the world” to haunt “the imagination of the poor, and the dread of losing them that of the rich.” Second, in an egalitarian society, where every citizen has an equal opportunity “the most marked inequalities do not strike the eye; when everything is nearly on the same level, the slightest are marked enough to hurt i...
America’s current standard of living is going to cause our demise. Consumerism is a problem throughout Americans culture since mass production began in the late nineteenth century. The obsession with consumerism has led to mindless wastes of resources, a diseased society and economic instability. Rick Wolff, a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts, states “economics of capitalism spread consumerism—now uncontrolled, ecologically harmful, and fiscally disastrous—throughout the United States”. Wolff’s viewpoint on consumerism aligns with mine. Believing that an economy based on promoting endless consumption is volatile and unsustainable. Consumerism can be analyzed and seen to be embedded by corporations and politicians.
With no limits, people always want more. Quality begins to take the backseat to quantity, and that is why today we are bombarded with fast food and fast fashion. It bred materialism into society and now people care too much about things rather than people. In this article, I noticed nothing about the brotherhood that comes with freedom, only the material goods and the greed. When the glories of the frontier age were starting to be forgotten, Americans started to worry if their country was still truly the best. There were so many new things to worry about, and the economy was one of them. It no longer was a friend but a foe as people began to earn less compared to inflation and the cost of
“One hundred and thirty-thousand computers are thrown out every day in the U.S., and over one hundred million cell phones every year” (CBS News). We live in a materialistic society where more is good and the newer the better. In our fast paced lives companies used this to their advantage to continual bring out newer upd...
As demonstrated in Henry David Thoreau’s passage from Economy, Wendell Berry’s from Waste, and John Kenneth Galbraith’s passage from The Dependence Effect, America’s overly advancing society thrusts ideas like materialism and the “love of buying” into the interior of every American’s mind. Even the American Dream, a fundamental notion to our nation, now unites all people of all cultures under materialism and greed. The highly capitalist American society distorts values such as the “quest for freedom” into a search for cash and the frontiers no longer exist. America’s increased production yields the increased wants of consumers and as Galbraith states, “One man’s consumption becomes his neighbor’s wish (479).” With this reckoning, the more wants satisfied, the more new ones born. Berry, on the other hand, more out rightly attacks America’s capitalist economy and the wastes it has produced when saying “The truth is that we Americans, all of us, have become a kind of human trash, living our lives in the midst of ubiquitous damned mess of which we are at once the victims and the perpetrators (485).” America’s corporate capitalism and consumerism culture undermines our well-being in that we deplete Earth's limited resources, produce excess waste, and indulge excessively in unnecessary luxuries that ultimately result in our unhappiness and financial downfall, while trapping us in an endless cycle of dependency.
Materialism is the tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values, is a philosophy that places a high value on objects, usually considering them to be more valuable than life experiences or relationships. Society today has become a world created by the media that seems better than real life, and people indulge in new products and experiences that promise to be better than the real thing. It has become vital to develop ways of promoting well-being, social justice and spirituality in a society that has now become one that focus’ on materialism.
Have you ever wanted something, an item or material so badly that you would do anything or give up anything for it? Well, guess what? Materials are not a necessary thing in your life. Materialism is ruining people's lives to the point where it is their occupation. In today’s society materialism take part in every person’s life, no matter where they are from or what social class they are.
Why is this? Is it because many companies are releasing new devices all the time? This is all true, but one of the core reasons is because of our needs and demands which is causing the world to collapse. The fossil fuels that we burn to keep our cars going have caused CO2 to be release into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change in the recent years. Because of us, the CO2 has risen higher than it 's been in the last 800,000 years. All of this technology and computer science plays a big part in climate changes all around the world. Think back to 20 years ago, no one ever thought that electric cars would exist and become a regular sight, but through technology and science people have found ways to create mankind 's wildest dreams. Now a day, people are become so dependent on technology that they are so lazy that they prefer to drive rather than walk to a local shop. We have become so dependent on technology that we are polluting the environment without knowing it. This is not a positive thing, after a few years this could be the end of the world.
Materialism leads people to be financially irresponsible. People are more likely to buy certain products because
Moreover, new technology advances are being produced every day, so people fantasise over them. Technological progress have driven the society unconditionally deranged. People always pursue the latest IPhone, tablet, or laptop, having possession of those items makes them feel “popular”, and
Henry David Thoreau discusses his judgements on people’s daily lives in chapter one, “Economy”, of Walden. Thoreau opens by noting that while he wouldn’t normally divulge so many details about his life, he had been questioned many times on his mode of living. He goes on to state that people need to live simpler lives by not being so chained money, and that the only things one truly needs in life are food, fuel, clothing and shelter. Subsequently, Thoreau notes that he was able to build a cabin at a low cost, and how he was able to make a profit farming a small lot of beans. Throughout the chapter “Economy”, Thoreau demonstrates how his commentary on the economics of living is rightly portrayed as insulting to the American public.
Myerson, Joel. The Cambridge Companion to Henry David Thoreau. New York: Cambridge UP, 1995. Print.
People think it is cool to have all the gadgets that are new and advanced and easier to do things with, but it is actually making the society more lazy. For example, the society now has e-mail and instant messengers to commun- icate with, they do not want to write letters anymore, that shows that the society has become lazier. Since the society has this to help them communicate they send an e-card through e-mail rather than making a letter of their own. Also instead of driving down to a little family get together, the instant messenger gets in the way because it seems easier to communi- cate with. Another example, is that now a days the society has telephones, cellphones and even camera phones to help everyone communicate.
“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women,” a quote said by the infamous Tony Montana in Scarface. Fancy cars, big houses, fur coats, and diamond studded everything seems to attract almost everyone. Movies and TV shows do a great job of showing that this appealing type of life comes with a price, and all that you have to pay to live it. Although these movies are entertaining, they argue that too much greed and materialism can be your downfall.