Across generations over centuries of time, people have yearned to achieve freedom: freedom from materialistic possession, freedom from responsibilities, freedom from society. Breaking away from society and establishing one’s own identity struck most individuals, like writer Henry David Thoreau, as hopeful and adventurous. Thoreau took the challenge in 1854 to fulfill this desire of freedom from society by building himself a house far from civilization (Thoreau 6). By removing himself from the materialistic world and breaking all connections with people from the nearby city, Thoreau attempted to experience freedom within nature. Although one might argue that freedom comes at the cost of breaking all social ties, Jonathan Haidt clearly proves …show more content…
Jonathan Haidt, however, shares that respecting connections after forming them is key to happiness because our bonds would not flourish if one individual believed that his or her part in the bond was more beneficial than the other’s. My roommate Yvette and I express gratitude towards each other and care for each other in our dorm and outside of college. Our connection is based on trust, security, and friendship; however, if I were to solely receive her support and take without reciprocating, I would not be valuing Yvette as much as I value myself. If this were to continue, our friendship would be bland and eventually nonexistent. Breaking this friendship would hurt my well-being and Yvette’s as well. I pondered on what distinction separates a relationship of basic needs and that of trust and love and found through Haidt’s book that the key distinction is respecting others as my …show more content…
Freedom from social obligations and constraints may seem appealing at first glance because an individual is free to act according to his or her own rules and ignore other rules of conduct (Haidt 133). Inconsequently, this freedom from society may encourage people to abandon their jobs, homes, and marriages in search of personal fulfillment and satisfaction (Haidt 133). Haidt argues that leaving these responsibilities is counterintuitive to pursuing happiness because these social obligations provide people a stable base of relationships to build upon. Cutting connections with one’s family and community will bring an individual further from experiencing happiness in one’s life; however, fostering relationships within one’s social circles will provide a sense of belonging and purpose in an individual’s
In conclusion, by temporarily removing himself from society and thrusting himself into nature, we are better able to understand how Thoreau conveys his attitude towards life. He believes that in order to enjoy it one must free himself or herself from the high-tempo nature of society, live life more simplistically, and experience the reality that is hidden by all the things that are irrelevant in our
The title is an important aspect that should be considered and not misinterpreted. When this essay was first published it was under the title “Resistance to Civil Government”. The resistance in his title is later used as metaphor that compares the government to that of a machine. The machine is producing injustice therefore he says “If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth — certainly the machine will wear out.” He furthers this metaphor by saying “Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.” After the death of Thoreau his essay was retitled “Civil Disobedience”. For the purpose of this essay civil is meant as “relating to citizens and their interrelations with one another or with the state”, and therefore civil disobedience stands for “disobedience to the state”.
How people see one another vary in numerous ways, whether it be from actions or what is gathered through spoken conversations. When an intellectual meets someone for the first time, they tend to judge by appearance before they judge by how the person express their thoughts or ideas. In Thoreau’s excerpt, he emphasizes the importance of his philosophy, especially by making sure the reader is aware of his own feelings about it. He puts literary devices such as metaphors, personification, and imagery to construct his explanation for his philosophy as well as provide several attitudes to let the reader identify how he feels towards people and the value of their ideas.
Thoreau was once sent to jail for refusing to pay his taxes and I support this episode of civil disobedience as justified. Thoreau did not pay his taxes because he objected the use of the revenue to finance the Mexican War and enforcement of slavery laws. He did not request for his money to be used for the enforcement of slavery laws, therefore felt he had the right to protest and act out civil disobedience. Paul Harris defines civil disobedience as "an illegal, public, nonviolent, conscientiously motivated act of protest, done by someone who accepts the legitimacy of the legal and political systems and who submits to arrest and punishment" (2). Before I supported his civil disobedience, I opted to see if it was justified.
An American Author, Transcendentalist and tax resister, Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord Massachusetts, and lived there most of his life. He was opposed to many of the things that went on in our society and debated many issues in his life. Two of these major issues are , the Mexican American War and the implement of Slavery in our society. This was the reason for many of his writings include “Slavery in Massachusetts” and “Civil Disobedience” where he wrote about his principles and views against the U.S government and their involvement in the Mexican American War and the evil of Slavery. Thoreau opposed to these because they promote unjust government practices which he was strongly against.
Henry David Thoreau was bon on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts, on his grandmother’s farm. Thoreau was of French-Huguenot and Scottish-Quaker decent. Thoreau was interested in writing at an early age. At the age of ten he wrote his first essay “The seasons”. He attended Concord Academy until 1833 when he was accepted to Harvard University but with his pending financial situation he was forced to attend Cambridge in August of 1833. In September of 1833 with the help of his family he was able to attend Harvard University. He graduated college in August of 1837.
From his insights, private property is a result of alienation of labor. Furthermore, the property they produced becomes the origin of future alienation. With alienation, the brain, capability, and even characters of a person become commodities that can be sold in the market. Marx claimed that capitalist hence deprived the personality of labors, though they seem to be well off. (Kolakowski, pp. 138-140) Numerous of pilgrims believe the nature, where there is no need for possessions or avarices, offers a free space for human. They escaped the capitalist society alone where alienation would no longer take place since property rights and division of labor disappear. Thoreau is probably the most famous pilgrim who built a cabin near the Walden Pond. He once stated that “Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.” Commodities that can be possessed by paying money are inferior to the commodities for soul. Inspired by Thoreau, Chris is also sees money and possessions as superfluous. He castigated the corruption of politicians, burnt money to ashes after donating most of them to charity, and admired the nature in a post card saying that “The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up.”(Krakauer, p29, p34, p123) Chris described civilization as poisonous, therefore he needed to flee from it. “No phone, no pool, no pets, no
Throughout Thoreau's “Walden”, he lays out many suggestions that some may take as significant or just senseless. Thoreau brings forth many concepts such as necessity, news, and labor which would benefit modern society. Yet, his views on isolation and moderation are unattainable in a technology-driven society. Even though the ideas that could benefit society may not be totally agreeable, the main reasoning for them are valid. Those ideas of isolation and moderation are clearly not possible in a world where people crave to be social and live to obtain any and everything they want.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a philosopher and writer who is well known for his criticism of the American government during the time. During Thoreau’s life, there were two major issues being debated in the United States: slavery and the Mexican-American War. Both issues greatly influenced his essay, as he actually practiced civil disobedience in his own life by refusing to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican War. He states that the government should be based on conscience and that citizens should refuse to follow the law and have the duty not to participate and stay as a member of an unjust institution like the government. I argue that the notion of individualism and skepticism toward government is essential to the basis of many important reform movements in the modern society.
The most supportive of friends are manifest during life’s toughest of obstacles. They are the ones that help us power through the storm. Karen Karbo claims, “Most of us would prefer to think that we love our friends because of who they are, not because of the ways in which they support who we are. It sounds vaguely narcissistic, and yet the studies bear it out.”(156) while Yvette and I stated off as simple associates, she was soon to be reviled as my most supportive friend. She was just another co-worker. However, after our bosses went through a divorce, our most dependable co-worker moved, and another reunited with her drug habit, Yvette was the only one I could depend on. Together we became an unbreakable team. We could run the front office without any flaws. Since our friendship was growing we became even more supportive of each other, if one was slacking the other would step up and make sure the task was completed. We would switch off on answering the phones and taking on a challenging customer. Occasionally we would go out for a drink to destress from work. We had just started taking our girls out on play dates, and hanging out on weekends. One night my mom called me to let me know she had made other plans for the following night and I needed to figure out another arrangement for my daughter. Most nights I depend on my mom to watch my daughter so I can go to class, and when she is unable my sister will step in. In
Henry David Thoreau was a poet, social philosopher, and educator in the early to mid- 1800s (Hampton). He graduated from Harvard University in 1837 and, upon his return to his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts, befriended Ralph Waldo Emerson, also a philosopher and poet (Hampton, “Ralph Waldo Emerson”). Emerson was also the leader of the Transcendentalist movement which was based on the idea that people should lead by example -- social reform begins with the individual, not the government -- and that the movement should be peaceful (Woodlief, Ruehl). Thoreau agreed with this approach until the United States invaded Mexico in May, 1846 (Brown, Witherell). Opposed to slavery, Thoreau saw the invasion of Mexico as an attempt by the government to extend slavery westward. In his essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” published in 1849 with the original title, “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau protests against the government and states that is a man’s duty to rise up against the government when the government commits a wrong (Thoreau). In his writings, Thoreau uses the three rhetorical approaches of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in his attempts to persuade his readers to his point of view (Heinrichs).
From these three men, we can learn the significance of detaching ourselves from the social norm and instead, fight for our values in a non-violent way, in order to make a change in our government’s corrupt and unjust laws. In “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau articulates the importance he places on resistance against a powerful, controlling government. He opens his essay with a reference to the quote, “‘That government is best which governs not at all,’” and shares the motto, “‘That government is best which governs least’” (Civil).... ...
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817 and died there peacefully on May 6, 1862. He was described by Hawthorne as "ugly as sin." He loved nature, and his constant preoccupation was exploring the woods and ponds making detailed observations of plants and creatures. Henry led a singular life, never marrying, and marching to his own drummer, as he put it. From 1845 to 1847, he lived alone in a small cabin he built by Walden Pond near Concord. He described this unique experiment in natural living in "Walden" criticizing those who "lead lives of quiet desperation" with all the trappings of customary society. His personal independence and straightforward manner was harsh to some people, and he gained very little recognition during his lifetime.
Thoreau starts out “Economy” by telling the audience of his current state of living, he returns to civilization after living in the wilderness for two years. He is greeted with questions about his well-being and how he was able to manage his lifestyle outside of the city. The author comments about labor, “He has no time to be anything but a machine” (8). He talks about how unfortunate it is for inexperienced people to inherit farms because they are doomed for eternity, they spend the rest of their lives working nonstop with little to no freedom at all. He argues that the opinions you make about yourself is more important than anything else, you shouldn’t have to beat yourself up to meet society’s expectations. Thoreau didn’t leave civilization
It is an undisputable fact that the contribution of such prominent philosophers, writers, political and social activists as Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau in developing American statehood is tremendous. The literary works of both men can serve as a manifesto of national and personal liberation, a call for building a better society, where each citizen can live and work freely. Indeed, both Henry Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin emphasize the independence and freedom of an individual, but they do so in significantly different ways. These differences can be linked to their different worldview, life positions, philosophies, or interests. Nevertheless, this fact cannot detract from the obvious uniqueness and importance of Thoreau’s and Franklin’s literary heritage.