Title: Living in the Moment: Thoreau's Perspective

638 Words2 Pages

Title: “Where I lived, and What I lived for”
Author: Henry David Thoreau
Argument: People must live in the moment because time cannot be controlled; forget about the commits, live with what is in right in front of you

Life is precious so one should not live life with regrets. Judgement is always going to exist. There is always someone out there that is going to do better, that is going to accomplish more. Henry David Thoreau wrote a story titled, “Where I lived, and what I lived for,” and he argues that people must live in the moment, because time cannot be controlled; forget about the commits and live with what is right in front of you. He uses zeugma when he describes how many meals a day people should eat, “Instead of three meals a …show more content…

People get caught up with what others are doing through social media. His use of zeugma, by not repeating the words eat and dishes, creates an artistic effect on his writing. It makes his writing more interesting because he isn’t repeating a phrase twice, instead he wants his readers to infer what he is trying to say. In addition Thoreau uses an allusion when he mentions God, “For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to “glorify God and enjoy him forever” (Thoreau 1). Life and God can relate to each other in many ways. Some people believe in afterlife with God. However, Thoreau mentions that many people are confused about life and don’t know if they should live life to their fullest whether they believe in God or not. Through the use of his allusion he doesn’t need to explain who God is, it should already be made known by the reader. He is simplifying this complex idea, creating a more direct connotation, causing people to relate to his idea, and bringing in touching emotions. Furthermore the author adds in a symbol, “And if railroads are not built, how shall we get to heaven in season?...We do not

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Frederick Douglass And Henry David Thoreau

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you look at today’s government, it is viewed that everyone will be treated equally and decisions will be made in the best interest of the people. But when thinking about the government of the past, one must ask if these same views were expressed by the people of that time? Did everyone fill that they were apart of a just system? According to Frederick Douglass and Henry David Thoreau the answer to that question is no. The government was unjust because so many followed the wrong doings of the law rather than doing what was right, subjected African Americans to harsher punishments

    Read More

  • Sullivan Ballou: A War Hero

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unfortunately life has many hurdles and roads unturned. I do not feel we should regret the mistakes we have made in our past. Or else, we may be too hesitant to make correct choices in our future.

    Read More

  • Thoreau's Walden: A Critique on Modern Resource Consumption

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau 's “Walden” details and illustrates Thoreau’s time living away from cities and instead live in a secluded location at Walden Pond. Life seemed simpler, where technology was not as advanced as it is currently. Currently, everybody in the country uses the four resources mentioned in “Walden”, them being Food, Fuel, Shelter, Clothing, but some of these resources have become nothing but symbols of wealth whereas one hundred years ago, these resources were seen in that way. Food can reach unimaginable prices at restaurants and the meal might not even be large. The Fuel used by automobiles has polluted and affected the population of the country with its emissions and the environment has been impacted by the leaks of nuclear energy.

    Read More

  • The Rhetorical Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Civil Disobedience makes governments more accountable for their actions and has been an important catalyst for overcoming unpopular government policies. To voice his disgust with slavery, in 1849 Henry David Thoreau published his essay, Civil Disobedience, arguing that citizens must not allow their government to override their principles and have a civic duty to prevent their government from using unjust means to ends. The basis for Thoreau’s monumental essay was his refusal to pay a poll tax, which subsequently landed him a night in county jail. In his passage: “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. If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine...

    Read More

  • Henry David Thoreau's Views

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Richard Douglass And Thoreau's Connecting With Nature

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    The thought of not doing something or living a different way because of the perceived consequences could be a difficult thing to push aside, even more so for a slave. Thoreau surmises that the American work ethic is in many ways a form of self-imposed slavery and more detrimental than the life of a slave. With that in mind, Douglass, a slave who became free, could possibly give some context and disprove such a claim. The life of a slave is substandard of a free white man, which makes their life more controlled and their way of thinking of themselves is forced upon by the masters; thus, their release is prolonged and hindered which leads to a more trying life -- by being trapped and even when trying to escape being held back.

    Read More

  • The Kind Of Life In Henry David Thoreau's Life?

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever woke up in the morning and asked yourself, “Why am I living this life?” Throughout the book of Walden, Henry David Thoreau questions the lifestyles that people choose; he makes his readers wonder if they have chosen the kind of lifestyle that give them the greatest amount of happiness. Thoreau stated, “Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them().” This quote is important because most of society these days are so caught up in work and trying to make ends meet that they lose the values in life. Thoreau was forced to change his life when he found himself unhappy after a purchase for a farm fell through. On Thoreau’s journey he moves to Walden and builds a house and life from nothing but hard work, symbolizes many different objects.

    Read More

  • Excerpt From Thoreau's Walden

    472 Words  | 1 Pages

    I awoke before the first rays of sunlight had passed through the dew-covered trees to the west today. It had rained the evening before, and the smell of wet leaves and grass was still lingering in the air.

    Read More

  • Main Reasons In The Apology By Greek Philosopher Plato

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The unexamined life is not worth living” and “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” I relate to both of this quotes because we all have purpose in our life. We plan out life to be certain way. I plan week in advance so I know what is going to happen this week, what is in plate that I have to take care of it before the time. You need to be control on your life not others. Some people just float though life. They think of their present but they don’t think for their future. They just do the stuff right now and later they will worry about other stuff. They are never ready for future outcome. Only you know how you want to live your life, it’s up to you how you want live it. As I say I plan week ahead for my classes, my work and my family. But it doesn’t always go as it planned. In life you always have to be ready to face some problem. If you live through the problems that is call living life. My dad always tells me that, if you accept the challenge, or face some bad time with smile on face, you will always come out of there and then even the big problems comes you will be ready for it. Don’t ever get nervous for the small problems. Life is made of good time and bad

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Strategies In Walden By Henry Thoreau

    376 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the passage many devices appear so the reader can have a deeper understanding of Thoreau’s attitude towards life. “Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails. Let us rise early and fast, or break fast, gently and without perturbation;

    Read More

  • Paul D Angelo The Step Not Taken Summary

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    60 seconds can haunt someone for life. Personally, I wish I could turn back the clock to that year, month, day and those 60 seconds, and live them completely differently. If I was able to do that, I would not be stuck at the bottom of the staircase. Regret does not move forward like the hands on a clock. Every unsure second lived will cause me to do something I later wish I could take back. Regret makes it hard to live life peacefully; life would be a lot easier if humans helped each other out, because if we did, we would not have a many regrets It makes me extremely uncomfortable when I am full of uncertainty because it makes me do things I later regret. I also over think and debate with myself over, and over, about the decision or action

    Read More

  • Hair Dye Research Paper

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are some mistakes that are short-lived, while others linger long after the effects have disappeared. Through pictures and memories, mistakes and decisions live on. Growing up in a world in which every day was a replica of the one before, making a drastic change was exactly what I wanted to do. So I spent all of the ten dollars I had earned over the summer and I bought my first bottle of hair dye.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Sound Of Thunder

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone makes mistakes, yet even the smallest of mistakes can change the entire course of history given a time machine and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Learn to cherish the life on this Earth, and don’t let poor choices dictate the future ahead. Making the right decision is key to success, and only we can choose what successes we want to

    Read More

  • Collective Neurosis Essay

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why do people choose to live in the past rather than pursue a possibly greater future? This can occur due to a fear of the coming days, months, and years ahead that await. People would rather think and engross themselves in memories then have any sense of direction for the the inevitable passing of time. While every age is unique, “The Collective Neurosis” states the problems that can arise from not believing that people can escape, improve, or adapt to their environment. A person’s environment can be described by where they live and grew up, their socioeconomic status, and even their current mental state. These conditions can have dramatic effects on one’s personality, beliefs, and overall outlook on life itself. This potential nihilism that

    Read More

  • A Life Well Lived

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    What I found is that if one were to sit down, and think of their future realistically, they could certainly find an approach on life that will not cause one to regret the...

    Read More

More about Title: Living in the Moment: Thoreau's Perspective

Open Document