Thoreau's Walden: A Critique on Modern Resource Consumption

916 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Thoreau's walden summary

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. …show more content…

The meal may not also be proportionate to the price that is charged. In addition, grown produce such as corn, potatoes and, strawberries are genetically modified and given the name of genetically modified organisms or GMOs. Animals like cows, pigs and chickens are raised in incredibly large farms that resemble factories and are kept in poor living conditions. It is also known that cows were being given supplements of growth hormones “to improve the production of dairy and beef cattle.” One hundred years ago, fruit and produce were never altered genetically or chemically and was also available on the streets from a stand. Also, organic fruit and produce is more expensive to buy when compared to GMOs. Farmers could also be their own independent business and not only sell from stands but to markets and grocery …show more content…

Housing can reach incredibly large proportions and have various on-site features such as large pools or perhaps the house has more than two floors. Obviously, only the wealthy class can afford a property with features such as this. Some may view it as unnecessary and excessive to own such a property. Thoreau described his home in “Walden” not having plastering or a chimney. He only used the home to protect himself from the rain and winters. Also there are different types of communities to move into. Housing a century ago was different in that there were only two types of areas to live in. Someone lived in the large and busy cities or in small, quaint homes in the countryside. Also housing was much smaller and it was less expensive for someone to make their own

Show More
Related

  • Henry David Thoreau Analysis

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    When it comes to civil rights, there are two pieces of literature commonly discussed. One of these pieces is Henry David Thoreau’s persuasive lecture On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. In this work, Thoreau discusses how one must combat the government with disobedience of unjust laws and positive friction to create change. The second piece is the commonly known article Letter From a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. This letter covers the ways in which peaceful protest and standing up against injustice can lead to positive results. Both pieces conveyed a similar message of standing up for what is right. The strongest rhetorical methods which Thoreau uses are allusions, logos, ethos and rhetorical questions. However, King’s use of

    Read More

  • Walden's Utopia

    1695 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a post-World War Two era, there was much longing for improvement on current society. Burrhus F. Skinner decided to give his take on what he felt were the appropriate steps to take in order to make a true "Utopia." There have been attempts at other utopia's (which is from the Greek for "no place") and Skinner in his book took the best elements of each utopia and put them into one. However, this does not mean that this utopia he creates in his story, called Walden Two, emulating Thoreau's Walden Pond in Maine, is not without flaws. The most obvious flaws that stand out to the modern day reader are simply due to the fact that this book was published nearly 60 years ago. Values in the post-WWII era differed from modern ones, and psychology took a back seat during the war for other "real sciences." This social commentary is extensively relevant to the study of psychology, especially conditioning/behaviorism, because all consequences of all the actions of people in Walden Two directly stem from some psychological event, be it the shaping of the children to want to learn, or the way the officials (planners/managers) are appointed (and not elected).

    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

  • GMO Labeling Essay

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    The word GMO stands for Genetically-Modified Organism and can also be referred to as Genetically Engineered foods, Genetically Modified Foods, and Biotech. Genetically engineered foods are created when one desired trait is isolated and introduced to another plant by inserting the certain gene. The process, considered genetic breeding, and is much more precise than the regular breeding. While GMOs have been in food for 20 years, currently, the controversy and genetically engineered farms are larger than ever. 82% of Americans want GMOs labeled, but majority fail to understand them (Swanson). 90% of all US grown corn, canola, soybeans, and sugar beets have DNA bits from the lab (Woolston). The United States is the top GMO growing country with 70 million hectares of land dedicated to these farms. (Lee). These modified crops and plants for human and animals are created mainly for withstand herbicides or to produce an insectide. “No GMO traits are on the market for bigger yields, drought resistance, enhanced nutrition or any other consumer benefit” (Burnham). Overall, GE foods’ main purpose is to save money for large corporations.

    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

  • Thoreaus Elements of American Romanticism

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau pens his book Walden during a revolutionary period of time known as American Romanticism. The literary movement of American Romanticism began roughly between the years of 1830 and 1860. It is believed to be a chapter of time in which those who had been dissatisfied by the Age of Reason were revolting through works of literature. All elements of Romanticism are in sharp, abrupt contrast to those types of ideas such as empirical observation and rationality. An online article describes American Romanticism in the following manner, “They celebrated imagination/intuition versus reason/calculation, spontaneity versus control, subjectivity and metaphysical musing versus objective fact, revolutionary energy versus tradition, individualism versus social conformity, democracy versus monarchy, and so on” (Strickland). In 1845 during that period of time, Thoreau decides to spend two years of his life in an experiment with Mother Nature in a cabin at Walden Pond. He tells exquisite tales of life in natural surroundings in his book, Walden, through a most primitive organic style. Walden is a key work of American Romanticism because of its embedded ideas of solitude, individualism, pantheism and intuition.

    Read More

  • Henry David Thoreau's Call for a New Ideology in Walden

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    As most naturalists do, Henry David Thoreau detailed his two-year nature experiment with extensive observations in his book Walden; Or, Life in the Woods. But Thoreau was far more than a common environmentalist he was a revolutionary. Through transcendentalism, simplicity and art Thoreau calls readers to contemplate a paradigm shift in their existence toward a genuine self. To do this, the individuals must remove themselves from a life that is defined by society and enter into a life that is true to them. He makes a call to action to consider a sustainable and virtuous ideology for cultivating nature.

    Read More

  • Morality In Thoreau's Walden

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Thoreau's Civil Disobedience and Walden

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American philosopher, author, poet, abolitionist, and naturalist. He was famous for his essay, “Civil Disobedience”, and his book, Walden. He believed in individual conscience and nonviolent acts of political resistance to protest unfair laws. Moreover, he valued the importance of observing nature, being individual, and living in a simple life by his own values. His writings later influenced the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. In “Civil Disobedience” and Walden, he advocated individual nonviolent resistance to the unjust state and reflected his simple living in the nature.

    Read More

  • Henry David Thoreau's Impact On The Environment

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thoreau help inspire the EPA the national park service and many acts that protect the environment like the endangered species act,energy policy act, a lot of which was done under the nixon administration which when i heard this surprised me due to that all nixon is really know worser things. Ronald Reagan also felt the green movement when he help create the CA, CWA, and OSHA. as well when under the Reagan administration In November 1980 the U.S. Congress passed an act that has been called "the most important environmental legislation in the history of the nation" the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or ANILCA. The act made 104 million acres of Alaskan land into national parks and preserves, national forests, and national fish and wildlife preserves. About half of the land, 50 million acres, was set aside as wilderness.and let's not forget our lastest president barack Obama and all the efforts and works that he and michael Obama are have and are trying to accomplish like, September 2014, Obama expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM),In March 2014, Obama established the first shoreline addition to the monument, as well as the Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument . The environmental efforts that has been by the US government is a lot more than I thought it

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Walden By Henry David Thoreau

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    There have been a few people, inspired by Thoreau, who have tried to lead a simpler life including Christopher McCandless and Ken Ilgunas, author of Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom. Now these two men had entirely different experiences leading up to the decision to abandon some modern technologies. McCandless had an abusive home life and decided that living off the land in Alaska would be more beneficial than continuing on his path of becoming a lawyer. He abandoned all modern technology and died tragically in the Alaskan Wilderness. Ken Ilgunas made very different decisions and his experience was completely different. Ilgunas decided to try living in a van to save money on his tuition at Duke University. He still had access to modern technology and other aspects of life that we so enjoy. What Ilgunas discovered is that, people crave people they want “a meaningful role to play in society,” (“Walden on Wheels”, Ilgunas). What we can draw from these stories is that it is important to experience life in your own way. For Thoreau, it meant escaping to Walden pond for two years, for Chris McCandless it meant leaving for Alaska, for Ken Ilgunas it simply meant living out of a van for a semester and for other people this means looking out the window on long car rides, or sitting outside on a summer

    Read More

  • Problems in Society in Walden by Henry David Thoreau

    345 Words  | 1 Pages

    Why do so few Americans not see all of the problems in society? Do they simply not care or are they not able to see them? With Thoreau's statement, "To be awake is to be alive", he implies that Americans have their eyes closed to these issues. They do not choose to overlook these issues but they simply pass them by because their eyes are shut. Some people are not able to grasp the concept in Thoreau's statement and find it to be foreign or subversive because it threatens the way the see the world.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Henry David Thoreau And Against Nature

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    In many works of literature, authors often have a point they are trying to convey. This may be something about religion or politics, for example. In From Walden by Henry David Thoreau and Against Nature by Joyce Carol Oates, both authors are trying to make different claims regarding the topic of nature. Thoreau’s piece speaks more positively of nature whereas Oates’ piece contradicts the romantic views some writers have about nature. In making their claims, both authors utilize different structures to convey clear messages to the reader.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Organic Food

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is the issue and the misconception about GMO’s and those who oppose them. The fact is that the food itself is still grown the exact same traditional way from a farm, not a lab. The difference is all in the seed of the fruit or vegetable. The seed is spliced with genes from another seed to pick up a beneficial trait. These benefits can allow the crop to produce a greater yield, use less pesticides, emit less greenhouse gasses, and be more nutritious. Despite all of the advantages 57% of Americans believe GMOs are unsafe to eat, however, 88% of scientists around the world believe they are perfectly safe (Peterson). It is of great importance that GMOs continue to be used to feed more people and possibly save

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'Why I Went To The Woods' By Henry David Thoreau

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau implies that simplicity and nature are valuable to a person’s happiness in “Why I Went to the Woods”. An overall theme used in his work was the connection to one’s spiritual self. Thoreau believed that by being secluded in nature and away from society would allow one to connect with their inner self. Wordsworth and Thoreau imply the same idea that the simple pleasures in life are easily overlooked or ignored. Seeing the true beauty of nature allows oneself to rejuvenate their mentality and desires. When one allows, they can become closer to their spiritual selves. One of William Wordsworth’s popular pieces, “Tintern Abbey”, discusses the beauty and tranquility of nature. Wordsworth believed that when people

    Read More

More about Thoreau's Walden: A Critique on Modern Resource Consumption

Open Document