A Practical Application Of Interpreted Emersonian And

A Practical Application Of Interpreted Emersonian And Thoreauvian Concepts Essay, Research Paper Life at It’s Simplest A Practical Application of Interpreted Emersonian and Thoreauvian Concepts Due to a variety of coincidental circumstance, I have recently found myself in the position to write a paper exploring the practical application of Emersonian and Thoreauvian concepts in modern society. As a college student in a metropolitan city, I’m witness to the everyday hustle and bustle that city life breeds. You’re kidding yourself if you say we live in a simple time—everyone knows that—and with so much everyday stimuli there are bound to be simpler aspects of life that get neglected. The primary goal of early nineteenth century writers Henry James Emerson and David

Thoreau is the exploration of what they believe to be the forgotten, but most important, parts of life: the simplest. Here’s what happens when an average, city-dwelling, college student gets back in touch with life at it’s simplest. Day 1 It’s 10 am, I’m running late for school, I’m hungry, it’s freezing, and I have no money in my wallet. Now, a person often says he is broke, meaning he can’t buy a new pair of sneakers, but I literally have not a dollar to my name, having quit one job and having yet to land another. Being without money is not a reason to avoid school, however, so I grab a bananna and rush to school only to realize that I can’t park in the school’s lot (that I have parked in everyday for the last three years without a problem.) A two dollar fee

never seemed so large. I pull over and scrounge through my trunk, foolishly believing there might be a few quarters lying around. Not in this city. I end up driving around Park Merced for 20 precious minutes searching for free parking. Is everyone else as broke as I am? I head to my favorite coffee shop for their specialty, the white mocha, only to turn red as the cashier looks to me for payment. I can’t believe I’m this broke. How am I supposed to go all day without coffee? The same thing happens at lunch, but this time I stop myself before reaching the cashier. Looks like I’m learning. I stop at the supermarket on the way home and pick up coffee and lunch supplies, determined to get up early enough to make coffee before school and pack a lunch. Needless to say, I pay the

cashier in plastic. Later, I have to do the same at the gas station, but I know I can’t keep using my credit card like this. What am I supposed to do, though? I need gas, food, and coffee. I also need to get my nails done, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. The end of the day leaves me frustrated. I need a job. This no money thing will not work. Day 2 The CD player in my car breaks. This may not sound like such a big deal, but I certainly do not have the money to fix it, and there is no radio, so now I’m left with no sound in my vehicle. Driving to school, I can hear my car’s little engine huffing and puffing—I’ve never really heard it before since I always have my Britney Spears playing so loud. I pull into the student lot (I’ve managed to snag my

roommate’s pass from earlier) and reach out of habit to remove my stereo’s face. But, right, nothing is there. The drive into the city is what really gets me. Four o’clock traffic downtown is frustrating under any circumstance, but without any distraction to pass the time? I call my parents (asking for money, hehe), call my roommate (just to chat), call my boyfriend (won’t you buy me a new CD player?). That night on the way to the (free) party everyone makes fun of my ghetto car for having no music. We all laugh and imitate the grunts that come from the engine, but you know what? I’m coming to understand my car a little better. I can hear how she struggles to get up those San Francisco hills, how the brakes are squeaking on the way down (I wonder how long that’s been