WaldenTone Essay Research Paper In Walden Henry — страница 2

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men are still afraid of the dark (92) for no justifiable reason. Of our society in general, Thoreau stated that society is cheap , and that people are polite simply to make their meetings tolerable (95). He called us avarice and selfish (114) for claiming to posses a part of nature. He also blamed society s materialism for common crime, saying that if all men lived as simply as he did, thieving and robbery would be unknown. (119) Once Thoreau had thoroughly put down both our society and its members, he began to take on a reassuring and advising tone. He began by explaining how important it is for people to go out and actually be active, to get our hands dirty. He said that it is a vulgar error to suppose that you have tasted huckleberry who never plucked them (119) In

Housewarming Thoreau again discussed the importance of actually doing something as opposed to simply reading about it when he went about building his chimney and explained the process of chopping wood. In chapter eleven, Thoreau said that all we have to do is listen to our morals because goodness is the only virtue that never fails (148), and that we can better the world by reforming ourselves, for we are the sculptors and painters, and our material is our flesh and blood and bones (150). In the conclusion Thoreau explained that what we do now will effect the world for ever, for the surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of people. (214) One of Thoreau s intentions when writing this philosophical work was to present his philosophy to others. This would explain

why his attitude towards the reader varied more significantly than his attitude towards nature. Thoreau felt nature was a divine presence on Earth. He believed that people could grow closer to this by simplifying their lives. To get this message across Thoreau first told the reader what they couldn t control, where they were not the ones at fault. He then explained to them the faults that they were responsible for. Finally, he explained to them the possibilities, what could be.