Walden essays

Walden essays Henry David Thoreau lived from July 4, 1845, to September 6, 1847, in the cabin he had built on the shores of Walden Pond. During those twenty-six months, Thoreau recorded the material that was to appear in his second published book, Walden and Civil Disobedience. Now, the book Walden and Civil Disobedience is considered one of the most influential as well as one of the most popular books ever written in America. Thoreaus life was a noble attempt to make his fellow man understand and appreciate the full possibilities of daily existence. Thoreau failed, but he left behind a book of rules that shows men how to live rich lives without being rich. Walden and Civil Disobedience is the essence of that book. Thoreau saw people as they actually were. His standards were high, so high that he could not meet them himself. But Thoreau never gave up trying. In his efforts he called upon the wise men and the poets of the world. His life was an endless quest, a quest for beauty, for truth, for honesty, for understanding, for the betterment of all mankind. Throughout the entire book, Thoreau writes all of his work in the first person. One may think he or she is in the process of reading someones journal. Thoreau may at first seem to be arrogant, or a man for whom nothing was ever good enough. But a careful reading his work turns up phrases that deny this. I am not worth seeing personally-the stuttering, blundering, clod-hopper that I am; or The writer learns to bear contempt and to despise himself. Thoreau clearly understood the essential nature of work. Observing, thinking, and writing were what he wanted most to do. Hoeing his bean-field, carpentry, and surveying gave him enough money for his needs. To simplify things, Thoreau reduced his wants to the fewest possible. I learned...that it would cost incredibly little to obtain ones necessary food, Tho...