Henry Thoreau's Critique of Contemporary Society in Walden
Choose one of the following prompts to write a critical essay on. It is not required that you use secondary sources. What is required is an articulate thoughtful and informed analysis of specific quoted passages and examples from the text. All sources must be documented properly in MLA style. Minimum length: 5 pages. DUE April 23 1. What contribution did Poe make through his gothic horror stories to our understanding of the psychology of realistic monsters? Develop your thesis by drawing upon specific stories for your analysis of detailed examples. Do not simply retell the stories themselves. 2. What are the core Romantic values and principles upon which Thoreau bases his critique of contemporary society? Support your claims with analysis of quotations from the text of Walden. 3. In the movie, Dead Poets’ Society, Mr. Keating is a tragic Romantic hero whose philosophy of education is strikingly at odds with conservative principles and conventional schooling. On the basis of our discussions of Romanticism, what specific Romantic ideas and values does Keating teach his students? In doing this, be sure to identify and explain his quotations. Then, explain clearly the limitations and failures of Romanticism in the light of the boys’ secret activities and Neal’s death. Conclude with your own thoughtful evaluation of Cameron’s judgment at the end of the movie that they “skipped the Realists.” Do not simply retell the story.
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Henry Thoreau’s Critique of Contemporary Society in Walden
Environmental pollution, global warming, and the exhaustion of natural resources are some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. Ironically, these problems are caused by the things that every nation is obsessed about; civilization, industrialization and economic growth. Mankind’s march toward civilization from the Stone Age to the Iron Age was marked by increasing abilities to control and exploit the environment. This development, however, made human beings to be more destructive to the environment, as evidenced by the environmental impact of the industrial revolution. The ability to make and use machinery, and the shift from dependence on primary modes of production to secondary and tertiary forms, made man the biggest threat to nature. The emergency of the Transcendentalist and Romanticist movements was a response to the way modernity and civilization were destroying the goodness of man and nature through education and industrialization. Similarly, the romanticists believed that modernity and civilization, such as organized governments and religion, corrupted the purity and innocence of the individual. Moreover, they argued that individuals are their best when they are self-reliant and in harmony with nature.
In Walden, Henry Thoreau advances this view of nature and civilization. Thoreau argues in favor of individualism rather than conformity to social norms, environmental conservation and living in harmony with nature instead of mechanized production and industrialization, as well as embracing the ideals of democracy as opposed to monarchy. He advances these views through his solitude life nearby a pond, his civil disobedience against organized government, and reluctance to enjoy the luxuries of a civilized life. In Walden, he challenges his readers to re-examine their relationship with society, authority, and nature. He challenges the individual to rebel against social norms, organized government and life that is defined by society, and pursue the kind of life that is true to their own ideals and beliefs. With reference to Walden, this essay discusses the Romantic values and principles upon which Henry Thoreau bases his critique of contemporary society.
Thoreau argues that human civilization creates a conflict between man and nature by promoting the destruction of the environment. His brief and solitary sojourn at the Walden Pond portrays experimentation with man’s life before civilization, where man lived at the heart of primitive nature and was in harmony with nature. His vegetarian lifestyle portrays the desire to live the primitive life common before the innovation of hunting techniques and industrial production.
Thoreau presents man’s need to escape the drudgery and monotony of daily life in the civilized world, and seek recreation in nature. He explains that he chose Walden Woods in his desire “to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 343). This statement belies Walden’s strong belief in the power of imagination and intuition that is experienced in solitude. He argues that the pressure of life in the civilized world prevents human beings from meditation and reflection, an opportunity that only a natural environment can provide. However, while his actions were intended to allow him escape the weariness of work in the civilized world by seeking refuge in the wild, the futility of it all is that he found himself working harder than before; he busied himself building his cottage, maintaining it on a daily basis, chopping firewood for heating and cooking, clearing land to cultivate beans and vegetables, and commuting to town as well as writing manuscripts. The underlying idea is that the forces of nature alone cannot fully provide for man, and that he must exploit it to satisfy his needs.
Thoreau portrays the whistling of the train as the chaotic interruption of modernity upon the peaceful quietness of a pastoral life. He complains that the sound of the train and the church bell interrupted his reverie in the woods. His complaint against the church bell is a subtle attack on organized religion, which imposes dogmas and religious beliefs on people. The emphasis on individualism suggests that like social norms, religion attempts to condition man into an obedient creature that cannot think for itself or question anything. On its part, the r...