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Click to edit Master title style,*,Click to edit Master text styles,Second level,Third level,Fourth level,Fifth level,Henry David Thoreau,1817-1862,Early Life,Born in Concord, Massachusetts,Studied at Harvard University,Opened up a grammar school with innovative approaches to learning,Close relationship to Emerson,Personal Views,abolitionist,environment conservationist,minimalist,naturalist,philosopher of nature and its relation to the human condition,Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind., Thoreau,Literary Style,Very powerful imagery of nature,Poetic,Symbolic,Philosophical and ideological,Close attention to details,Walden,In 1845 Thoreau began a two year residence at Walden Pond.,Walden,is a record of Thoreaus two year experiment of living alone at Walden Pond in a self-built house at the edge of the woods.,The writers chief emphasis is on the simplifications and enjoyment of life in the now.,Walden,A reflection on the pleasures of,simple living in natural surroundings,importance of,self-sufficiency,it was during this period where he refused to pay his taxes because he did not support the US government,Walden,There are five approaches to,Walden,:,1. A nature book,2. A do-it-yourself guide,3. A satirical criticism on modern life,4. A,belletristic,achievement,5. A spiritual book,Walden,Walden,p177,Why “I went into the woods”p186,Thoreau tells us that he went into the woods to discover the true meaning of life by living it simply.,Walden,Near the end of Thoreaus chapter he states that “Children, who play life, discern its true law and relations more clearly than men, who fail to live it worthily, but who think that they are wiser by experience, that is, by failure” (918).,In your own words, what does this passage say?,Civil Disobedience,REASONS:,Motivated by the injustice of slavery and the Mexican American war,Call for improved government,Persuading people not to go against their moral conscience or justice because of government laws,People have a responsibility and duty to uphold justice first and foremost,Civil Disobedience,I ask for, not at once no government, but,at once,a better government.,Legacy,Civil Disobedience,has influenced many people throughout the world to stand up for what they believe is right and moral,Mahatma Gandhi and British Imperialism in India,Martin Luther King and equality for blacks in America,Civil Disobedience,Governments do more harm than good because of corruption and need for power,Even Democracy can be bad since it is based on majority and not justice,You serve your country poorly if you do so by suppressing your conscience in favor of the law,Your country needs people that have consciences more than it needs people that are robots,Our Duty as Human Beings?,Doing nothing and going with the masses is a decision:,There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them.,Therefore, if you dont support the government in war and slavery, you should be giving them money to fund the war and slavery through taxes.,Criticism,Doesnt recognize the good things about society,Anarchist,Living alone in the woods away from society is totally unrealistic, and even Thoreau was not completely alone (he visited his family and friends often),Group Work,In your groups:,come up with a list of similarities between Thoreau and Emerson,Come up with ONE question you have about anything we have discussed this week,When you are done, write your answers on the board,Emerson and Thoreau,Society as the enemy of individual thought and self-reliance. Society desires cohesion and not independent thinking,Connection between God and Nature,The ability to rebel within society and not conform to it shows the greatest strength and the most potential for change,
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