Essay about Self Reliance in Walden - 1477 Words

Self Reliance The summer of 1845 found Henry David Thoreau living in a rude shack on the banks of Walden Pond. The actual property was owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American philosopher. Emerson had earlier published the treatise entitled Nature, and the young Thoreau was profoundly affected by its call for individuality and self-reliance. Thoreau planted a small garden, took pen and paper, and began to record the of life at Walden. Thoreaus experiment in deliberate living began in March of 1845. By planting a two-and-a-half acre parcel borrowed from a neighbor who thought it useless, he harvested and sold enough peas, potatoes, corn, beans and turnips to build and to buy food. He purchased an old shanty from†¦show more content†¦Thoreau scorned the affair, referring to the accumulations as trumpetery that had lain for half a century in his garret and other dust holes: And now instead of a bonfire, or purifying destruction of them, there was an auction, of increasing of them. The neighbors eagerly collected to view them, bought them all, and carefully transported them to their garrets and dust holes, to lie there till their estates are settled, when they will start again. When a man dies he kicks the dust. All aspects of life for Thoreau focused on simplicity. He ate simple meals, his diet consisting mostly of rye, Indian meal, potatoes, rice, a little pork, salt and molasses. He drank water. On such foods he was able to live for as little as a dollar a month. The cost of a thing, he reasoned, is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. The naturalist seldom ate meat and never hunted. He was far too interested in preserving the animals around the pond: Every man who has ever been earnest to preserve his higher poetic faculties in the best condition, has been particularly inclined to abstain from animal food, or from much food of any kind. He did eat fish, but considered his time too valuable to spend merely fishing for food. And by this Spartan ideology, Thoreau was left free to pursue which to him were the important aspects of life; namely, observing,Show MoreRelatedHenry David Thoreau And Ralph Waldo Emerson On Self Reliance And Thoreau s Walden1311 Words   |  6 PagesEmerson’s essay On Self-Reliance and Thoreau’s Walden, and show the influence of Emerson on Thoreau’s literature. Thoreau was one of the many followers of Emerson but he acted upon his teaching most consistently. Emerson’s essay, Self-Reliance, had made an abiding impression on Thoreau. Towards the end of his essay, Emerson asserted, â€Å"It is only as a man puts off all foreign support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail.† Acting upon Emerson’s call for self-reliance, Thoreau wentRead MoreThe Importance Of Self Reliance By David Thoreau818 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Self Reliance One of the transcendentalist beliefs is that you should rely on yourself. Transcendentalism is a idea that you have to experience and understand nature. It developed in the early 1800’s. It has 5 core beliefs: nonconformity, self reliance, free thought, confidence, and importance of nature. The texts I will use as examples are Excerpts from Walden, and Self-Reliance. The authors of these are Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. 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Jeremiah Johnson is a modern movie that seemingly adopts the ideas of these transcendentalist authors into a narrative about a man who leaves civilisation forRead MoreHuman Nature Vs Transcendentalism883 Words   |  4 Pagesanother author names Henry David Thoreau, who wroite a book named â€Å"Walden†. â€Å"I have spent many an hour, when I was younger, floating over its surface as the zephyr willed, having paddled my boat to the middle, and lying on my back across the seats, my back across the seats, in a summer forenoon, dreaming awake, until I was aroused by the boat touching the sand, and I arose to see what shore my fates had impelled me to.† (â€Å"Walden, Emerson). In addition to the universal soul, the TranscendentalistsRead MoreMovie Analysis : Think For Yourself 1633 Words   |  7 Pagesin the very popular writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson, â€Å"Self-Reliance†. 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