[April Huntoon]

In Thoreau’s “Conclusion” he expresses the importance in individualism.  In Walden, Thoreau goes into the woods on a quest to internally discover whom he truly is. Thoreau stresses that “It is not for a man to put himself in such an attitude to society, but to maintain himself in whatever attitude he find himself through obedience to the laws of his being ” (359).  Thoreau returned to society from life in the woods because he had found who he is as an individual.  Now that he has this power of self knowledge, Thoreau is able to implement this into living in society. Thoreau says he learned “that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours” (358).  He learned this through many experiences, one of which being, planting and harvesting beans.  These encounters cleansed, and prepared Thoreau for re-entering society.

Reading Walden has taught me the value of individuality, and how imperative it is to live properly.  One must learn how to live and function alone, before you can properly function around other individuals.  Thoreau has also taught me that simplicity is necessary in life.  This concept of simplifying is often lost in modern day society because of how material obsessed it is.

One aspect of Thoreau’s life I plan on incorporating into my own life is individuality and the strength of self appreciation. This is important, especially in high school, where so many people are struggling to fit in. One immediate way I plan on applying this aspect of Thoreau’s life into my own is by buying this pair of J. Crew pants that I had been looking at.  They are a metallic, white, color and are extremely unique; like nothing I have ever seen before.  At first thought, I decided not to buy them because they are different, but Thoreau’s importance of individuality has led me to a much greater conclusion, as I now plan on buying the pants simply because I love them, and it does not matter to me what others think.  I also would like to apply Thoreau’s policy of simplicity into my own life; however this will be much harder because of my love for clothes.  Simplicity is going to be much harder to implement, but if done so in gradual amounts, I believe that I will be successful in accomplishing this as well.  By incorporating Thoreau’s beliefs into my own life, hopefully I will be able to “buil(d) castles” (359).

[April Huntoon]

In “Brute Neighbors” Thoreau discusses the conflict of a pair of ants who were “fiercely contending with one another” on a woodpile (287).  The ants represent what humans are going to transform into if they continue to live and act as they currently do.  In Thoreau’s anecdote, the ants are battling over a small chip. When the conflict between the ants is compared to human combat, the contention could represent humans’ constant campaign to be better than others by acquiring material goods. Material goods are not essential to life, and Thoreau believes that all which is not essential to life, strip the goodness out of people.  The significance of the historical allusions Thoreau utilizes in this chapter is to relate the ants’ struggle to predicaments humans struggle with.  These illusions mostly include war, which further emphasizes humans’ nature and ability to get involved in physical altercations with their own kind.

Zac brings up an interesting idea that Thoreau is morphing the altercation with the ants into something that it is not. This point that it is natural for the ants to argue over food, which is an essential to life.  The actions of the ants can be interpreted into anything one wants them to be.  There is no wrong or right analysis of something as long as one supports it with information, which Thoreau successfully does.

[April Huntoon]

In “Higher Laws” Thoreau discuses that humans should eat with the intention of only preserving one’s self.  Thoreau writes “The fruits eaten temperately need not to make us ashamed of our appetites, nor interrupt the worthiest pursuits.  But put an extra condiment into your dish, and it will poison you” (277).  Thoreau elaborates on his beliefs  on the consumption of food in this quote.  He makes it known that consuming necessary foods is completely correct, but adding trifle foods, for the pure enjoyment of humans, is not only immoral, but also a distraction.  While these points Thoreau makes are valid, fancying food can be a vital distraction from the pursuit of greater cerebral achievements.  When someone focuses on an activity for too long, and it begins to lose its joy, all other work put into the task is put to waste.  By finding enjoyment in small things like food, it is an easy way for one to increase productivity.

Noah brings up an interesting point by discrediting Thoreau because in modern days, “nutritional and behavioral analysis” have proved Thoreau’s beliefs to be wrong.  Although this is agreeable, there are somethings that science may prove wrong, but independent events say otherwise.  For this reason the validity Thoreau’s beliefs on food, and its consumption are dependent on each individual.

[April Huntoon]

In “The Ponds” Thoreau describes the Walden Pond, and all of its traits of “purity” (247).  The Walden Pond symbolizes how Thoreau would like himself to be.  He describes the pond as being “on a humble scale, and, though very beautiful, does not approach grandeur” (247). These features of the pond behold the attributes that Thoreau would like himself to have.  Thoreau uses these features for him to aspire to. The pond encompasses Thoreau’s essentials to life, and is gracefully minimalistic, adding to its beauty.

Max brings up a good point with connecting Thoreau’s admiration for the pond and its traits to religion.  The Walden Pond represents the soul of a perfect human through Thoreau’s eyes. A person of this sort may be found in heaven or some other kind of utopia.

[April Huntoon]

In Thoreau’s “The Bean Field”, he explains the difference of obligatory work versus work which one chooses to do.  Thoreau describes his work with the beans as “curious labor” (231).  Although he is selling the beans and making a minuscule profit, he harvests and plants the beans for his own pleasure. Thoreau puts more care and consideration into his “experiment” with the beans, because it is self-gratifying work.  Thoreau’s dogma of work is different than the restraining obligatory efforts Thoreau discusses in “Economy”, because mandatory work does not give one the character development than work which one chooses to participate in.

I agree with Kelcie that Thoreau did not farm for the money, rather it was “to gain and develop self discipline”.  Kelcie’s notion ties back to my beliefs that one grows as a person from working for pleasure.

[April Huntoon]

Taylor, I like how you incorporated Thoreau’s necessary qualities of life into your response. I agree with you that Thoreau has no intentions or obligations of impressing others, such as his neighbors.

[April Huntoon]

In “Sounds”  Thoreau considerably anthropomorphizes as a result of his seclusion and minimal interaction with other humans.  Giving human qualities to animals is his way of coping with isolation; “though their voices have waxed hoarse and solemnly grave, mocking at mirth” (209). Here, Thoreau is applying human traits of speaking, to frogs.  Without having fellow people to converse with he is lonely, and by assigning human traits to animals he is getting the interaction that he is missing out on without humans.

I agree with Taylor that Thoreau is beginning to realize the degree of difficulty associated with not being in contact with humans, and it is because of this that he has starting assigning human qualities to animals.  By doing this, he was able to distract himself from his overwhelming loneliness.

 

[April Huntoon]

In “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”, Thoreau discusses the possibility of buying Hollowell farm, a reserved, poorly maintained property.  Thoreau is enticed by the farm’s “complete retirement, being about two miles from the village, half a mile form the nearest neighbor… the gray color and ruinous state of the house and barn” (175-6).  Typically these qualities would cause real estate buyers to turn away, due to its isolation, and the poor condition of the buildings on the property.  These qualities draw Thoreau in, and this shows that he prefers isolation, remoteness, and solitude, contrary to most people who favor togetherness.

 

[April Huntoon]

In “Economy” Thoreau discusses the necessaries of life and how they all derive from warmth.  Thoreau defines these necessities as “under the several heads of Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel” (120). These four basic entities are required for one to survive, however the effort taken after these are obtained is a gray area.  A possible step that one may take is “more and richer food, larger and more splendid houses, finer and more abundant clothing, more numerous incessant and hotter fires, and the like” (123).  Although this materialistic, superfluous step is what the majority of people  choose to do, Thoreau does not agree with it.  He believes that the next maneuver after one has achieved the necessities is “to adventure on life”, and grow as a person (123).  Thoreau compares human growth to plant growth “the nobler plants are valued for the fruit they bear… far from the ground” (123). Thoreau points out that the more a plant grows, the better it becomes, encouraging human growth.

Max brings up an interesting point regarding the value of necessities and how it varies between those who are viewed as civilized, and those considered savage.  Savage-like people may place more of value on the necessities because they face the struggle of obtaining these necessities every single day, while those more civilized may take these necessities for granted simply due to a more materialistic lifestyle. For example, to a savage person, a Hanes white t-shirt may be seen as an amazing piece of clothing, however, to someone with greater resources the same exact t-shirt could have little to no value.  This demonstrates variation of the value placed on certain necessities.

-April Huntoon

 

 

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