[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

During his time at Walden Pond, Thoreau comes to many conclusions in regards to his understanding of the world and the meaning of  life. He comes to realize that the bare minimum things that are needed to survive are all an individual needs. He disregards material items and says “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me the truth” (Thoreau 364) showing the intensity of his beliefs. Thoreau is a firm believer in simplicity. He lives his life mostly in isolation at Walden Pond and is able to experience nature in his solitude in order to help him in his path to understanding himself and his society. The things that he encounters in nature in Walden Pond usually directly correlate to the conclusions that Thoreau comes to. He concludes at the very end that “The life in us is like the water in the river” (Thoreau 365) alluding to the Walden Pond, he explains that life is unexpected just as the behavior of the water in the river is.

Like others commented before me, I also wasn’t so fond of “Walden” before reading the Conclusion. In my opinion, the conclusion really brought all of Thoreau’s thoughts and ideas from previous chapters together and was able to make the largest impact on me. The conclusion help me understand many of Thoreau’s previous observations and comments. Reading Walden has made me want to take some time once in a while to put down my phone and be alone with my thoughts for a little bit. I also want to experience nature like Thoreau was able to. I believe that doing this will help me in my attempts towards self-discovery and could make me a happier and more aware individual.

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

Although Thoreau makes many good points about how food should only be consumed when necessary, Noah makes an even better point when he suggests that it is not only important to survive, but also to thrive. Food can be a very important aid in the art of “thriving”. Thoreau believes that adding “an extra condiment… will poison you.” (Thoreau 6) and that there is no need for excess consumption. His argument seems valid however the nutrients that more selective food choices and more food in general can provide, can be extremely beneficial physically and mentally to humans. Therefore Thoreau’s views of excess food as “just a distraction from higher intellectual pursuits” is made invalid.

(Note: My citation reference the paragraph number in the online text)

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

If people lived as simply as Thoreau did, their way of living would look similar to the way the ants, that Thoreau so closely observed, lived. We learn from Thoreau’s close observation of the ants that war and battle is the only way of living the ants have ever known and that almost nothing could complicate or diminish this balanced tradition. It is clear that Thoreau values the simplicity of this tradition even if he is against war itself. He respects the fact that the ants’ “battle-cry [is] conquer or die” (Thoreau 288) and respects the simplicity of this concept. The concept entails that the opponents either win or perish, they is no in-between. The ants represent people in their most primal stages, acting in accordance to their natural instincts. When they fight, the ants are acting on their primal instincts, therefore gaining respect from Thoreau whom we have come to find in past chapters, is a big believer in the most basic principals of life.

When talking about the ants, Thoreau compares them to historical figures. For example, he compares an ant to Achellies, “who had nourished his wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or rescue his Patroclus”  (Thoreau 288) He does this in order to further humanize the actions of the ants. By directly comparing the way that the ants fight to actions of historical figures, he helps expands his ideas of the similarities between the ants and humans.

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

Thoreau expresses his appreciation for the Walden’s ponds raw and simpleness in “The Ponds”. His emotions towards the pond run very deep. Thoreau finds comfort in the pond’s serenity and clearness. Thoreau’s great appreciation of the pond reveals what kind of person he is. He values the simple thing’s that nature has to offer and takes the time to observe them. He describes Walden and another pond as “great crystals on the surface of the earth, Lakes of Light” (Thoreau 265) For Thoreau, the Walden pond symbolizes comfort and serenity. The mere existence of the Walden pond guides Thoreau in his life.

I agree with Kheldhe in what she says about the pond symbolizing hope. It’s pureness provides hope for Walden and gives him confidence. He knows that if something so pure can exist, not all hope is lost.

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

In “The Bean Field” Thoreau goes into great detail about how he tends to his beloved beans. For Thoreau the activity of tending the beans is most enjoyable and satisfying. Thoreau believes that “labor of hands, even when pursued to the verge of drudgery is perhaps never the worst form of idleness.” (Thoreau 232) He finds that the experience that he gets out of his bean tending is the most valuable thing. He doesn’t care about the wealth or even the food that it provides him with. Although he benefits from this work, he tends to only value the joy that it brings him. In comparison, the work that Thoreau speaks of in “Economy” is simply an obligation, is not meant to be enjoyable and does not provide the type of things that Thoreau gains from farming his bean field. When Thoreau is working because he has to instead of for personal gain he does not get anything more than material from his work and cannot be provided with the personal values of bean farming.

I agree with Alyssa’s response when she brings up the point that obligatory labor is “mundane” and only used to “gain wealth”. This must be true for Thoreau seeing as he only values the experience that he receives from his labor.

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

In “solitude” Thoreau describes the personal and general importance of being secluded. Thoreau believes that nature is more important than human companionship. He lives far away from all of his neighbors. He believes that nature can bring out the “beauty” in people.

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

In the passage “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”, Thoreau discusses the reasons he almost bought Hollowell Farm. While the estate wouldn’t likely be regarded as very desirable to most, Thoreau saw it as an acceptable possibility for a home. The house was dilapidated and the property overall had shown wear and very obvious signs of past inhabitance. He describes the house a having a “gray color” and being in a “ruinous state” (Thoreau 176) He also finds its isolated location to be quite desirable. Thoreau’s taste in real estate is reflective of his character and his personal values. He doesn’t mind the fact that the property is beat down because he only values life’s essentials, which doesn’t include the luxury of one’s house as long as it provides the essential “need” shelter. The fact that the house is secluded also reveals his personal belief in simplicity because while most people would want to be connected to other people and places by being physically closer to them, Thoreau knows that that this type of connection is not something that he needs. It may ease his life but it is not essential to it. His priorities are substantially more simple then those of most other people

I like how Julia R. connected this section to the previous section “Economy” and I agree that Thoreau’s beliefs in only the essentials of life is reflected in this case as well. Thoreau has only enhanced the reader’s understanding in his beliefs in the necessities of life by applying them to a real life situation.

[Haley “Kiwi” Rosenthal]

In Thoreau’s “Economy” Thoreau expresses his feelings on people’s unnecessary greed and how detrimental he believes that this greed can be to society. Thoreau believes that there are a mere four factors that are truly “necessary” to life which are food, shelter, clothing and fuel. After a person has maintained these four necessities, they begin to crave and strive for things that aren’t truly necessary to life. Thoreau says that these “unnecessaries” are nothing but “hinderances to the elevation of mankind.” (Thoreau 122) He believes that people who are constantly working towards these unnecessary things they are being held back and “shackled” from growing as a human being. However, Thoreau also shares his belief that after the four necessaries of life are obtained, a human has the ability to grow. He says that once man “has” the necessaries he may now “shoot up with confidence” or grow and develop into an individual. A person can either become obsessed with working towards luxuries or they can grow after they obtain the four things necessary to life. However, no one can be criticized for attempting to obtain food, shelter, clothing, and fuel because they are the factors that are necessary to life.

I agree with Sammy in her thoughts about the concept of “materialism” in “Economy”. Once people begin to work towards things that are not food, shelter, clothing, or fuel, is when materialism begins. I also agree with what Sammy brought up about how the necessaries of life are in fact disputable and depending on what kind of person you are talking to contributes to what they would personally believe is “necessary”. I would like to add that Thoreau also discusses the type of necessaries can change depending on the situation of a person, depending on if they are rich or poor. He believes that “Of a life of luxury the fruit is luxury, whether in agriculture, or commerce, or literature, or art.” (Thoreau 122)

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