[Haley Sellar]

While living at Walden Pond, Thoreau comes to some realizations. In “Conclusion”, Thoreau realizes that not everyone will go along with his way of living simplistically and although he still does not agree with others’ decisions, he explains that for anyone to be able to live a life they want they have to pursue it and stride for it. He learned “that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams… he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours” (Thoreau 358). Thoreau also learned that there is a chance a person will live many different lives, that they will get tired of their current life and want to pursue another one. Thoreau himself decided it was time to leave the pond, but even then he always had a personal connection to it. While living by the pond he fulfilled his want for a life of simplicity, and without luxuries. He grew to know peace and see the true beauty of nature.

After reading Walden, I learned that the luxuries in life are not everything, in fact they are not necessary. Thoreau never even considered anything more than the basic necessities he had. Materialism is a big thing today and there are many people who take the beauty of life and nature for granted.  I learned to appreciate the simple things in life more. I personally know that I have asked for and wanted something that was expensive and luxurious even though I did not need it. But what I have learned from reading Walden I will apply to my everyday life. I am going to focus more on enjoying my life and what I do rather than focus on the “stuff”. I think that person having or wanting something that is expensive or on the more luxurious side is not always a problem, as long as that person is not focused on a materialistic world. It is really about moderation.

[Haley Sellar]

Annie,

Your response was very well written and thoroughly answered the prompt. I like how you mention the idea of an uneven battle and having advantages or disadvantages. That point is true even today. with different people, and how people are treated differently for being weaker or smaller. This really goes along with the point Thoreau is trying to make in this chapter about the way the ants act towards one another, and that the ants are almost a picture of what life could be like if everyone lived a life of simplicity, just like Thoreau.

[Haley Sellar]

In “Brute Neighbors”, Thoreau is sharing his belief of how humans would be if they all lived a life of simplicity. Thoreau compares human behaviors to the ants he saw, “I was surprised to find… a war between the two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black” (Thoreau 287).  Basically, what Thoreau was trying to get at was that just like the ants, if everyone were to live like Thoreau, there would still be disputes on little differences, like the difference in the ants’ sizes. Thoreau also relates the possible human behavior to some of the worst battles in American history, “there is not the fight recorded in Concord history… that will bear a moment’s comparison with this” (Thoreau 288).  Although Thoreau believes everyone should want to live a simple life, if everyone were to live the same way could cause many problems.

[Haley Sellar]

Like all other things, Thoreau is able to relate the need for eating to living simplistically in “Higher Laws”. Thoreau is trying to make the point that yes eating is important for survival, but people can get the food they need from nature, and not from animals. Eating basic foods is better than spending more time and money on food that would also kill the spiritual value of animals. According to Thoreau, “an extra condiment into your dish, and it will poison you. It is not worthwhile to live by rich cookery” (Thoreau 277). There is no need to stride for the luxurious things, even something like food, a person can live without the what seems like luxurious foods. Eating more than just what comes directly from nature has become a norm today. There are markets and grocery stores that advertise the more luxurious food items. Although Thoreau believes that people are better off with a simple life, including eating, most people do not live by those standards.

[Haley Sellar]

Naia,

Your response was very well written, you answered the prompt thoroughly. I like how you related what the pond symbolizes to solitude, which was very important to Thoreau as that was a main focus of his philosophy. You made some very good points that emphasized how much the pond meant to Thoreau.

[Haley Sellar]

Thoreau spends a lot of time in the woods and Walden Pond, and he grew to cherish the pond. In the chapter, “The Ponds”, Thoreau talks about how he loves visiting the pond, and it gives him peace. The pond became a part of him, “But now I had made my home by the shore” (Thoreau 246). The pond brought many memories for Thoreau, and it reminded him of the simplistic life he lived. Seeing “Nothing so fair, so pure, and at the same time so large…” (Thoreau 257), the pond was so beautiful and yet so simple. The pond symbolizes basically everything Thoreau believes in; simplicity and the beauty of nature.

[Haley Sellar]

In “The Bean-Field”, Thoreau shares how much he loves working on his bean field. He spent his summers out there and enjoyed every minute of it. He is trying to make the point of people enjoying what they do, rather than it just being about the money. Thoreau truly cared about his beans, “I cherish them, I hoe them, early and late I have an eye to them; and this is my day’s work” (Thoreau 231). To him, working was not about getting paid, or using the money for things he wanted. To Thoreau, working was about doing something he loved, and he loved working on his bean field.

Thoreau’s beliefs about the idea of working in “The Bean-Field” is much different than what Thoreau talks about in “Economy”. In “Economy”, Thoreau is explaining how people focus more on the luxuries, rather than living simplistically, and instead of working for enjoyment and doing something they love, many people focus more on a bigger picture, money. A person would work a job that they hate, or a job that is time consuming, but they keep that job anyways because they want to be able to buy expensive things and spend their money. This goes against everything that Thoreau believes in, as he in not like most people. He works in his bean field happily, while continuing to live a simple life.

 

[Haley Sellar]

Naia,

I really enjoyed reading your response. I agree with you on the fact that Thoreau wanted solitude in order to live a simplistic life. You did a great job of explaining how Thoreau felt about not needing anything but nature, and that he would never be completely alone as long as he remained one with nature. You also did a good job of showing how Thoreau wanted others to seclude themselves, because it is truly the only way to live simplistically.

[Haley Sellar]

Jamie,

I really liked how you incorporated Thoreau’s main ideas and points from “Economy” into this. His ideas about living simplicity with just the four basic necessities really ties into how he feels about luxuries and material reality. You did a good job of explaining Thoreau’s thoughts and his way of living, which he then wanted to persuade others to live a similar lifestyle, and that all goes back to “Economy”.

[Haley Sellar]

In “Solitude”, Thoreau explains that his living in solitude is his choice. The closest people to him are a mile away, and he enjoys seeing his own horizon, and knowing no one will be visiting late at night. Thoreau feels simplicity when alone, and can live plainly away from luxurious society. However, Thoreau also admits that a person cannot live in complete solitude, there must be some, even very little, interaction. After being in solitude for a period of time, listening to all the sounds around him, “I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature… as made the fancied advantages of human neighborhood insignificant” (Thoreau 213). Living with nature made Thoreau realize he did not need the accessories of life such as company, when he has the company of nature.

Thoreau argues that solitude is good for everyone because it brings out simplicity. As said by Thoreau, “Can we do not without the society of our gossips… have our own thoughts to cheer us?” (Thoreau 215). People always seemed to be overwhelmed in what was going on in other people’s lives, rather than just their own. Thoreau realizes that company is good, but that there are also times where it is best for someone to isolate themselves from the materialistic world, even for short periods of time. When in solitude is the best place for a person to think their own thoughts, and only their thoughts. Solitude and simplicity go hand in hand, as seen by Thoreau, being in solitude brings simplicity to that person, which he believes is the best way to live, and that was the way he thought all people should live.

[Haley Sellar]

In “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau is trying to get across the point that many people’s priorities focus of material reality rather than spiritual. Similarly to how he expressed himself in “Economy”, Thoreau explains that Americans tend to look past simplicity and care greatly about materialism and luxuries. Thoreau shares how he differs from these Americans as he is telling his story of giving a man a farm for nothing in return, “I found that I had been a rich man without any damage to my poverty”(Thoreau 175). All he had left was ten cent, his seeds and the materials he needed to make a wheel barrow. He did not sell the farm for the money, he did not need it. Thoreau also believes that “The nation itself…all external and superficial… ruined by luxury and heedless expense” (Thoreau 182). Many people focus on the expensive things, the better quality things, rather than just appreciating the simple things.

Materialism still occurs today, there are people who think that nothing is good enough. These type of people also think that the things they have and the clothes they wear make a statement about the type of person they are. As this is somewhat true, it shows that those type of people are materialistic and are too focused on appearance, while there are some people who do not care about appearance. Today, everyone worries about having the name brand, high quality items. Thoreau was the type of person who did not worry about that, he felt that wanting the expensive things was not living simply.

 

[Haley Sellar]

Chris Smith,

I like how you mentioned the necessity of warmth, and idea that the four basic necessities help to gain warmth. In fact, on page 121, Thoreau states how the grand necessity for the body is to be able to keep warm. But even then, warmth is another necessity that can be abused by people wanting more than they actually need. On page 122, Thoreau compares “comfortably warm” to the “unnaturally hot”. Your mentioning of the importance of heat really supports Thoreau’s philosophy of different views of people and it was well explained.

[Haley Sellar]

In Thoreau’s “Economy”, he speaks about living in the simplest way, and he chooses to live with the most bare necessities. He accomplishes this lifestyle by secluding himself in the woods. Thoreau claims that there are four basic necessities of life; food, shelter, clothing and fuel. Thoreau explains how there are different people in the world, those who are given everything, and those who work hard and receive very little. There are people who have all of their basic necessities, but continue to want more, and Thoreau does not agree as he feels “Why should they eat their sixty acres, when man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt?” (Thoreau 114). He strongly believed that any person would not need anything other luxuries if they reached their four basic necessities to living.
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After one has received food, shelter, clothing and fuel,  they tend to go beyond the basics and stride for more luxurious findings. “Man has invented… and the consequent use of it, at first a luxury, arose the present necessity to sit by it” (Thoreau 120), which goes against what Thoreau believes; however, he knows that different people are affected in different ways by what they are given. Some people think that they need more than just the basics in life, while Thoreau claims that a person does not need any more than what they absolutely need. Not all people view life the same way as Thoreau, who chooses to live in his basic cottage in the woods where his life is simple. He lives happily because he feels that as long as he has the most important necessities to be able to live, he is grateful and he does not need “fancy” and “expensive” to be happy.

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[Haley Sellar]

<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;”>In Thoreau’s “Economy”, he speaks about living in the simplest way, and he chooses to live with the most bare necessities. He accomplishes this lifestyle by secluding himself in the woods. Thoreau claims that there are four basic necessities of life; food, shelter, clothing and fuel. Thoreau explains how there are different people in the world, those who are given everything, and those who work hard and receive very little. There are people who have all of their basic necessities, but continue to want more, and Thoreau does not agree as he feels “Why should they eat their sixty acres, when man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt?” (Thoreau 114). He strongly believed that any person would not need anything other luxuries if they reached their four basic necessities to living. </span>

<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;”>After one has received food, shelter, clothing and fuel,  they tend to go beyond the basics and stride for more luxurious findings. “Man has invented… and the consequent use of it, at first a luxury, arose the present necessity to sit by it” (Thoreau 120), which goes against what Thoreau believes; however, he knows that different people are affected in different ways by what they are given. Some people think that they need more than just the basics in life, while Thoreau claims that a person does not need any more than what they absolutely need. Not all people view life the same way as Thoreau, who chooses to live in his basic cottage in the woods where his life is simple. He lives happily because he feels that as long as he has the most important necessities to be able to live, he is grateful and he does not need “fancy” and “expensive” to be happy. </span>

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