[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

Throughout the five year experiment at Walden Pond Thoreau learned many things. He has come to a realization that only the bare necessities are needed to live and that one must really become one with themselves and nature. Nature is an intricate part of our lives and it can create euphoria and a place of solitude.  Thoreau’s experiment has helped show the “directions of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined” (358).  If someone can master these key skills they can be truly happy.  One can see their true dream and live the life they have always wanted. Thoreau believes that a man must simplify their life to be able to reach their full potential and live a higher life.

I found Walden quite  thought provoking. It is very interesting how Thoreau develops his ideas and how his ideas are still heavily present in the modern society. He shows how living a simple life can lead to great happiness and allow one to really become one with themselves. Life is not about being the best and trying to achieve great goals, it’s about finding the true meaning of what it means to live.

I have learned a lot after reading Walden. It really made me think about life and how sometimes one just needs to step back and take a moment to think about what they are doing. I realize that being on my phone and all the technology that is present in the world will not give the same benefit as just taking an hour out of my day to appreciate nature and solitude. Technology is not the most important thing in life. This will allow me to really become one with myself and nature. Apply some of Thoreau’s philosophies will help me truly discover what I want in life and what is really important.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

The simple life Thoreau lives can directly relate to the life ants live. Ants are always in a brutal battle to survive and life efficiently. The ants had work very hard and “took up the chip… struggling, carried it into my house’ (289). Ants do anything to please their society and support it by gathering food. The ants are willing to do anything to help their society which Thoreau relates back to American history because “it was evident their battle-cry was conquer or die” (288). This shows how the ants and real people feel they must fight for their cause until they win or die. The significance of relating the ant’s life to past historical events shows that people are able to obtain the life Thoreau lives, they just have to fight very hard and be obedient.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

In “Higher Law” Thoreau clearly emphasizes that people should only eat to maintain their animal existence. Eating and savoring the fish he had caught was “insignificant and unnecessary and cost more than it came to” (276). People tend to pay too much attention to savoring food and tending to their wild or animal side rather than having a “simple clean died” (277).  People should be focused on food that can help them survive.  Thoreau proposes that “men [are] carnivorous animals” (277). Thoreau brings up a very valid and intriguing point. Everyone is focused about what they are going to eat and how good it is going to taste, which makes them act like animals.

I agree with Noah as well because it is true his theory could not work in today’s society. The world is centered on savoring food and eating very well. One can obtain food much easier and prepare it much faster.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

Throughout “Economy” Thoreau clearly emphasizes that work is an obligation and ones responsibility. Work is not meant to be enjoyed it is just something one must do to survive in the world. In contrast in the “Bean Field” Thoreau worked very diligently all day with little help from horses or people. Although he was much slower than he would be with aid he “became more intimate with my beans than usual” (232). Thoreau become very close with his beans and was not seeking to gain profit. He cultivated his beans by “hoeing and harvesting… selling them… was the hardest of all” (235). This clearly shows the different kinds of work because someone who just wants to get the beans cultivated and sold would need a lot of aid from people and animals. They would not enjoy working with their hands and have a connection to them. While Thoreau is taking his time growing the beans and becoming very close with nature, which makes it very hard for him to depart from the beans.

I really like Haley’s point about how Thoreau finds tending to his beans are the most valuable thing. She also brings up a good point about how he doesn’t care about how the beans provide him with food, which I never thought about. Thoreau truly just cares about the personal things he gains from harvesting the beans.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

Throughout “The Pond” Thoreau discusses his admiration for the Walden Pond. The pond symbolizes some type of peace and “its depth and purity… it is a clear and deep green” (Thoreau 247). The simplicity of the pond is what makes Thoreau see its true beauty. Sometimes he would spend hours fishing under the midnight glow of the moon and it made “very memorable and valuable” (Thoreau 246), experiences.  This makes the Walden Pond a very significant place for Thoreau because it is a place of solitude that allows him to capture his thoughts and reflect on his life.

From diverse viewpoints the pond is perceived a different way. It has many colors that it reflects blue, green, yellowish tint, and slate like. Depending on how much you look into it will determine the color one sees. However, when Thoreau is lying near the pond it is like being “between the earth and the heavens, it partakes of the color of both” (Thoreau 217). Thoreau is trying to show the pond symbolizes people and that when someone sees someone odd they judge it. One does not look any further than what someone looks like, which is what Taylor states above. She has a very good point because if someone took the time to stop judging someone they would see their true personality.  This is what Thoreau does because he is able to see the true exquisiteness of the pond. Also Taylor uses a lot of textual support that helps support her claims.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

Throughout “Solitude” Thoreau truly emphasizes the importance of being alone. Thoreau loves to be in solitude and believes that it is essentially better and more efficient for one to be secluded from the world. For the most part people are more “lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers” (Thoreau 216). When people are among others they can be excluded, but when someone is alone they are able to become one with themselves, which makes solitude the best companion.  Thoreau is trying to explain that being in solitude allows one to have time to think and truly know them, which is much different than being lonely. Being secluded from everyone allows people to see the real exquisiteness of nature and can enable someone to see the world in a different light.  Knowing one’s self is the only way someone can be truly happy.

Isabella, I like how you mentioned how most people want to be surrounded by loved ones and not be secluded, which Thoreau argues its better for people to be in solitude. I never thought of this interesting point. Although Thoreau says it can be hard at first, but ones someone is able to cope with loneliness they will see the wonderful experience of solitude.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

In the excerpt from Walden “Where I Lived, and What I Lived for” Thoreau fantasizes about owning a farm. He comes across a farm, the Hallowell place and buys it, but he sees characteristics in the farm that not everyone would see as attractive. The farm is very secluded, it is about two miles from the village and the “gray color and ruinous state if the house and barn” (Thoreau). These qualities of the farm are not appealing to buyers because the farm is run down, needs many improvements and is very far away from civilization. However, this is the perfect farm for Thoreau because there is a lot of nature and a “dense grove of maple trees” (Thoreau 176), making the house very secluded. Thoreau enjoys being in solitude and believes the house gives him the essential items, that were mentioned in “Economy”.  His priorities do not consist of tying to get the nicest items or looking for luxury, it is simply to survive with the bare necessities.

Haley, I like how you talk about how Thoreau wants to live a simple life. That really captures the reason why he wants to buy the Hallowell property. Thoreau find that the farm has the simple necessities, which makes it an ideal place for him. His priority in life is not to live a lavish life style, but to live a simple one, which Haley really emphasizes.

[Julia “Pear” Lawrence]

 

Throughout the excerpt “Economy” Thoreau clearly establishes that the necessities of life are “Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel” (Thoreau 120). All these “necessaries” of life lead to the ideal state of ‘heat’. Fuel helps to keep one going and to prepare food to increase the warmth of their body, while the shelter and clothing help preserve the heat made. However there is temptation all around, so he warns people that they shouldn’t rely on luxury items because they are not essential and can lead to greed.  Once the core necessities of life are mastered Thoreau believes there is an “alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to adventure on life now” (Thoreau 123).  Thoreau is trying to convey that once a person has obtained the essentials in life they are able to build upon them and reach their full potential without becoming voracious, which Noah stated previously.

Max talks about how civilized people are always working towards luxuries not necessities, which is very thought provoking. I agree with Max because in today’s materialistic world everyone’s ideas are deluded by the thought of money and striving towards the most luxuries life. People work hard so they can strive for success and money. This leads people to become greedy and not think about the core essential items needed to live.

-Julia Lawrence

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