[Zack DiMarco]

In Stanton’s address, The Solitude of Self, she offers a unique thesis concerning women’s rights to education and representation in government. While there are a few different layers to her speech, what struck me the most was her valuation on the human life “No one has ever found two blades of ribbon grass alike, and no one will ever find two human beings alike. Seeing, then, what must be the infinite diversity in human character, we can in a measure appreciate the loss to a nation when any class of the people is uneducated and unrepresented in the government.” Stanton is claiming that when you subjugate an entire sect of the population by denying fundamental rights, e.g. voting and educational opportunities, then society will miss a slue of different perspectives and contributions of that sect. Furthermore, the inherent lack of representation and rights made it much more challenging for women to find “solitude” and have spiritual awakenings – like experienced by T in Walden. Stanton offers a compelling thesis on the rights of women and her views on self-actualization and individualism are in concert with the Transcendental views of the time period.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>In regards to Alcott’s Wild Oats, it is abundantly clear that she is skeptical of the Transcendentalist movement. Alcott uses satire throughout the short story to critique many ideas and components of the Transcendentalist movement. She uses the pilgrims in the story to act as a proxy for the Transcendentalist ideals of the time period. To Thoreau’s delight, the family has a strong focus on nature (eating only what can be yielded from the earth) and an emphasis on solitude and self reflection. However, to Thoreau’s dismay, the pilgrims’ lifestyle ultimately backfires as they end up nearly starving. Alcott’s short story lends a satirical gaze to the Transcendentalist movement. The subject matter of <i>Wild Oats</i>, particularly the failure of the Fruit lands, shows that no state can exist that is perfectly compliant with nature. In order for society to flourish, Alcott believes that some facet of society / nature must <i>suffer. </i>If you think about it, haven’t nearly all modern societies been born on the backs and toils of others? Alcott rejects the views of the time period which champion self reliance and preserving nature. She believes that they are hypocritical and impractical.</p>

[Zack DiMarco]

 

Thoreau’s argument against attending college is predicated on the belief that college and “living” are mutually exclusive activities. Furthermore, Thoreau defines the opportunity cost of receiving a college degree, as the time one could have would have otherwise spent “living.” When appraising the financial cost of a college degree, Thoreau believes that the most valuable part of college is one which cannot be equated in dollars and cents, “while for the far more valuable education which he gets by associating with the most cultivated of his contemporaries no charge is made” (pg. 22).

It is difficult to compare the merits of a college education in 1854 and 2015. When writing Walden, a college education was simply not as important as it is now. While Thoreau argues that we forgo “life” to acquire a degree, I would argue that the majority of students at Geneseo have perfectly fulfilling collegiate experiences. Especially at a small liberal arts college like Geneseo, there are a myriad of opportunities to get involved and “live.” Finally, on the point of working with the most “cultivated” of cohorts, I must agree with Thoreau. Some of my fondest, and most productive, times at this school have been working with my peers on projects, presentations and homework. The practical application of the subject matter (in my case Economics), accompanied by working with others, always makes the learning experience more gratifying.

So, would Thoreau approve of my college education at Geneseo? Probably not. However, unlike some of my other bloggers, I am not too disheartened – it’s not 1854.

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