Free Essays on Thoreau

In Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, Thoreau takes a strong look at the government and the reasons why some government laws should not be followed. In Thoreau’s opening lines he states, â€Å"That government is best which governs not at all;† (4-5). At the time when this essay was written, slavery was not only legal but it was a law that blacks must be owned. Slaves had no rights. They were in America for the sole purpose of working for the white man. Thoreau states, â€Å"if one HONEST man, in this state of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and he locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America,†(341-345). Thoreau is simply asking for people to disobey the laws of slavery in order to free the slaves who are people, who are human, and who should be given the same rights as other human beings. In my opinion, it is this statement that Martin Luther King Jr. took to heart as he fought for equality for all people. Thoreau goes on to speak of a time when he was asked by the State to pay money to the clergy because his father attended church. Thoreau refused to pay, however another person instead paid the money for him. Thoreau stated, â€Å"I did not see why the schoolmaster should be taxed to support the priest, and not the priest the schoolmaster, but I supported myself by voluntary subscription. I did not see why the lyceum should not present its tax bill, and have the State to back its demand, as well as the Church,† (465-470). After that incident, Thoreau made a statement in writing and gave it to the clerk to let the State know that he did not want to be a member of any organization that he had not joined of his own accord. Lastly, Thoreau speaks of a poll tax. Thoreau seemed to question the use of such money and of course he refused to pay the tax. This time his refusal landed him in jail. It is believed that it is this one night in... Free Essays on Thoreau Free Essays on Thoreau Henry David Thoreau begins his poem â€Å"Woof of the Sun, Etheral Gauze† with a description of fog covering the sun. Woof of the sun, ethereal gauze, Woven of Nature's richest stuffs, Visible heat, air-water, and dry sea, Last conquest of the eye†¦// (ll. 1-4) At first glance, the preceding passage offers an ordinary image of the sun hidden behind clouds. Through oxymorons he presents the boundless qualities of the low cloud of fog; the phrases â€Å"visible heat,† air water,† and dry sea† each present a state beyond the physical world free from temporal restrictions. More importantly Thoreau depicts the clouds as â€Å"ethereal gauze,† illustrating the sheerness of the clouds, yet how too the clouds partially conceal the sun from the eye. This special treatment of diaphanous media- fog and smoke- is a unique feature in Thoreau’s poems â€Å"Mist,† â€Å"Fog,† â€Å"The Sluggish Smoke† and â€Å"Light-Winged Icarian Bird.† Thoreau employs these metaphors to represent the semi-obscured realm that connects the physical world from the spiritual realm. For Thoreau, there was no distinction between the physical world and the spiritual world unlike Ralph Waldo Emerson who believes ther e is a division. Images of fog are featured in Thoreau’s poetry to present the bridge between Nature and heaven. The images of smoke serve as a metaphor of the human imagination attempting to reach to connect the two realms. In the poem â€Å"Mist,† one can see Thoreau recognizing and retaining the beauty of the physical world, but also featuring metaphysical attributes to the fog imagery: Low-anchored cloud Newfoundland air, Fountain-head and source of rivers, Dew-cloth, dream drapery, And napkin spread by fays; Drifting meadow of the air, Where bloom the daisied banks and violets, And in whose fenny labyrinth The bittern booms and heron wades; Spirit of lakes and seas and rivers, Bear only perfumes and the scent O... Free Essays on Thoreau As a follower of transcendentalism, Thoreau projected individualism in his literary works, Walden and â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† Thoreau had a deep emphasis on nature, as displayed in his works, as well as his freedom and following conscience. Walden Pond was one of Thoreau’s favorite spots in Concord, Massachusetts. Walden Pond is a symbol for self-exploration; it must answer human nature depth for depth. Even as a very young child, he could stand alone among the trees at Walden Pond and not feel lonely. The people around his small town referred to Thoreau as â€Å"nature’s own child† (Reef 21). Thoreau spent more time outdoors than in the small cabin he built by Walden Pond. Thoreau took long walks in the woods and fields around his town in Concord, Massachusetts. While he was at Walden, Thoreau was alone quite often, but he was rarely lonely. Walden is a book about Thoreau’s experiences while living in the woods beside Walden Pond. Walden is not a long book, but it is filled with wonderful sentences that grab at your mind and stay in your ear (Burleigh 20). This book has helped many people think about and change their lives. Thoreau summed up his reasoning for living by Walden Pond by saying, â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essentials facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived† (Daugherty 15). Thoreau felt peaceful and at one with nature. He felt deeply about nature; he felt it reached right into your feelings. Yet thoughts (Ring 5). Thoreau felt that â€Å"Natural objects and phenomena are the original symbols or types which express our thoughts and feelings, and yet American scholars, having little or no root in the soil, commonly strive with all their might to confide themselves to the imported symbols alone. All the true growth and experience, the living speech, they would fa... Free Essays on Thoreau In Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, Thoreau takes a strong look at the government and the reasons why some government laws should not be followed. In Thoreau’s opening lines he states, â€Å"That government is best which governs not at all;† (4-5). At the time when this essay was written, slavery was not only legal but it was a law that blacks must be owned. Slaves had no rights. They were in America for the sole purpose of working for the white man. Thoreau states, â€Å"if one HONEST man, in this state of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and he locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America,†(341-345). Thoreau is simply asking for people to disobey the laws of slavery in order to free the slaves who are people, who are human, and who should be given the same rights as other human beings. In my opinion, it is this statement that Martin Luther King Jr. took to heart as he fought for equality for all people. Thoreau goes on to speak of a time when he was asked by the State to pay money to the clergy because his father attended church. Thoreau refused to pay, however another person instead paid the money for him. Thoreau stated, â€Å"I did not see why the schoolmaster should be taxed to support the priest, and not the priest the schoolmaster, but I supported myself by voluntary subscription. I did not see why the lyceum should not present its tax bill, and have the State to back its demand, as well as the Church,† (465-470). After that incident, Thoreau made a statement in writing and gave it to the clerk to let the State know that he did not want to be a member of any organization that he had not joined of his own accord. Lastly, Thoreau speaks of a poll tax. Thoreau seemed to question the use of such money and of course he refused to pay the tax. This time his refusal landed him in jail. It is believed that it is this one night in...