Walden Rhetorical Analysis

Two partakers, Henry David Thoreau and Chris McCandless sought out peace and calm, but in doing so exposed themselves to cruel elements and lonely isolation. Like McCandless, Thoreau longed to “live deliberately” and yearned for something more from life (Thoreau, line 24). Both Thoreau and McCandless were in search of serenity; desperate for enlightenment and an escape from modern society. After years in the wilderness, Thoreau decided to return to society, a decision similar to one made by McCandless. Embracing the wilderness and seclusion seemed to answer McCandless’s philosophical questions and he decided to conclude his odyssey.

" Thoreau is stating how if you want to achieve something you should accomplish it largely on your own and not to just depend on somebody else to give you your success. Thoreau’s writing and Fifth Harmony’s chorus in the song “Who Are You” are very similar as they both point out how relying on yourself can get you much further than if you depend on someone

At the end of Walden, Thoreau writes “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves”. In recording this belief, people can infer that Thoreau would be distressed with the systematic lives of people today. The repetition of the same activities day after day without adventure would bestow sorrow in his

Furthermore, his use of tone to exemplify his argument is also effective as he condemns people for living rushed, unfulfilled lives for the sake of prosperity and materialistic possessions. When Thoreau says that ”when we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality,”(279) he employs a critical tone by stating that people are blinded by these petty things that misconstrue

Thoreau had the ability to isolate himself whenever he wished. He urges us to do the same. Thoreau’s philosophy may seem great, but it poses many threats in jeopardizing communities. For example, it could negatively impact economies.

He wrote about how technology and new lifestyles were continuously replacing what nature had established. He pointed out how nature was the window for people to find their own identity, which was fogged by the changes in society the industrial revolution had caused. Then, he continued to elaborate on how pure nature truly was by stating that all living things survive and live because of nature. Thoreau believes that society had lost itself in the tangles of its discoveries, and points to the solution of going back to

By establishing common ground with the reader who are religious by mentioning “god”. The author portrays his journey as sacred. Thoreau’s usage of descriptive language of scenery appeals to the readers as his location is a source of tranquility and sacredness. Furthermore, Thoreau argues that people should take into consideration everything; the details. Human life is clouded and surrounded by thousands of task rather than a

He suggests that you might look around yourself and really take into consideration as to how you are spending your short time you’re given in this life. Much like Chris McCandless, Henry David Thoreau looks around him and finds himself to be displeased. To quote Thoreau, “ I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately to front only the essential 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.” Much like McCandless, Thoreau thought very little of money, jobs and other things of the civilized world. Henry Thoreau concluded that to live, not much is needed.

yet he composes that he is truly never alone in light of the fact that he generally has the sweet organization of the regular world. On the other hand, he captivates numerous visitors in his lodge, once in a while maybe a couple at a time and here and there in gatherings of handfuls. Moreover, he lives not in the wild however on the edge of a lake near to the town, which he visits from time to time. American History Walden Pond where Thoreau lived for more than two years may seem isolated but calculating the distance, it is only a mile away from the center of Massachusetts which is known for the famous “shot heard around the world” which started the American Revolution.

He was far enough to be alone, but close enough to be able to hear a trains and church bells in the distance. In the very beginning he talked about how he wrote most of this book while living miles from the closest neighbor, in the woods alone. Thoreau did get visitors while living in the woods. His visitors would come to his cabin in the middle of the woods and they told Thoreau stories about the history of the area. Thoreau told of all the visitors from the woodchopper to the ones who over stayed their welcome.

In Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, the author expresses the immense longing that we, as human beings, need to give up our connection to our ever-growing materialism in order to revert back to self-sufficient happiness. In Walden, the reader is able to infer that Thoreau feels as if we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions, as well as believes that the study of nature should replace and oppose our enslavement, and that we are to “open new channels of thought” by turning our eyes inward and studying ourselves. Thoreau feels that we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions. As stated in the chapter “In the Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau states that “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential 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.” (972).

In his essay, Walden, Thoreau speaks of his powerful experience gained from living in pure wilderness. He chose to take up existance in the woods in order to live in a peacefully simple way, learning all there was about himself and life from nature (Thoreau 382). For Thoreau, nature offered the necessities of life, stripping away everything insignificant. By being concerned only with the simple requirements of life, more is learned about a person’ surroundings. In addition, during The Pond in Winter, Thoreau talks about the time when his eyes were opened to the continuation of life during the harsh and seemingly dead winter (Thoreau 384).

He does not disdain human companionship; in fact he values it when it comes on his own terms, as when his philosopher or poet friends come to call. Thoreau calls for people to be givers rather than takers in the economic game of life by “living deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life” (410). Thoreau claims that by reducing the unnecessary excess in our life, one can then contribute to society and give more than they take. Thoreau suggests on how to embark upon how to reduce the unnecessary items in our life by “[letting our] affairs be two or three, [and] instead of three meals a day, [eat] but one” (410). Thoreau also introduces the concept that self-reliance can be spiritual as well as economic, and explores the higher dimensions of individualism.

What arose was an American design of men. Thoreau’s own experience is that of solitude, society is found only later from nature itself: “In the midst of a gentle rain while these thoughts prevailed, I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, in the very pattering of the drops, and in every sound and sight around my house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once like an atmosphere sustaining me, as made the fancied advantage of human neighborhood insignificant.” (Thoreau 1050)

While arguing for simplicity and a cleaner and better lifestyle, Thoreau’s own language in Walden is figurative and even grandiose at times. He presents us with various ideals and dreams, illusions and aims to discover various aspects of life which are not as hidden as sometimes we tend to believe. Thoreau also advocates for an inner change, and to try to emulate some explorers and discoverers, not necessarily in their actions, but in principle. He believes that man must explore his own inner thoughts and needs prior to adventuring to conquest other nations and trade routes. Only when he has explored and conquered his own inner world would man be able to find the real riches of freedom and peace.