Walden Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Thoreau starts his essay by condemning his fellow countrymen’s actions, or rather, inaction. They and Thoreau share similar moral beliefs, but they refuse to take any action towards them. “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or

In Chapter 17, Steinbeck explains how, “they changed their social life... they were not farm men any more, but migrant men” (Steinbeck 267). This quote shows the adaptation of the farmers’ attitudes because they had to govern themselves. They had to assume roles that were larger than them, thus changing them to the core. On the contrary, Thoreau was persistent in the idea that people should not have to alter themselves for the government, but rather the government should be adjusted to fit the needs of the people.

Thoreau's mother describes him as “[a]lways [doing] the right thing, [e]ven if it’s wrong” (94). Collectively, direct and indirect characterization through these quotes clearly indicate how Thoreau seeks to make every decision based upon his own personal beliefs of its morality, independent from societal pressure, and to act upon it

How does the maxim "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrety of you own mind" by Emerson relate to The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail? First of all, this quote is says that nothing can help you but your mind. If you have the knowledge than you shouldn't be afraid to speak out and follow your own path instead of conforming to what society thinks and believes. Only you can have the strength to reach your full potential and doing what you believe is right. This quote reminds me of Thoreau, of how he never conformed to what society believes.

Thoreau’s use of compare and contrast in his text has an extraordinary impact. Thoreau compares and contrast children “who play life, discern its true law and relations more clearly” to men “who fail to live it worthily, but who think that they are wiser by experience, that is, by failure”. Children understand the meaning of actually living, thus allowing them to be content with life. Adults on the other hand don’t actually live life but seem to have the delusion of living life and being ultimately happy. Thoreau uses compare and contrast to demonstrate and put emphasis on the concept of children understanding what the outcome of life should be unlike the adults, who are expected to know, that fabricated the idea of life being about success

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

Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and a very outspoken person about society. He discusses his opinions on how people should live in his essay “Where I Lived and What I Lived For.” Thoreau's philosophy of simplicity and individualism and self-sufficiency poses many dangers for communities as a whole. Although there are many setbacks, his philosophy is, however, still viable today. Thoreau strongly advocates self-sufficiency and individualism in this essay.

He talks about how “the leaves and tender twigs are an agreeable food to many domestic animals,” emphasizing on how all living things depended on nature (Wild Apples 1). This led to the idea that without nature humans cannot survive, so people cannot neglect nature. He pointed out how “the fragrance of some fruits is not to be forgotten, along with that of flowers” portraying a message to others by telling them that they should not forget nature due to their technological advancements (Wild Apples 1). Thoreau later on states “I saw a vigorous young apple-tree… uninjured by the frosts, when all cultivated apples were gathered.(Wild Apples 1)” This can be seen as an allusion towards transcendentalists, who, despite being outnumbered, continued to believe and have faith in nature while the rest of the world has been injured by “frosts” or technology and corruption.

1. Thoreau uses antithesis to describe his purpose for going to live in the woods to show that if he does the opposite it will be unfortunate. His contradicting points set balance to the first paragraph. If he just put that he wanted to live in the woods, his argument would not have started out as strong. By offering both points of view, he reaches out to a greater audience.

Throughout the writing of “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau often referred back to his idea that he supported which was “That government is best which governs not at all.” (Thoreau) In the passage, Thoreau believed that the government does not have a conscience. He talked about not wanting to pay the government poll tax, which in result, caused him to be thrown into jail. A poll tax is just a tax on a person for existing, therefore, everyone had to pay the same amount regardless of the value of their possessions.

Thoreau believes that people are inherently good. Finally, Thoreau states in his essay that, “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies” (392). This says that the men in the society work as machines for the government. They do not succeed through being the individuals, but rather as subjects and robots. Thoreau writes that the individuals as a whole work harder and more efficiently when left to their own devices than society

He instills imagery that elicits feelings that may not have already resided in the reader. Quite disturbing by 1840’s standards, his vivid and descriptive language could be from 20th century modernism: “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies…they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones” By subjecting the audience to the forms of discomfort associated with dehumanization, they may feel like an outside observer of their own thoughts or body, and will realize what is really in control over their thoughts and actions. Readers become be more open to recognize that perhaps not all their decisions are freely willed, especially those related to civil responsibility. The author uses this as an opportunity to delve deeper into the possibilities of free will under nationalism. Thoreau makes the claim that virtuous actions are only made through free choice.

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.

Thoreau also related to the world, imprisoning him when he said: “I found myself suddenly neighbor to the birds; not by having imprisoned one but having caged myself near them”. That makes me think about how Thoreau was given a life to be free or to be caged, just as well as any person does too. You can be the puppet of society and live, how the government tells you to live as or not be the puppet and defy what society has to tell you about life and live as you would want to. A rhetorical device Thoreau used to be logos mixed with pathos to convey the reader to see as he sees such as “live free and uncommitted” that would move a person to think living free is what I want and if it 's uncommitted then I’ll take it in my opinion.

Having described the main characteristics of both, Emerson and Thoreau, at this point is significant to contextualize the texts “Self-reliance” (1841) and the second chapter of “Walden” (1854) to analyze the figurative language the authors