Walden Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
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Henry Thoreau writings in Walden reflect his reflections on modernity and industrialization. Thoreau specifically focuses on representing the damages or the negative effects of modernity in ordinary lives. He was also part of the movement Transcendentalism that began in 1830 that emphasizes meditation and close relationship with the spirits of nature. This ideology led Thoreau to create what we today call (field trip) to encourage his students to develop a different way of learning. He writes, “Our life is frittered away by detail.” Apart from depicting his reflections against modernity, Thoreau also recounts his personal decisions of isolating himself in the woods to live as he states “deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life”. In all, the reflections of Thoreau in Walden deal with a man living on the verge of a changing world, a world which was advancing in all areas of life including technology and communications (he writes of the invention of tunnels, telegraph and newspapers as being unnecessary (18)) he writes of these rapid changes disrupting man’s ability to live life as they should, which according to Thoreau is in tranquility, ignoring all that is unnecessary “Let us rise early and fast, or break fast, gently and without perturbation; let company come and let company go, let the bells ring and the children cry, determined to make a day of it”
Annotations: paragraph starting in the middle of page 21- page22
1. “ Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry.” Here Thoreau is criticizing man’s inability to stand still, to notice his surroundings, to live life in the moment. During Thoreau’s time industrialization began taking place, hence many men became full time workers (Thoreau references Irishman and Yankee men building roads (21)). While it is true as Thoreau implies, that man under certain social pressures of advancing forgets to notice and take part in nature and his surroundings, Thoreau also forgets that men/women working is necessary for society to function and improve (such as in medicine, teaching, etc). Despite this necessity of a working society, who is constantly moving, one cannot deny Thoreau’s objection towards man inability to sometimes stand still, to reflect upon life and nature. This is needed no matter how fast a society is moving.
2. “ For my part, I could easily do without the post-office. I think that there are very few important communications made through it.”(pag 21) In this paragraph Thoreau is stating his individual opinion on not using the post office as a necessary medium for communication. Thoreau is stating his objections against indirect communication, it seems he prefers for man to communicate face to face. Of course one cannot deny from reading his work that Thoreau seems mostly to prefer isolation, or simply to stand apart from the rest. While it can be true that Thoreau has no need for mailing a letter in the post office or for receiving letters but for other members in society during this time and ours, it is still extremely important. The creation of the post office brought about a connection for those who lived far away from each other, in different continents of the world or simply in a different town.
3. “And I’ am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper.” (pag 22) Here Thoreau is stating yet again another personal objection, this time against information in the newspaper. I can see why Thoreau would state this objection since not always is “news” really newsworthy, especially in this era when the life of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga seems to make to the news more than actual important events. But, despite the entertainment information that pervades in news one cannot deny that some news is particularly important, especially that concerning serious issues happening in other parts of the world and subjects on politics and changes happening close to home.
4. “As for Spain, for instance, if you know how to throw in Don Carlos and the Infanta” (pag 22) References to Don Carlos, the first Carlist claimer of the throne from Spain and Isabella Clara Eugenia by birth an infanta of Spain and Portugal. (http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Don_Carlos_I_of_Spain)
5. “and as for England, almost the last significant scrap of news from the quarter was the revolution of 1649” (pag 22) Reference to the parliament of England challenging King Charles I’s authority in civil conflict, and finally executing him in 1649. (http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/361-28.htm