The Verbose Insomniacs
Henry David Thoreau
Biography (1817-1862)
*Henry David Thoreau's philosophical beliefs were inspirative impetuses for his writing that have and continue to inspire
Fast Facts:
-Thoreau was known to be very eccentric.
-Disagreeing with senseless tradition, Thoreau wore a green jacket ignoring the tradition of Harvard boys wearing back.
-Thoreau disagreed so much with corporal punishment that he opened his own school with his older brother.
-Fascinated by the ideas of of Transcendentalism, he started to study under Ralph Waldo Emerson.
-Throughout his own life Henry received little recognition for his work.
-Henry's philosophy of civil disobedience influenced the thoughts and actions of figures such as MLK jr and Mohandas Gandhi.
-Henry did not just express his beliefs out in writing like most do, but also lived them out on the Walden pond.
This video is a short biography of Henry David Thoreau.
Walden
Synopsis:
In March, 1845, Thoreau decides to build a cabin by Walden Pond. He does this so he can discover everything he can about human nature without woldly distractions, and wrote his conclusions. The literary work contains a series of chapters that detail Thoreau's personal experiences as he sets out to "live deliberately" in nature as to not regret doing it later in life. By setting out into the forest, he hoped to slow down and enjoy it without the pace set by the rush of life in society. In the end Thoreau tells us that we need not go to extremes to find ourselves and that it is something that we should do. All throughout he champions the ideas of individuality and uniqueness over the opinions of others. His writing both details his tale into the Walden Pond and gives you his unique perspective and a deeper understanding of the ideas of Transcendentalism.
Analysis
The work is a diary of sorts of Thoreau's experiences that also presents within itself the ideas of transendentralism. He states that he did what he did to pursue greater understanding of human nature, and comes to a few conclusions. Nature is something that humans can use for self reflection, greater understanding, and to give oneself perspective that can seldom be found elsewhere. Here he also maintains his value of the individual that can be seen in his other works.
Success:
Although Walden was only semi sucessful during his time, his experiment struck a chord in the yeras after his death. The generation living through the war ravarage 60s and 70s sought simplicity that Walden preached.
This video analyzes Walden
Civil Disobedience
Synopsis:
Through Civil Disobedience, Thoreau shows the need to not just blankly ask for a better government. Real positive change in his opinion can only be garnered when there is an understanding of what you want from government. Government is in his opinion only something that serves the people, because the people allow it to. However, this is rarely the case in practice, because the strongest few rule the ignorant many. Thoughout he highlights injustices like the Mexican American War, and slavery. Using his personal experiences as a example, he says that member of such institutions has a obligation to educate themselves about the issues, and actively become part of the solution. This is not however an advocation for reovolution, but a recommendation for as its titled "civil disobediance". He proposes that people nonviolently protest for change.
Effect:
Civil Disobediance has been read by great leaders of our time that range from MLK jr. to Gandhi. His preach for nonviolent protest and change has been powerful enough to end the evil institution of slavery that Thoreau battled with during his time.
In the words of Ken Kilfer "Thoreau's careful observations and devastating conclusions have rippled into time, becoming stronger as the weaknesses Thoreau noted have become more pronounced ... Events that seem to be completely unrelated to his stay at Walden Pond have been influenced by it, including the national park system, theBritish labor movement, the creation of India, the civil rights movement, the hippie revolution, the environmental movement, and the wilderness movement. Today, Thoreau's words are quoted with feeling by liberals,socialists, anarchists, libertarians, and conservativesalike. "
How Henry David Thoreau's Message is Conveyed
Henry's works are characterized by his message. He expresses his unique take on the ideas of Transendentalism. In doing so he uses a conversational tone that serves neither to scold nor to look down upon the reader.They act to instead make the writing feel like a a friendly conversation. Another important aspect to his writings is the inclusion of figurative expressions that help to develop and convey his ideas to readers.
Mat Damon reading a except of Civil Disobedience
