Walden by Henry David Thoreau Essay Example for Free

Walden by Henry David Thoreau Essay No doubt, the great Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817 and died there calmly on May 6, 1862. He was explained by Hawthorne as ugly as sin. He appreciated nature, and his steady worry was exploring the woods and ponds making full observations of plants and creatures. Henry led a remarkable life, never marrying, and marching to his own drummer, as he put it. From 1845 to 1847, he lived unaccompanied in a little cabin he built by Walden Pond near Concord. He explain this sole trial in natural living in Walden criticizing those who lead lives of quiet desperation by all the trappings of usual society. His personal self-government and simple manner was harsh to a number of people, and he gained very little credit throughout his lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was jailed for refusing to pay his poll-tax because he did not believe he should be part of a government which allowed the holding of slaves and invaded other countries (Mexico) with a standing army. An unknown person paid his poll-tax and he was released from jail. Thoreau would have preferred to remain jailed and had others join him in his refusal. If others had joined him, based on their consciences he believes this could have caused the minority to force the majority to do the right thing. I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name if ten honest men only yes, if one HONEST man ceasing to hold slaves withdrew from the copartner-ship, and be locked up in the county jail therefore, it would be the abolition of slavery in America (Thoreau, Disobedience 317). Summary of His Book Today a majority of high school students do not read books because it is considered boring, and with todays technology, you dont have to read, something else will do it for you. People who dont read often judge a book by its cover. It is not all books that are as dull as their readers. Thoreau said this quote because people often judge books without knowing about the book, in this case, the book would not be dull but the person saying it is will be. In the chapter Reading, Thoreau said, To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires training such as the athletes underwent the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object. This quote is very important because Thoreau is saying that reading is not an easy task, but it also requires lots of practice and training just as athletes undergo. Throughout the chapter of Reading, Thoreau states how everyone should read books, and if we dont, we could end up being like pygmies and manikins. No wonder that Alexander carried the Iliad with him on his expeditions in a precious casket. (Thoreau, Walden) In the chapter Solitude, Thoreau explains how being by yourself is not at all a bad thing. But for the most part it is as solitary where I live as on the prairies. It is as much Asia or Africa as New England, I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself. Thoreau didnt look at solitude as being something bad or a punishment, he looked at it as if it were a gift. When he said that he had his own little world all to himself, it made me think different about whenever I am alone. I used to think of solitude as something that was bad, but the way that Thoreau put it, I now felt better about being all by me. In the chapter Visitors, Thoreau talks about how having people around are just as good as being in solitude. I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. When visitors came in larger and unexpected numbers there was but the third chair for them all, but they generally economized the room by standing up. I think that when Thoreau said that he wanted to keep things as simple as possible, he meant it. For example, he only had 3 chairs in his house, and to most people that would be crazy, but when you think about it, how many chairs do you actually need? Or how many rooms do you need? Thoreau also said that it was amazing how he could fit 25-30 people in his tiny house, and how that brought him and all of his visitors closer together. I could not but notice some of the peculiarities of my visitors. Girls and boys and young women generally seemed glad to be in the woods. They looked in the pond and at the flowers, and improved their time. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Walden by Henry David Thoreau is an important book for a high school student to read because it has important factors of life that may be needed now, or in you future. In this book, Thoreau explained many things, but I think the most important thing he explained were his chapters on Reading, Solitude, and Visitors. He explained the importance and necessity of reading, he showed how being alone is usually a good thing, and he also showed how great visitors can be. These are all reasons why I think high school students should read Walden. Conclusion Thoreau wrote a lot of stories, one counting Walden. This story clearly portrayed Thoreaus love for nature and life. Thoreau, in the primary part, defines what he sees as the main difficulty of his time. In the second part, Thoreau describes his own trial in living an easy life. Part three focuses on what is significant to him. In this case, Nature is most significant to him, believing nature of learn as a spiritual pursuit. The entire story of Walden is just a trial of a man in living well. Henry D. Thoreau also wrote Resistance which was about him refusing to pay a poll tax. He was in prison and imprisoned in agreement for one night in 1846 for default of his poll tax. This act of disobedience was a complaint against slavery and alongside the Mexican War, which Thoreau and other abolitionists regard as a means to get bigger the slave territory. Self-reliance and personal independence are hallmarks which are predominant in Walden. Thoreau went to the woods to get to the most basic facts of life and to appreciate and enjoy everything about these most basic facts. Thoreau viewed the woods in particular, and nature in general, as a teacher of life and living. Thoreau believed that the simpler his life became the greater his opportunity to appreciate life. Thoreau did not want to allow society to determine that which he knew as life. To live an existence based on the common experience of others would be as to neglect ones own experience. Individualism and an appreciation for nature and solitude do not necessarily mean living as a hermit. Thoreau believed that in order to truly appreciate life, to understand and experience life as ones own life, it is necessary to quiet the mind of all the surrounding trappings of society. Individualism, the importance of the individual, self-reliance, and personal independence is one of the leading characteristics of the era of Romanticism. Henry David Thoreau wrote about individualism and demonstrated his belief by the way he lived. Living at Walden Pond, standing up to his government, refusing to pay a poll-tax to a government with which he viewed as corrupt are examples of his fierce independence and individuality. Thoreau is a stellar example of what individuality can produce. A worthy goal is to make the effort to devote oneself to thought and work, to in fact nurture ones own individuality, rather than becoming lost in the mainstream of life. This will allow greater individuality and diversity to complement our current day society. References Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Collected Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, gen. ed. Kathleen Coburn, 14 vols. to date (Princeton: Princeton UP, 1969) 6: 30. Thoreau, Walden, the Writings of Henry David Thoreau 199. All additional citations from Walden will come from this edition and be designated by a page number in parentheses.

Colonialism in the Caribbean Essay -- Socio-Cultural Areas History Cul

Colonialism in the Caribbean Although Michelle Cliff, Antonio Benitez- Rojo, and Sidney Mintz all discuss the Caribbean in their writings they all have very distinct perspectives. In his writing, The Caribbean as a Socio-cultural Area, Sidney Mintz discusses the Caribbean from a historical standpoint in which he characterizes it as a socially united, rather than a culturally united one. Antonio Benitez- Rojo tries to explain the distinct cultures of the Caribbean with a combination of historical and personal knowledge , in his writing of The Repeating Island. While in her novel Abeng, Michelle Cliff uses an entirely different means of discussing the Caribbean because she does it through the eyes of a child. Despite having different outlooks in explaining the Caribbean they all record the theme of colonialism and their effects on people and society. Mintz's Perspective The Caribbean as a Socio-Cultural Area addresses the current cultural Caribbean with an eye on the past. For example, when discussing the emergence of creole culture Mintz specifically points out that this was almost exclusive to the islands colonized by the Spanish. According to Mintz, the Hispanic Caribbean was "settled by Europeans who had come to stay and to become "creoles"; nowhere and at no time in the Hispanic islands did African slaves ever outnumber freeman of European origin" (Mintz 28). Therefore, contemporary Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba are all very culturally diverse places who all have distinctive combinations of African, Native American, and European influences. For historical reasons, different regions of these islands have developed their own local cultures and social atmospheres by virtue of the types of people who lived ther... ... to her colonizers land reveals Jamaica’s present dependence England and the United States which is an effect of colonialism. It is the combination of readings from Mintz, Rojo, and Cliff which have explained what colonialism did in forming of the contemporary Caribbean. Also, not all of these islands are the same culturally because of the variety of colonial power imposed. Ultimately, it is impossible to look beyond this influence today because the structures of these islands are in fact the remains of colonialism. References Benitez-Rojo, Antonio. The Repeating Island, as seen in Post-contemporary Interventions, Duke University, Durham and London, 1992 Cliff, Michelle. Abeng. Published by the Penguin Group, 1984. Mintz, Sidney W. The Caribbean as a Socio-Cultural Area, as seen in Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean, Garden City, New Jersey, 1971. Colonialism in the Caribbean Essay -- Socio-Cultural Areas History Cul Colonialism in the Caribbean Although Michelle Cliff, Antonio Benitez- Rojo, and Sidney Mintz all discuss the Caribbean in their writings they all have very distinct perspectives. In his writing, The Caribbean as a Socio-cultural Area, Sidney Mintz discusses the Caribbean from a historical standpoint in which he characterizes it as a socially united, rather than a culturally united one. Antonio Benitez- Rojo tries to explain the distinct cultures of the Caribbean with a combination of historical and personal knowledge , in his writing of The Repeating Island. While in her novel Abeng, Michelle Cliff uses an entirely different means of discussing the Caribbean because she does it through the eyes of a child. Despite having different outlooks in explaining the Caribbean they all record the theme of colonialism and their effects on people and society. Mintz's Perspective The Caribbean as a Socio-Cultural Area addresses the current cultural Caribbean with an eye on the past. For example, when discussing the emergence of creole culture Mintz specifically points out that this was almost exclusive to the islands colonized by the Spanish. According to Mintz, the Hispanic Caribbean was "settled by Europeans who had come to stay and to become "creoles"; nowhere and at no time in the Hispanic islands did African slaves ever outnumber freeman of European origin" (Mintz 28). Therefore, contemporary Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba are all very culturally diverse places who all have distinctive combinations of African, Native American, and European influences. For historical reasons, different regions of these islands have developed their own local cultures and social atmospheres by virtue of the types of people who lived ther... ... to her colonizers land reveals Jamaica’s present dependence England and the United States which is an effect of colonialism. It is the combination of readings from Mintz, Rojo, and Cliff which have explained what colonialism did in forming of the contemporary Caribbean. Also, not all of these islands are the same culturally because of the variety of colonial power imposed. Ultimately, it is impossible to look beyond this influence today because the structures of these islands are in fact the remains of colonialism. References Benitez-Rojo, Antonio. The Repeating Island, as seen in Post-contemporary Interventions, Duke University, Durham and London, 1992 Cliff, Michelle. Abeng. Published by the Penguin Group, 1984. Mintz, Sidney W. The Caribbean as a Socio-Cultural Area, as seen in Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean, Garden City, New Jersey, 1971.

Translations by Brian Friel

Leaving Cert Comparitive study : Translations by Brian Friel Translations is a three-act play set in the tumultuous nineteenth century country of Ireland. The action takes place in a hedge-school where students are faced with the invasion of English speaking soldiers. One of these soldiers falls in love with an Irish girl and then mysteriously goes missing. The son of the master of the hedge-school is forced to go into hiding to keep from being condemned for the crime, although he is not responsible for the soldier's disappearance. Translations is a play about love, tradition, and the circumstances that force the break with these traditions.Characters Manus Cares for people at the beginning of the play. Intelligent and educated. Runs away at the end. Lacks ambition and vision. Owen Friendly with everyone. Takes Manus' place at the end in caring for Sarah and Hugh. Betrays Ireland with the English. Ran away for six years, like Manus does at the end. Yolland Wants to learn Irish and un derstand the people. Doubts moral validity of what he is doing. Overly romantic about Ireland and its language. Cannot face up to authority. Hugh Agrees to help Maire at the end. Uses Manus and blatantly prefers Owen. Sometimes pretentious.Major Areas of Study: Language and power†¦ Language and communication†¦ Language and identity (both cultural and individual)†¦ Progress†¦ Friendship and love†¦ The past and mythology†¦ Education†¦ Sample Questions 1. Why do you think that Friel gave his play the title Translations? 2. The play is set in 1833. How does Friel make its themes relevant to a modern day audience? 3. Do you agree that Translations is more concerned with the fate of individuals than the fate of nations? 4. â€Å"The play is about the characters' search for their true identities. † Do you agree?

The Death Of The Vietnam War - 2139 Words

My head felt as if it was too explode, blood was dripping down from my forehead, and a throbbing pain was coming from my leg. At first I had no idea where I was or what was happening. In the distance I could hear a scream, although it was fading and my eyesight was blurry. I tried to stand up as I remember but I was not able too. I kept wondering to myself if this was a dream, but I felt pain. Terrible pain. How could I feel this much pain if it was a dream. Then all at once it came back to me. The memory, the fear, the frightfulness, the nervousness, and the sadness. My grandfather had fought and piloted many planes in the Vietnam War. The war had started in the year of 1955 and my grandfather was only only 16 years old, a sophomore in high school. He had been going with my grandmother Kaye Ivrene, which they met in high school and dated till they married when they both turned 18. Before my grandparents even ended up getting married my grandfather had signed up to fight in the Vietnam War. They didn’t honestly expect to even get married until they realized they couldn’t be without each other. My grandmother had known about him going into the war and decided to wait for him to get back, but before he left they had to get married and he couldn’t withdraw his application to the army in that point of time. One thing my grandfather didn’t expect is for my grandmother to get pregnant in which just so happened to be my mother. He ended up piloting and fighting in the war forShow MoreRelatedThe Death Of The Vietnam War1023 Words   |  5 Pagesrelative way, but you re older. Shorter of breath and one day closer to death† (Pink)The third lyrics relates to how time catches up without the realization. As the Americans came to war and saw the horror of the battlefield, it was no surprise that they felt it could be their last battle. â₠¬Å"It is estimated that 350 Vietnam Veterans dies by suicide while in Vietnam. After Vietnam, estimates have a range as high as 70,000 Vietnam Veterans who have committed suicide.† (Lee 713). As a soldier would seeRead MoreThe Death Of The Vietnam War Essay1736 Words   |  7 Pagesneighboring countries, like a falling domino that causes an entire row to fall down. Although the Vietnam War is seen by many as the only option to try to end the spread of communism, the specious outcome of the war was not effective enough to justify the amount of unethical decisions and situations that were allowed to take place. 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More recently it was suggested that tourists also need reasons to visit a destination of dark tourism. The main signs of dark locations is their historical value rather than their associatio ns with death and suffering. In a certain sense, dark tourismRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien899 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the Vietnam War, a range of emotions occurred within every soldier. Even though some veterans can move past their memories of war, many soldiers became haunted by their dark memories. In Tim O’Brien’s fictional novel The Things They Carried, O’Brien takes his readers through several different events and emotions that occurs to his character during the Vietnam War. Although his character sometimes faces a tough time telling the story, O’Brien manages to inform his readers of the differentRead MoreU.s. 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In his book A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo provides a personal account of events that he experienced leading up to and during the war as a soldier in the United States Marine Corps. Caputo’s experiences transform his id ealistic views of war when he is faced with the realities of combat, and ultimately the events cause him to