Unexpected Critiques in Walden Essay - 1057 Words

Unexpected Critiques in Walden In Walden, Henry David Thoreau utilizes many different styles and themes to explain his ideas about shelter in further detail. Thoreau uses lists, long and short sentences, imagery, and different narrative voices. But out of all the things Thoreau uses to strengthen his argument, the most powerful is his unexpected comparisons and his sarcasm towards shelter. Thoreau uses these to get the reader interested, but more importantly it gets the reader to reconsider his/her contentment and think about how ridiculous society was then concerning shelter. Early in Economy, Thoreau writes about shelter in regards to how humans first came to use and later need shelter. The passage starts off by explaining†¦show more content†¦This list changes the pace from the first couple of sentences about child rearing from eloquent, long sentences to a quick, easy-to-digest list. This progression of images shows how humans have advanced over time. But at the end of this list, Thoreau throws in a quick but simple sentence to change the rhythm, which changes the whole meaning of the list. Thoreau uses this quick sentence to make a very unexpected critique. He asserts that as humans we know not what it is to live in the open air, and our lives are domestic in more senses than we think (28). Here he pokes fun at societys inability to live without shelter. Thoreau includes himself by using we and our lives in this generalization to keep the reader from putting the book down After this change in pace Thoreaus sarcasm is more visible to the reader for he blatantly points out the basic need for shelter. He explains that from the hearth to the field is a great distance, even though that distance in reality is quite short (28). By saying this distance is far, Thoreau suggests that humans are so used to being indoors and under a roof that nature is something they never think about or want to be a part of. This obstruction between us and the celestial bodies, keeps creative minds from thinking at their best, according to Thoreau (28). The punch line that ties Thoreaus sarcasm together is in the last sentence, where Thoreau states that birds do not sing in cages, nor do dovesShow MoreRelatedMovie Analysis : Think For Yourself 1633 Words   |  7 Pagesbasic ideas we put upon ourselves in life. Conformity is also not run by one person or thing; it is us joined together making up these synthetic ideas. Along with Emerson, our other transcendentalist, Henry Dav id Thoreau, pleases us with his work, Walden. Walden revolves around the idea of simplicity and finding one s spirit. Thoreau also touches on the idea of needing the companionship of others. As a person living amongst this crowded world with people’s opinionated ideas I can only agree with EmersonRead MoreCritique Template For A Quantitative Study Essay2233 Words   |  9 PagesCritique Template for a Quantitative Study NURS 5052/NURS 6052 Week 6 Assignment: Application: Critiquing Quantitative, Qualitative, or Mixed Methods Studies (due by Day 7 of Week 7) Date: 7/17/2016 Your name: Adetola Stephen Okutubo Article reference (in APA style): Sofroniadou, S., Revela, I., Smirloglou, D., Makriniotou, I., Zerbala, S., Kouloubinis, A., ... Iatrou, C. (2012). Linezolid versus Vancomycin Antibiotic Lock Solution for the Prevention of Nontunneled Catheter-relatedRead MoreThe Barriers of Implementing Total Quality Management in Syria19376 Words   |  78 Pageswithout being negotiated with other members at the organization. Employees at the bottom line only have to do what they were told to do and report any faced problem. They perform their duties without even thinking about their right to negotiate or critique the decisions made by empowered people. And this keeps them quite when they know that the decision made is not effective. 4.4 Recruitment and Promotion Standards As Syria has a collectivist society, people interact socially and economically