http://homeworkfy.com/downloads/humn-303-introduction-to-humanities-entire-course/ While Muhammad Ali was an Islamic boxer born in 19 42 and is still living today. Henry Thoreau Essay 540 Words | 3 Pages "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude." Thoreau liked solitude, a time when he wrote from his soul and was truly alone. Add your answer and earn points. Technology gives us the ability to put company down, away, or turned off so that we may still look introspectively at ourselves to enjoy solitude at a moments notice. Caessar Saldana Mr. Brown AP American Lit. When I return to my house I find that visitors have been there and left their cards, either a bunch of flowers, or a wreath of evergreen, or a name in pencil on a yellow walnut leaf or a chip. However, after awhile I found myself missing general human connection over what we were doing when I was unable to do so. We need to sustain the vital resources that can only be found of the Earth in order to secure our own survival. Also, see:  https://commons.digitalthoreau.org/docs/frederick-transcendental-ethos-a-study-of-thoreaus-social-philosophy/. He also reflects on his new companion, an old settler who arrives nearby and an old woman with great memory … I feel that he perfectly described the separation of the minds that every individual feels, while addressing the question of loneliness due to his isolation. But we all possess the ability to exist outside our subjective selves and consider the beyond: stuff like ‘the eternal’ and ‘objective truths.’ In that sense, as Thoreau points out, we can momentarily exist apart from ourselves. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are.” As the willow sends its roots in the direction of nourishment, so does the spiritually minded … Would he condemn these types of technology or find them more tolerable than forced face-to-face conversations? Consumed by my own thoughts or suspicions, I’m never quite alone when the voice in my head won’t be quiet. One would think that these two would have beliefs and proceedings that completely contradict each other. Transcendentalism, a free meditation in spirituality and individualistic approach to everything, was something that he gave his life to exploring. Proceeding with the topic created in "Higher Laws," "Brute Neighbors" opens with an exchange amongst Hermit and Poet, who typify spellbound parts of the creator himself (creature nature and the, The Personality Test Taken Using The Jung Typology Test Link I, A Story Of Goldilocks And The Three Bears. In those driving north-east rains which tried the village houses so, when the maids stood ready with mop and pail in front entries to keep the deluge out, I sat behind my door in my little house, which was all entry, and thoroughly enjoyed its protection. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are.” As the willow sends its roots in the direction of nourishment, so does the spiritually minded … T is probably thinking of Morrison’s Pill, which Carlyle describes in the chapter of that name in Past and Present. That’s not to mean I dislike the house I live in if anything I adore it – it’s old and cute and has character! Confucius, The Doctrine of the Mean, XVI, 1-3. Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0 [God is alone,—but the devil, he is far from being alone; he sees a great deal of company; he is legion]. I do not feel obligated to anyone or anything. As Thoreau concludes, keeping company with few, yet high-quality people, rather than many people who lack communicative substance, is ideal: that is, quality over quantity–and solitude over superficial popularity–is a better path to take. The repose is never complete.” Or, his amendment of the simple “the whippoorwill sings” to “the note of the whippoorwill is borne on the rippling wind from over the water.” The fluid text reveals the process of writing — Thoreau is like an artist, each sentence he hones is a stroke of his brush. Though it prevents my hoeing them, it is of far more worth than my hoeing. “When the play, it may be the tragedy, of life is over, the spectator goes his way.” This comment resonated with me. This self-reflection and introspection may serve as restorative time whether in the fields or in the home as a student. I realized that all too often human beings are concentrated entirely on themselves and on nothing else. Thoreau also states that all impurity presented to its sinks. I am going to concentrate on the work of … Solitude can be scary at first, but it’s in the seclusion that you can learn about yourself. At Walden he wrote the lecture that he would later shape into the essay known as “Civil Disobedience.” Thoreau left Walden in 1847 to take a job as a caretaker in the household of his off-and-on friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, who owned the land on which Thoreau had built his cabin. I\’ve never agreed much with Thoreau with the exception of this chapter. One personal example of stopping to consider a decision occurred when I was, HUMN 303 Introduction To Humanities Entire Course However, it slowly became peaceful as I discovered that I was left alone to do what I wanted and when I wanted, and I was very productive within my first year of school because of that. This simplistic way of thinking makes the reader more observant to his or her surroundings as well. The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert. One way we can disconnect is by turning our phones and devices off or setting time limits on certain applications. My group chose to focus on a set of paragraphs, including paragraph 9, that are added in version B and make it to the final version as seen here. He is able to draw conclusions about the people who visit from very small details. Leave a comment on paragraph 11 12 He also notes that one can be in solitude or feel lonely whilst among others; he specifically describes that one diligent student student at Cambridge University studying among a crowd. In this paragraph, Thoreau addresses the observation many people make about him and his distance away from other humans. He uses the word “special” instead of “in particular” and I believe that this shows how comfortable he is with his environment – “in particular” has a cold and uninviting connotation, but “special” makes the reader understand that these are things he is used to. However, I feel that Thoreau’s argument here really made me reconsider my thoughts about time and how it affects our lives. Essentially, is the word alone defined as a physical or mental state? However, it is possible to feel the most lonely in a room full of people when one feels alienated, that they have nothing in common with those who surround them. To be with others may be more lonely–for we are influenced by others, and not as close to our truest self with others. Hannah Arendt states that the difference between loneliness and solitude is that solitude is a condition of being alone with oneself, in loneliness we are estranged from ourself. By detaching himself from the society, Thoreau tried to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. For instance, when I am in the process of working on projects or simply meeting deadlines, it doesn’t matter if I am surrounded by a crowd of my friends – I will still block out the noise from the outside world. I found it particularly interesting when he addressed the issue of enormity in the universe. an extension of company? Seeking the objects, we think to contain the essence, is not the right way to go about it. Solitude: Thoreau reflects on the feeling of solitude. I think that being able to find your happiness mentally and emotionally will improve the disengagement from technology. To me, this seems like Thoreau is getting tired of isolation. Time can change many things and bring people apart or together, but memories are something that time can never change. Screech), The Complete Essays (Penguin, 2013) Anthony Storr, Solitude: A Return to the Self (Free Press, 1988) Henry David Thoreau (ed. In paragraph 9, he acknowledges that our traditions “offer sacrifices and oblation to their ancestors… [in] an ocean of subtile intelligence.” So much of what we do is a repetition of those that came before us, of the impacts they had on society. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows. According to some ancient authorities, Juno conceived Hebe after eating lettuce. Solitude and Thoreau, Trancentdentalism essays¡°I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. Explanation: New questions in English. No longer do people often sit by themselves and simply go through their own thoughts or appreciate nature. The land Thoreau was building on belonged to Ralph Waldo Emerson. I find myself contributing to all of the project because I have so many thoughts on the text! As an introvert, I understand Thoreau’s assertion about never finding “the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” I always say that my life is about me and no one else, and I feel that Thoreau would agree. I think this paragraph is the most important to me because of the emphasis of pulling yourself away from technology. Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself? Regarding Thoreau, in turn, we learn from Sattelmeyer’s Thoreau’s Reading (1988) that he extracted Cousin in the English translation (quoted here above) from the Institue of 1770 library at Harvard College, twice in 1837. While reading this paragraph, I questioned if Thoreau would have felt this way if he was more extroverted. Whenever I am on a long drive and happen to pass houses that seem extremely secluded and in the middle of nowhere. [ Leave a comment on paragraph 2 4 When I return to my house I find that visitors have been there and left their cards, either a bunch of flowers, or a wreath of evergreen, or a name in pencil on a yellow walnut leaf or a chip.]. Reflections on Thoreau’s Solitude The best time for solitude exists in those few minutes between wakefulness and sleep. Henry David Thoreau Essay Solitude number of reasons why you might Henry David Thoreau Essay Solitude not like your order. [Some of my pleasantest hours were during the long rain storms in the spring or fall, which confined me to the house for the afternoon as well as the forenoon, soothed by their ceaseless roar and pelting; when an early twilight ushered in a long evening in which many thoughts had time to take root and unfold themselves.]. He starts the fourth paragraph saying “there can be no very black melancholy to him who lives in the midst of nature and has his senses still.” This stood out to be because of the vast difference in how I perceive the world as does Thoreau. I think Thoreau enjoyed this solitude so much because it was self inflicted. What sort of space is that which separates a man from his fellows and makes him solitary? One cannot walk through campus without hearing of whatever transient and meaningless drama is occurring for some people or another. He doesn’t understand why people expect him to feel lonely, and I can’t help but agree with him. Solitude Essay Thoreau. Walking along the pond, enjoying the animals, Thoreau believes that his solitude makes him a part of nature and therefore allows him to achieve a sense of liberty. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. Passages like these remind the reader of the differences between what is viewed as “comfort” or “luxury” and what is indeed the more comfortable and luxurious path. A common natural phenomenon known as a parhelion or sundog. An important contribution to New England Transcendentalism, the book was a record of Thoreau’s experiment in simple living on Walden Pond in Massachusetts (1845–47). Lessons in Constructive Solitude From Thoreau. Walt Whitman, So Long !, Deathbed edition, Thoreau opens "Solitude" with a melodious articulation of his pleasure in and sensitivity for nature. I think my preconceived notions are wrong though about feeling poorly when living in nature. ¡°I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. It’s an important notion to make in a chapter about solitude. I am going to concentrate on the work of … His later lines undercut this profound thought with what I can only describe as spiritual narcissism, and show that he might only have been thinking of his own gain from the health of the grass. Solitude is encouraged by Thoreau due to the fact that it allows a person to think. In essence, I think our contemporary society has set up a sticky network of interpersonal relations, ones that are not meaningful but nonetheless inextricable from ourselves, that pervade our jaunts into Nature and solitude with stressful reminders that sit in the back of our heads with what we ought to be doing. You would want someone to help you … The Emersonians will surely have all this covered already, but it is interesting to note that Cousin’s focus is chronological (finite-infinite), whereas Emerson and Thoreau seem more concerned with the spatial (here-not here). 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