Henry David Thoreau is telling the story from his own point of view. He begins the writing with the phrase "I heartily accept the motto,"(Thoreau 1016). Throughout the writing, Thoreau is stating his own opinion. The first paragraph is a small biography about the speaker. Knowing that the speaker study at Harvard, one can infer that he is fairly wealthy. He was also an "outspoken social critic,” therefore, it is safe to assume that the ideas in this writing, along with the others, are Thoreau's own diverse ideas (Thoreau 1016). Thoreau is also a "fierce patriot… And he defended the abolitionist John Brown,” (Thoreau 1016) Knowing that Thoreau was loyal and proud of his country gives his writing and inscribed sense of nationalism. One can make
