In this passage, Henry David Thoreau expresses his transcendentalist ideas by describing the beauty and perfection of nature and creating parallels to the human body and mind. In describing the physical changes in the environment that occur when winter eases into spring, Thoreau provides the analogy of a “waking man” to describe the pond cracking. He further goes on to question the sensitivity of the pond – and in directly questioning the sensitivity of man. Overall, this passage is constructed with a universal metaphor and theme in mind of just how the Earth thaws in the spring, so does the human mind and body. Thoreau expresses his transcendentalist ideas, values of the divinity of nature, and individualism throughout this passage.
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When a person goes astray from their faith or becomes unaware of their surroundings, their heart becomes hard like a stone. They lose the capability to feel they are doing wrong when they engage in bad deeds. However, when that person gets that spark of faith back, whenever that may be, their heart becomes soft again. Thoreau describes the changes as “thundering of the pond”. He used the word thundering to portray a powerful force that is strong enough to crack the ice and also crack open a dead heart. Thunder allows the cracking of the heart to let in the light of what nature has to offer. The human heart is cleansed and alive once again – similar to the Earth when the hardness of winter leaves in order to welcome the warmth of spring. Thoreau expands on the idea by saying “the pond does not thunder every evening and I cannot tell surely when to expect its thundering”. In describing the unpredictable cracking of ice upon the pond, he also is suggesting that there is no telling when a person may experience thunder within. There is no specific timeframe for a person to reconnect with their surroundings; it happens at every person’s individual pace. It is wonderful how Thoreau starts off by describing the physical cracking of the pond’s layer of ice, then lead s his audience to the concept of the spiritual cracking …show more content…
“The largest pond is as sensitive to atmospheric changes as the globule of mercury in its tube.” This comparison of sensitivity brings in perspective how vulnerable the large pond is. A massive pond is being compared to a globule of mercury in its tube. Thoreau chose the word globule to really emphasize the smallness of this drop of mercury. When looked into the science behind “a globule of mercury”, one can find that the phrase is significant in this text because the globule of mercury takes its usual spherical form in a sort of tight appearance. However, as soon as the current around it flows, it elongates immediately to move rapidly. The globule of mercury is susceptible to its atmosphere the same way the large pond is sensitive to its atmosphere, regardless the difference in size. Similarly, it does not matter if a person is young or old, rich or poor, selfless or selfish; every person is susceptible to the “sensitivity” of beauty in nature. Just as Thoreau compared something as massive as a pond to a globule of mercury, man has so much to be grateful for. A person does not need to travel across the country to witness beauty that will amaze them; they can just open their hearts and minds to appreciate everything around them – regardless if it is as vast as a pond or as small as a globule of
When a person goes astray from their faith or becomes unaware of their surroundings, their heart becomes hard like a stone. They lose the capability to feel they are doing wrong when they engage in bad deeds. However, when that person gets that spark of faith back, whenever that may be, their heart becomes soft again. Thoreau describes the changes as “thundering of the pond”. He used the word thundering to portray a powerful force that is strong enough to crack the ice and also crack open a dead heart. Thunder allows the cracking of the heart to let in the light of what nature has to offer. The human heart is cleansed and alive once again – similar to the Earth when the hardness of winter leaves in order to welcome the warmth of spring. Thoreau expands on the idea by saying “the pond does not thunder every evening and I cannot tell surely when to expect its thundering”. In describing the unpredictable cracking of ice upon the pond, he also is suggesting that there is no telling when a person may experience thunder within. There is no specific timeframe for a person to reconnect with their surroundings; it happens at every person’s individual pace. It is wonderful how Thoreau starts off by describing the physical cracking of the pond’s layer of ice, then lead s his audience to the concept of the spiritual cracking …show more content…
“The largest pond is as sensitive to atmospheric changes as the globule of mercury in its tube.” This comparison of sensitivity brings in perspective how vulnerable the large pond is. A massive pond is being compared to a globule of mercury in its tube. Thoreau chose the word globule to really emphasize the smallness of this drop of mercury. When looked into the science behind “a globule of mercury”, one can find that the phrase is significant in this text because the globule of mercury takes its usual spherical form in a sort of tight appearance. However, as soon as the current around it flows, it elongates immediately to move rapidly. The globule of mercury is susceptible to its atmosphere the same way the large pond is sensitive to its atmosphere, regardless the difference in size. Similarly, it does not matter if a person is young or old, rich or poor, selfless or selfish; every person is susceptible to the “sensitivity” of beauty in nature. Just as Thoreau compared something as massive as a pond to a globule of mercury, man has so much to be grateful for. A person does not need to travel across the country to witness beauty that will amaze them; they can just open their hearts and minds to appreciate everything around them – regardless if it is as vast as a pond or as small as a globule of