Thoreau's Language And Diction In The Language Of Memory

Decent Essays
The human senses allow us to observe what is happening around us, collecting information from what we see, hear, touch, and smell. A combination of this information creates our raw memories, translating it into written word expresses the complete idea. The translation defines and categorizes the memory; one entry from my journal illustrates this. “It is always interesting how everything in reverse seems so different. Trees that seemed small, all of a sudden are large. A side of a house that only showed you a garage now has a backyard and a distinct family (Legg 2015a).” Utilizing a journal to collect our thoughts removes the challenge of finding and supporting our tone. The freedom to express ourselves without restraint or word count allows the tone to stay true. Thoreau is able to express his thoughts in the form of a memory while his voice and tone stay …show more content…
“They might go there a thousand times before the sediment of fishing would sink to the bottom and leave their purpose pure; but no doubt such a clarifying process would be going on all the while (Walden, 1966, p. 236).” In this statement, Thoreau describes the conscious and subconscious decision-making process as it progresses towards unification. Nature remains the setting and background, yet personal growth is his overall goal. His ability to support the overall tone with diction that create imagery in the details is a product of his own daily writing that allows for unconstrained expression. This expression will mature with time and experience along with the author’s perception as evaluation becomes commonplace.
What is the goal of daily reading and writing? Is it simply to become the best writer possible or the most knowledgeable person in a subject? These questions are difficult because the answers are not static, they continually change as the person grows and adapts to situations around them. Kristen Case attempts to answer the question through the perception of Thoreau,

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