Where I Lived And What I Lived For By Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau recalls the several places where he nearly settled before selecting Walden Pond, all of them estates on a rather large scale. He quotes the Roman philosopher Cato’s warning that it is best to consider buying a farm very carefully before signing the papers. He had been interested in the nearby Hollowell farm, despite the many improvements that needed to be made there, but, before a deed could be drawn, the owner’s wife unexpectedly decided she wanted to keep the farm. Carolyn Chang
Honors English 3
Mr. Baird
October 7, 2015

Where I Lived and What I Lived For

Henry David Thoreau recounts his captivating experiences of solitude and simple living in his novel “Walden”, specifically communicating his ideas regarding nature and the human psyche in one of his most controversial chapters, “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”. As the title postulates, the chapter …show more content…
Thoreau’s words, inspired by the transcendent ideas of Romanticism, would unknowingly spark curiosity in generations up until today. Although Thoreau had written this piece in the context of the age of the Industrial Revolution, the philosophy he presented still remains relevant to this date. Thoreau’s advice to live simply (amongst the truest forms of nature) ??? has become ever harder to maintain in an our ever advancing, impersonal and technology dominated society, making its significance to our generation more iurgent than ever. Every day, we are surrounded and enslaved by innovations that enable us to do more things than we had ever been able to do before, but in the process lose attention, lose touch and distant ourselves more from nature