Book of Concord

beings. The philosophy of transcendentalism was formed by famous writers such as Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The term “transcendentalism” is brought up frequently in the discussion of Chris McCandless, the focus of the book Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer. However, the exact reason for Chris’ decision to drop off the face of the Earth is unknown.While many perceived that Chris McCandless took his journey…

Thoreau writings had a great impact on Chris. Chris tried to live life like Thoreau. Chris’s view on society was shaped impart by Thoreau. Chris wanted live life not just be a part of it. Thoreau wrote “…I mean that they should not play life, or study it merely, while the community supports them at this expensive game, but earnestly live it from beginning to end,” (American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau, 17). Chris and Thoreau have many things in common. They both wanted to…

In life we all have new and different challenges thrown at us every day that we have to face. Henry David Thoreau’s has six key themes about life and how he lived a simple life using these themes. These thoughts would include Hearing the different drummer, being awake aware and alive, examining desperate and deliberate lives, living in society, living in nature and confronting the mean and sublime. What I took away from Henry David Thoreau was that I loved the way he thought and I could…

oth Russell and Thoreau believed being in nature leads to happiness. Thoreau believed in being in isolation and to not self- indulge and Russell believe that you should fulfill the wants and needs of yourself and others. Thoreau and Russell were men that were both in the pursuit of happiness. They both talk about what makes them happy, and how to be successful in life. Thoreau talks about how being isolated and to not to self indulge. He wants to “live deep and suck out all the marrow of…

Modern Transcendentalism Being a transcendentalist in today’s modern society is a challenge to say the least. The idea of transcendentalism conjures up images of time spent in an isolated cabin or long walks in the woods, all interspersed with deep thinking and reflection. As the world continues to advance, further industrializing and introducing new technology, this picturesque idea of transcendentalism becomes more difficult to achieve. Despite this, people can still live as transcendentalist…

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a famous essayist, poet, and speaker from the mid 19th century. In one of his essays he wrote: “ Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” This quote has only been attributed to him in the past few decades after he died. I agree with this statement because if you do not try anything new then you will not gain new skills, you will miss opportunities to make new friends, and you will not learn about new opportunities you may…

The term transcendentalism is a system of integrated thoughts from ideological thinkers who lived during the 19th century. In Michael Donovan’s poem, “It’s All-On-Me,” Donovan is speaking on the idea of leaning on his own understanding, to somewhat follow his heart. Many other poems and stories written by former transcendentalist have the same main idea. Authors such as, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, use this type of thinking process to portray a life where the nonconformist of…

What is solitude? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines solitude as the quality of being alone or remote from society. Henry David Thoreau’s “Solitude” from Walden revolves around the concept of solitude, including the misconceptions about it. Thoreau uses solitude as a positive way to promote the company of nature, rather than the company of other humans. However, he believes that an individual can only choose from the two, since being surrounded by one more than the other will not have the…

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…

surroundings and is also a serious social voyage and self, spiritual discovery. Thoreau describes a personal account of events over the span of two years were he was completely self reliant living only of nature in a cabin he built near Walden pond in Concord, Massachusetts. By living isolated on Walden Pond Thoreau hoped to gain a better understanding of society through personal experiences that he believed could only received by being alone. Throughout this story Thoreau talks about many…