Book of Concord

As human existence matures through time and technology advances, humans have lost connection to nature. In Henry David Thoreau’s “Where I lived, and What I Lived for,” he explains his deliberate attempt to truly experience life by creating an authentic connecting with nature. Thoreau gambles his successful, easy life and bets on a world where he could experience the deep connection of nature through first hand experiences. Thoreau describes his journey of finding peace and fulfillment in a…

American Dream Adam wrote that the, “American Dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all of our citizens of every rank which is the greatest contribution we have as yet made to the thought and welfare of the world” (American). Many people come to America with a vision in mind that will further and brighten their future. The American dream has been prevalent in America since the day it was founded. A dream can be found everywhere, in love this every person, no matter who they are or…

Henry David Thoreau is a transcendentalist author who wrote the novel Walden, which is a novel explaining to the American public about when he isolated himself at Walden pond from the rest of the American society. His writings at Walden pond fits the goals of the transcendentalists mindsets because much like Ralph Waldo Emerson and other transcendentalist during his time Thoreau believes in nonconformity. Meaning that Thoreau does not agree with going along with the flaws of the society in…

In Aylmer's quest to get rid of his wife's birthmark in the short story "The Birthmark", Aylmer destroys his wife, Georgina. By examining the characterization, setting, and themes the reader can understand the underlying meanings of Aylmer’s quest in "The Birthmark". The environment and ancestry of Nathaniel Hawthorne are vital to understanding the shaping of the creation of “The Birthmark” however, the literary elements in this fictional short story are the greatest strength of the short story.…

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, MA in 1803. At the age of fourteen he attended Harvard University. He graduated at the age of eighteen and started working as a school teacher. While teaching, he wrote his first book “Nature.” He continued to write and publish books and essays. His most famous essay is titled “Self Reliance.” Emerson is popularly referred to as the founder of the Transcendental Movement. The Transcendental Movement is a philosophical set of convictions that arose due to…

or her true destiny is in life. In the story, “Walden”, by Henry David Thoreau wrote about the events and thoughts that came to his mind while he was living at Walden Pond. In 1854, Thoreau lived alone in the woods off the shore of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. While he was living in the woods, he built himself a house with his hands and earn most of his living by doing hand labor. Furthermore, he lived there in the woods for two years…

Throughout salva’s personal journey he learned many lessons that impacted him in A Long Walk to Water making him more independent, braver and more of a leader. Salva became more independent as a person because in the book A Long Walk to Water slava was left in a barn all by himself and he had to find a way to get to the refugee camp, I can support this because in the text it states “Finally he sat up and opened his eyes no one else was in the barn. Nobody.Nothing. They had left him. He was…

In his essay, “Walking,” Henry David Thoreau discusses a number of ideas on wilderness and society, and makes several bold claims about society’s detrimental effect on the “wild.” He begins by expressing his affinity for taking long walks on which he “saunters” outdoors. Thoreau explains that not everyone is equipped with the necessary disposition for these types of journeys and says, “no wealth can buy the requisite leisure, freedom, and independence which are the capital in this profession.”…

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley explores the topic of identity through the lens of nature versus nurture. Shelley argues that neither of these things makes the man, but rather that the decisions they make effect themselves and those around them. Victor Frankenstein claims to have been raised in a very healthy and nurturing environment. Frankenstein’s monster wasn’t raised in the home of a wealthy family, and instead woke suddenly in the lab of his creator, scared and mostly alone. These…

During the 1820s and 1830s, a key group of independent thinkers promoted an idea called transcendentalism. It was a literary movement that focused on ideas such as self reliance, being yourself rather than trying to impress others, and human reason. (Barcelo). Various icons such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, expressed their ideas of the movement of independent thinking in essays such as “Walden”, “Civil Disobedience”, and “ Self Reliance”. In addition, movies such as “Dead Poet’s…