Henry David Thoreau

Responding to Donald Trump’s inaugural address, socialist activist Kshama Sawant condemned the compromising tactics of establishment liberalism, instead demanding “mass non-violent civil disobedience” to defeat Trump, including the use of such drastic means as shutting down highways and halting “business as usual.” This radical plea raises an increasingly relevant question—may apparently unjust actions of a lawful civil government be resisted, and if so, on what basis? Can civil disobedience…

A Mesmerizing Perspective of American Literature: Throughout history literature has shaped the substructure of America. From earliest contact of explorers like Christopher Columbus to writers of today’s works in the 21st century. American literature starting with Puritan culture, holds an array of different writers, styles, viewpoints, and inspiration. American literature has set past and present standards, broken barriers, and peregrinate from most prospects by transcending veracity and…

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Nature,” he uses a plethora of metaphoric images and symbolism to draw the reader head first into his ideas and assumptions about life, beauty, and spiritualism. Emerson rests on the use of physical images in this essay to describe the need for spiritualism and the importance of communing with nature, rather than relying on the hope of a one true God or a Holy Trinity. Emerson, at least in this essay, seems to believe that imagery and spiritualism are even more…

Young Louisa May Alcott grew up with big hopes and ambitions. Her family’s depressing financial situation was always there to doubt her, but Alcott never gave up, because that was all she had. Miss Alcott underwent good and bad to get her to where she was, through determination and dedication. As she grew older, it was easier to cope with, so she focused more on her exceedingly well novels and other pieces of work, leading to success. Constantly writing, she produced famous and purposeful…

Chris McCandless wrote in his journal: “Happiness is best when shared” when he was living on his own in the wild of Alaska. This statement can be viewed as deeply ironic considering McCandless intentionally severed his connections from society to be alone. What was his motive to do something so drastic? Jon Krakauer, a man of adventure and thrill seeking searched for an answer, and in his search he discovered the similarities between himself and Chris. Captivated by McCandless’ journey for…

Civil disobedience has been used as a means of political protest for decades. The formulated and philosophical model of civil disobedience was conceived by the famous Henry David Thoreau, and since then has been used as a method by some of the most influential people in our history in order to send a clear message to the government that things need to change. Martin Luther King Jr. along with other renowned advocates, such as Ghandi used civil disobedience, or nonviolent social protests to gain…

creating a breathtaking picture only a few that are lucky will get to experience. Being here, I can relate to an essay written by Henry David Thoreau called Walking, “I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements” (Thoreau). Thoreau is saying being out in nature gives him peace; it is a chance for his mind and body to escape the hectic world we…

personal level. And according to transcendentalist thinking, God is must mean that because God is good, everything he makes is good. While nature plays a vital role in Hawthorne’s short story Rappaccini’s Daughter, unlike transcendentalists like Thoreau and Emmerson, Hawthorne moves from describing nature as an ideal setting in which everything takes place, to giving it actions of its own, both good and bad. Each plants description and interactions are written in a way that personifies nature.…

Transcendentalism, realism, and naturalism, are three different eras that create different works of writing. Transcendentalism is the view that basic truths can be reached through intuition rather than through reason. Transcendentalists also believe in the idea in the Over Soul which is the idea that each individual being has a certain “spark of divine” within themselves. Also that the Over Soul connects all people to each other and Nature. These ideas of equality for all, being connected with…

Writing one genre of literature for a certain audience is a challenge in and of itself, but those writers that push their boundaries, expand their thoughts, and adapt their writing styles are the notable authors that we all know today. In 1832, the renowned author, Louisa May Alcott, was born into a family of girls, although she was surrounded by females she grew into a strong individual who described herself as a tomboy. "No boy could be my friend till I had beaten him in a race, and no girl if…