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Henry David Thoreau Genius

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In his essay "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Henry David Thoreau explores the concept of "our genius" and its significance in shaping our lives and experiences. Thoreau's discussion of Genius encompasses a multifaceted understanding of human potential, creativity, and individuality, which he believed originates from a deeper connection to nature. Through his reflections, Thoreau suggests that embracing our genius enables us to live authentically and fully engage with the world around us. Thoreau's concept of "our genius" refers to each individual's innate creative and intuitive faculties. He suggests that every person possesses a unique genius, which serves as a source of inspiration and guidance in navigating life's complexities. Thoreau expresses this idea succinctly when he writes, "Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour" (Thoreau 484). Here, Thoreau emphasizes the importance of aligning our actions and aspirations with the highest aspects of our being, as embodied by our Genius. …show more content…

He believes that by immersing ourselves in the natural world, we can tap into our innate creativity and intuition. Thoreau writes, "I have been as sincere a worshipper of Aurora as the Greeks. I got up early and bathed in the pond; that was a religious exercise, and one of the best things which I did" (Thoreau 483). Thoreau suggests that bonding with nature can awaken our genius and access a higher state of consciousness. This connection to nature is a wellspring of inspiration and insight, allowing us to discover our true selves and live in harmony with the natural

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Thoreau was a prominent and influential transcendentalist which meant that he believed modern society’s institutions, organizations, religions, and politics are all corrupt. He believes that people should go back to their roots in nature and be more simple-minded like our ancient ancestors who lived in nature. To think about it in more modern terms, he was practically a minimalist who believed people should only live with things essential for life, basic life necessities like food, water, and shelter. He quotes, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 66). From the quote, we can tell that he believes that a life without living with nature and essentials only is a life wasted.

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Henry David Thoreau: Biography and Rhetorical Analysis of His Works Henry David Thoreau and the transcendentalist movement can’t be summarized merely in a single sentence or even essay, though this quote comes close, “Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” Transcendentalism is the belief that material things, the “comforts” and “luxuries” of which Thoreau speaks, are inferior to knowledge and spirituality. Thoreau was a major leader in this movement. Thoreau’s works, “Walden” “Main Woods”, and various poems of his helped to lay the foundations for Transcendentalism. Some 140 years after his death Thoreau is still being published, and written about.

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David Blaine is a self-described resistance artist. He shows his willpower doing an almost impossible stunt instead of doing his magic trick, such as; he stood for thirty-five hours more than eighty feet above, spent sixty sleepless hour in a giant block of ice, spent forty-four days without food, slept on the wooden floor of his bedroom, and spent two straight days in a closet. He learned to win swimming races by not coming up for air the entire length of the pool, and then with practice eventually won five hundred dollars in bets, by swimming five lengths under water. He had spent more than a year preparing for his accomplishment by learning to fill his lungs with pure oxygen and then remain immobile under water conserving oxygen by expanding

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He talks about being connected with one's self and with the world around them. He elucidates, “I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil, — to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society” (Thoreau). Nature big part of what Thoreau believes is important. The benefit of nature and explaining how people can be a part of nature reveals how he thinks of nature; Being a “Parcel” of something signifies being featured in a way that cannot be avoided (Cambridge dictionary). Being connected to nature allows a person to be more aware of their surroundings and the bigger picture of being a part of something.

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Thoreau lived in the woods for 2 years trying to make sense of what his life will turn out to. Henry David Thoreau once said “ nature is doing her best each moment to make us well. Why, nature is but another name for health.” He went into the woods to find a simpler explanation of life. During his 2 years out in nature, he wrote his masterpiece Walden.

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To begin, Thoreau’s works present a clear message that show that having an imagination is not an attribute to be ashamed of, but

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Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and a very outspoken person about society. He discusses his opinions on how people should live in his essay “Where I Lived and What I Lived For.” Thoreau's philosophy of simplicity and individualism and self-sufficiency poses many dangers for communities as a whole. Although there are many setbacks, his philosophy is, however, still viable today. Thoreau strongly advocates self-sufficiency and individualism in this essay.

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Since Thoreau's graduation from Harvard, he had become a protégé of his famous neighbor and an informal student of Emerson's Transcendental ideas. Transcendentalism was an American version of Romantic Idealism, a dualistic Neoplatonic view of the world divided into the material and the spiritual. For Emerson, "Mind is the only reality, of which all other natures are better or worse reflectors. Nature, literature, history, are only subjective phenomena. " For the Transcendentalist, the secret of successful living was to hold oneself above material concerns as much as possible and focus on the spiritual.

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In this section Thoreau makes a conclusion to the book; he stresses the importance of knowing yourself. He stated that “truth means more than love, than money, than fame. He also advised that if you want to travel, you should explore yourself. He stated that “the world of nature is but a means of inspiration for us to know ourselves.” He also believed that “it is the interpretation of nature by man, and what it symbolizes in the higher spiritual world that is important to the transcendentalists.”

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From this Thoreau’s thoughts from Nature still lean towards that of Emerson’s definition of

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Thoreau encourages his audience to appreciate what they have. “Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse” (Thoreau 169). He reveals that it is not necessarily the quality of one’s living situations, but the experiences that make one’s life more fulfilling. Who one is and what they do ultimately brings happiness upon themselves, and possibly others.

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He talks about how “the leaves and tender twigs are an agreeable food to many domestic animals,” emphasizing on how all living things depended on nature (Wild Apples 1). This led to the idea that without nature humans cannot survive, so people cannot neglect nature. He pointed out how “the fragrance of some fruits is not to be forgotten, along with that of flowers” portraying a message to others by telling them that they should not forget nature due to their technological advancements (Wild Apples 1). Thoreau later on states “I saw a vigorous young apple-tree… uninjured by the frosts, when all cultivated apples were gathered.(Wild Apples 1)” This can be seen as an allusion towards transcendentalists, who, despite being outnumbered, continued to believe and have faith in nature while the rest of the world has been injured by “frosts” or technology and corruption.

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Consequently, what Thoreau proposed was simplicity rejecting modern civilization to return to nature and let the individual to develop his/her highest possibilities. Thoreau not only made a critique of the modern society as Emerson did, but also he practiced his ideology: he experienced that life is better without crowd, luxuries and complexity. The transcendentalist poet spent two year close to nature. He lived at Walden Pond where he wrote entire journals recounting his experience. Thoreau is well known for his book “Walden” (1854).

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Henry David Thoreau is one of the primary promoters of the transcendentalist movement and has been inspiring people to take on the transcendentalist lifestyle ever since the mid 1800’s. Mccandless was an admirer of Henry’s philosophy but he wasn’t as fully immersed in his work and ideals as Thoreau was to his own. His intentions were not as closely aligned to the movement as Thoreau’s and the difference between these icons are clearly visible. Self reliance is one of the most significant components of the transcendentalism movement that Henry David Thoreau contributed to in his literary career. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” - (taken from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”).

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In his essay Walden, Thoreau affirms the Transcendentalist belief of living simply by emphasizing the thought of living with only the essentials and the importance of self reliance. Thoreau supports the ideal of living simply through the emphasis of only living with what one needs. Simplicity exists

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