Henry David Thoreau Research Paper

Henry David Thoreau is recognized as one of influential American transcendentalists, philosophers, and abolitionists. Thoreau devoted his lifetime to exploring the concept of individualism, materialism, and environmentalism. Hence, he patterns himself upon the transcendental idea of moving on and disapproving the stability of life through the transition of his diversity career life. Thoreau has worked as a private tutor, farmer, gardener, writer, carpenter, pencil maker. The various employments implies Thoreau’s indifference of money, instead, his preference of moving on with his conscientious principle. Thoreau is famous for the accomplishments of several remarkable writings in political, social, and environmental sights. In the short essay

Thoreau, an anti-materialist, considered the quest of material possessions as the necessities of raising the standard of life is an obstacle to an individual's belief of self-reliance. He attributes his thought in another work, Life Without Principle. Demonstrating the hindrance of businesses in the community, Thoreau argues, " I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself, than this incessant business"(Thoreau). According to the quote, businesses are the primary opponent to the original thought of human being. Thoreau embodies this quote effectively due to his implication of malicious power of business beyond vile crime. In addition, Thoreau’s sarcasm toward the stupidity of people and their pursuit of the material rather than internal things, he states, "They never will go to law for my meat; they prefer the shell" (Thoreau). Thoreau applies a metaphor for the self-opinion and one’s originality as meat and shell as the materialistic, superficial subject such as money, and fame. These descriptions lead people to visualize in their mind about the importance of the meat and the hard, useless shell. Moreover, the tone of boredom for working perpetually without the principle shows in the quote of "This world is a place of business. What an infinite bustle!...It is nothing but work, work, work”(Thoreau). Thoreau generalizes the world as "a place of business", which uses a metaphor here. The repetition of "work" indicates that Thoreau is irked by the incessant, contemptible daily tasks. Furthermore, Thoreau writes ironically to those works for material when he says “If the laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats himself"(Thoreau). Thoreau conveys more than what he mean when he states, "...he is cheated, he cheats himself". He reveals that the person wasn't cheated on his