Henry David Thoreau Research Paper

Nearly everyone in the world has been in and or has been surrounded by nature at at least point in their life. Although nature seems like a fairly generic term, it can have different interpretations from different people. One of the most famous authors to discuss his views on nature and the world around him is Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau gained fame through many aspects of his life. One of his most well-known projects was his writing concerning his 2 year stay near Walden Pond. Thoreau made the decision to live alone for two years in the woods in a small cabin that he had constructed. yet he was also known for many other contributions that he made. As said by the editors of Biography.com, “He [Thoreau] also became known for his beliefs in Transcendentalism and civil disobedience, and was a dedicated abolitionist.” Through his work, Thoreau expresses a very distinct view of nature which can be both similar to and different from contemporary views today. In his text, Walden, Thoreau shows several views which are both agreed with and contested in today's society, these include agreeing that nature can teach us,

Thoreau himself spent two years in the wilderness alone where he learned many valuable life lessons through nature. As said in his journal Walden, “...and see if I could not learn what it had to teach.” In this passage, Thoreau is explaining to his reader why he went into the woods in the first place. Through the work of Thoreau and many other influential writers, people can now appreciate nature and recognize what we can learn from it. “We can learn amazingly valuable life lessons from nature”(Ursillo). Ursillo also goes on to explain many things that we can learn from a single flower. Clearly, a contemporary person could agree with Thoreau’s idea that we can learn from