Henry David Thoreau's The American Scholar

For centuries, some of the best writers and scholars in the world have look to nature for inspiration, guidance, and a chance to find answer to life’s most difficult questions. This response paper will cover how the word ‘nature’ is used to describe and convey a message of supporting the spread of intellectual ideas by American writers. Excerpts from a literary letter titled The American Scholar written by Henry David Thoreau will be used as supporting evidence for claims stated in this essay. The letter is addressed to President Martin Van Buren who won the election in 1836 and the contents inside expresses Thoreau's concerns and wishes about expanding American literary ideas into the world. Thoreau uses nature to explain why he thinks a scholarly culture in the United States is essential to the country’s intellectual development. One of the first stances Thoreau uses the term nature is seen in the first main idea of the letter. Thoreau argues that nature is instrumentally important to writers and scholars because one’s natural environment inspires intellectual ideas. The transcendentalist specifically said, “Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows. Every day, men and women, conversing, beholding and beholden.The scholar must needs

Base on the quote, people do not follow the laws of nature, but rather man create their own rules for personal gain. Private usage such as places to sleep, eat, aesthetic views, and wasteful dumping grounds are only some examples for why people would want additional land. Also, the quote seemingly implies that Thoreau supports the idea of manifest destiny because nature is an abundant resource for human to use. After discussing the importance of nature to the United State's economic development, Thoreau returns to addressing the need for expanding and spreading intellectuals’ ideas within the