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The Metaphor Of Water In Conclusion By Henry David Thoreau

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Thoreau argues in the final paragraphs of “Conclusion” combined with the metaphor of water that the more simple and finer aspects of life, combined with nature, can help awaken us to achieve greater truths by transcending time to reach sublimity. He suggests that his readers start and begin with a new and improved life. His diction throughout these passages consists of metaphors, anecdotes,imagrey,and description he points out the reasons why we restrict ourselves and how with nature we can find our sublime while transcending in time. Thoreau uses the metaphor of natural water and description of nature to help us understand the message he argues. He begins with “the life in us is like the water in the river” the metaphorical use of water …show more content…

He ends with demonstrating his deeper opinion and observation on society with the use of and egg as a metaphor to connect back to the bug a few sentences earlier and using the tone of oppressed words like “buried” or “hidden” to fully explain the growth we still need to obtain to reach our sublime. The difference between the bug and the egg is that the egg was buried under “concentric layers” for many years in the “dry dead of society” explains the impact of soceity that has negatily impacted and dented everyones journey to finding the greater truth. Society has pushed the world far and continuest to push everyone away from the greater truth. He then uses the parallel of “albunm of the green living tree” to “semblance of its well seasoned-tomb” expression not only the impact of society on people but also how society creates a “well seasoned-tomb” or a coat of greatness over the truth. He then address people as “John or Johnathan” which further describes average people in their blind state and the need to wake up to see what is right infront of them. He continues his argument of change with the line “That morrow which mere lapse of time can never make to dawn” as he reffers it to tremondus change that needs to be done but only if we shed light on the issue. The metaphor of “light” redefined is

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By establishing common ground with the reader who are religious by mentioning “god”. The author portrays his journey as sacred. Thoreau’s usage of descriptive language of scenery appeals to the readers as his location is a source of tranquility and sacredness. Furthermore, Thoreau argues that people should take into consideration everything; the details. Human life is clouded and surrounded by thousands of task rather than a

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Thoreau uses extended metaphors to convey his frustration and disapproval towards the government by comparing man and the government to thoughtless machines. He states that “the mass of men serve the states thus, not as men, but as machines….(Thoreau, 941)” He uses metaphors similar to this one to better get across the loss of individuality of the people and drastic change into uniform and thoughtless machines without a moral compass, for when people become machine-like they act unjust and without acknowledgment of the consequences their actions can have, such as soldiers participating in war (mentioned in paragraph two). This idea of a lack of human individuality and integrity goes against Thoreau’s views on the world at large. Thoreau again

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Henry David Thoreau uses Metaphor to develop the theme. Thoreau states "... not to be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls on the rails. " Therefore he says that because people tend to stop reaching for opportunities just for one simple mistake. Take that and help yourself be better for the next opportunity. It demonstrates that when you are living your life, there will be bumps.

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In Thoreau's "Civil Obedience" metaphor and parallelism are utilized to support his notion that the government fails to be one that is satisfactory. Thoreau's usage of metaphor expresses the uselessness that the government is. He writes, " It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves..." Here, Thoreau compares the government to a wooden gun, saying that it is as useless as one. He believes that the government is but a wooden gun to the people meaning that it is as useful for the people as a wooden gun would help a person, not useful at all.

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In Walden and Resistance to Civil Government, Henry David Thoreau the author, uses the rhetorical strategies of personification, metaphor, and allusion/symbolism in the chapter “Conclusion” to describe what he learned from his experiment of living in Walden Pond. Thoreau’s main message of what he learned is to be undefined by what’s in front. Without the limits of conformity, humans have the capacity to achieve much greater and beautiful dreams and goals. Conformity is the boundary that doesn’t let individuals reach their great potential. Thoreau uses effective personification to imply the significance of following one’s dreams confidently.

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Sharing similar passions and philosophical ideas, it seemed only fitting that Ralph Waldo Emerson would deliver a eulogy for his deceased friend and former student Henry David Thoreau. Throughout his speech, Emerson is able to capture the essence of Thoreau’s life by sharing personal moments and stories that demonstrate what he stood for and believed in. Riddled with powerful words and phrases, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s eulogy of the late Henry David Thoreau effectively brings to light his dear friend’s transcendentalist views and values, leaving his audience with the impression of Thoreau as a strong minded individual who lived his life in the moment. According to Emerson, “No truer American existed than Thoreau,” and while this

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In my personal perspective, Henry Thoreau makes several valid points within his essay. The government gets its power from the people yet lately it goes above and beyond to control these same people. It invades our privacy, reading our emails and text messages, listening to our conversations, tracking our transactions, and placing cameras where they see fit. It taxes everything from their hard earned money to the property they own. It is even creating and manipulating laws solely for its own benefit.

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Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, and widely known transcendentalist. He is most known for his compelling essay, Civil Disobedience, and his Memoir, Walden. Thoreau was a lifelong abolitionist, and shared this idea with others, during lectures for example. Throughout 1846 to 1848, Thoreau peacefully protested the unjust Government out of revulsion for slavery and the Mexican-American war, with aspirations that others would join him. Thoreau was briefly jailed for being a staunch supporter of the refusal to pay taxes for things he did not believe in, which in this case was the ongoing Mexican-American war.

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“While I enjoy the friendship of the seasons I trust that nothing can make life a burden to me. The gentle rain which waters my beans and keeps me in the house today is not drear and melancholy, but good for me too. ”He compares Mother Nature with humans throughout the chapter, saying that mother nature provides thousand wonderful, beautiful, and interesting things, and fellow human beings seem to be interested in only what they can get out of you and who offer little in exchange. Thoreau feels that, rather than being near the greatest number of people, people must live and work in the place most important to their various

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In reading Henry David Thoreau, I was halted by the views he shared. Thoreau was a suspicious man that felt there is not a reason to be taxed if person did not agree with usage of funds or need government protection. Thoreau lived in the woods, mostly self sustainable. He came into town to have a shoe mended and found himself confronted by a city official to pay a poll tax. He refused and the sheriff put him in Jail.

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In the last paragraph, he says, “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains.” This strong metaphor is comparing time with a stream in order to establish that time is endless, yet shallow. He wants to convey to the reader that time continues on forever, while life is just a small depth in time.

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In Thoreau’s text he uses many things that make it popular in his time as well as in ours. These things include; the use of diction, imagery, and emotional appeal. Even today, Thoreau’s “Civil

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Thoreau utilizes metaphors to portray his disapproval of mankind’s inability to experience the world without being plagued by insignificant actions towards the future and an absorption in external factors. Humans, focused primarily on the future, use a “thousand stitches to save nine tomorrow,” illustrating that their present actions are solely to fix any forthcoming issues. By quantitatively modifying “a stitch in time”, Thoreau emphasizes that a vast majority of human actions are a result of being blindly concentrated on the future. He perceives such actions towards the future as wasted, demonstrated by the statement “we haven’t any of any consequence.” Not only do human actions disregard the value of the present, but they are also disordered,

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As stated in “The Ponds” chapter, “A field of water betrays the spirit that is in the air. It is continually receiving new life and motion from above. It is intermediate between land and sky.” (Page Number). This conveys to the reader that the study of nature could replace and oppose our enslavement by understanding that the pond is the human soul as the connection between earth and heaven, surviving in an earthly realm but suggesting a peaceful world just above, in the sky, which reflects into the pond.

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Growing up in small town makes me who I am today. I was raised in the small town of Chowchilla and this made me part of the community. I have lived in Chowchilla my whole life, but my parents emigrated from Mexico. It was very difficult for my parents to get used to living in America, but managed to become US citizens. Being the middle child out of three makes me a role model for my little sister.

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