Thursday, April 5, 2012

Discuss three major incidents.

           Thoreau takes a trip into town for some supplies and gets arrested and held for the night for refusing to pay a poll tax. Despite this disturbance, Thoreau isn’t really fazed. He still finds no need to use basic safety precautions like locking his doors. The incident only makes him more aware of the fact that only the government is a threat to him, and even then he doesn’t have much to lose.
          Another time, Thoreau is marveling about Walden Pond. Nothing outright spectacular happens, but the significance still remains. Thoreau considers the origins of the Pond and all the hidden beauty that comes with it. Animals gather around, the weather agrees, and all is peaceful. The atmosphere gives off pure serenity, and it’s a major personal moment for Thoreau. It’s almost as if he becomes one with the Pond, with nature, and with himself at that very moment.
            Lastly, Thoreau sits alone during a cold winter night reminiscing about previous owners of the Walden land and experiences he had with them, feeling sympathy toward their harsh losses. This event reaches one of many themes of the book: how universal and connected the world really is. It didn’t matter who owned the land previously or how they used it. It impacted every single person down the road in that situation. They all shared the same piece of land, as many did before and many will in the future. It also demonstrates how insignificant individuals really are to the greater world, bringing out feelings of humility, and concern for one’s true place in the world. 

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