Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Quiet Desperation in the Lecture Hall
Hi Everyone: In light of our visit from Henry David Thoreau, and our
discussions about argumentation, write a response to the lecture in
which you identify what you think Thoreau's principal claim is and what
you think about it. I understand that the lecture may have been hard to
follow in the lecture hall, so I excerpted some crucial parts and
handed them out in class. Check the bookshelf if you didn't get one.
Please have your responses in by Wednesday evening. Thank you, Mr.
Telles.
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Henry David Thoreau’s main point was that we only need the essentials in life to be happy. All the extra things that are not necessary to our survival cause a lot of unneeded stress, ultimately making us less happy. We don’t enjoy the simple things because we are so caught up in the more complex aspects in life that are not as essential as we make them out to be. Thoreau went on in his speech to explain how he lived in the woods, just with the basic things he needed to survive. He was content living that way and it made him appreciate nature and all of that around him. Though it was a bit long and hard to pay attention to when we were eager to get to lunch, Thoreau made some excellent points and used great argumentative skills and stayed away from the precautions that we emphasized in class.
ReplyDeleteHenry David Thoreau’s main principle of life was to take nothing unappreciated. He believed that everyone should depend on their own hands for labor and to not expect things to be handed to you. Henry disagreed with elderly people giving the younger generation a lesson on life, thus meaning anyone who has not lived failed miserably. Henry believes he has lived a valuable life and has took nothing for granted. He spent a lot of time living on his own and depending on nobody but himself and his hardworking character. Henry relied on nature telling him the truth and experience. I strongly agree with Henry’s way of thinking and living. I believe that people do take many things for granted and if Henry David Thoreau saw this generation, he would be very disappointed.
ReplyDeleteThoreau's claim is that people should express themselves / be themselves. It seemed then that people tended to stick with what they know or as High School Musical put it "stick with the status quo." He felt that people were living the life they were living because they had no other choice , and Thoreau is saying that you can live the life you want and you should. Later on Thoreau said that what your elders say doesn't need to be taken so seriously , if they say that something is wrong it doesn't always mean so , to them something may seem wrong but the younger generation may see it as something different or the complete opposite of how the elders view it. Thoreau also says that life is an experiment and it should be tested to your greatsest extent , which is how most people should live. Another thing he disscusses if that we don't have much a say in things we do (i.e. saying prayers unwillingly , or in present day , going to school) , we just continue to go through the motions in our lives because we'll know what to expect next. One last thing Thoreau talks about is how nature "is as well adapted our weakness as to our strength." Here he makes nature sound like a human being and that it's able to accept / embrace aour weaknesses and our strengths , I also think Thoreau is saying that we could be free to be ourselves in nature.
ReplyDeleteBased on the excerpts alone Henry David Thoreau’s main argument was to experience life for yourself, and to not merely trust what the people before you have said. He says that, “no way of living or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.” I interpreted this as meaning that just because something has been done that way in the past doesn’t mean it’s the best way, or the right way. He goes on to say, “there are as many ways as there can be drawn radii from one centre.” I read this as there are an infinite amount of ways to live one’s life. It doesn’t matter how many people prefer to live one way; if one wants to live life another way than that is up to them. Without experiencing life for yourself you never truly know the best way to live. You cannot trust what the people who lived before you because, “what...passes as true to-day may turn out to be falsehood to-morrow.” He is urging every man to live based on his own morals not on his parents or grandparents or elders. I think that this is a good argument. There hasn’t been much change in the way one lives his or her life over the past few decades. One goes to work everyday to answer to his superiors. Who is to say there is not a better way? Without experiencing the world for oneself, one can never know if there is a better way. This reminds me of the quote by Mark Twain, “whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Thoreau argues this point well and does not use any tactics that would indicate a weak argument in his writing. This makes his argument more persuading and logical.
ReplyDeleteI did not get to attend the speech but I did read the paper handed out from it. From reading it I gathered that the main point of Henry David Thoreau was about the simplicity of life and nature. He talks about the value of living and how people complicate it and do not appreciate it. That we need to recognise the value and beauty in life and nature around us. We are all too quick to judge people based on trivial things when we are the only animal species that does so. Thoreau is saying that we are all blessed with the miracle of life but some many do not appreciate it. People feel the need to classify everyone into boxes. We’re young, old, rich, poor, etcetera. Thoreau believes that we could live simpler. That we could potentially live in nature and get rid of all of our classifying.
ReplyDeleteI think Henry David Thoreau’s principal claim in his speech was how society was attached to materialistic ideals and how it is cheaper to live on the bare necessities, while still making it as satisfying as living in extravagance. In the speech he talked about the cost of an apartment in comparison to the house and farm he made himself. In the end it was worth it to build the farm and land from scratch rather than pay rent. He talked a lot about the farm which implies to the audience members that he enjoys the basics and working hard to sustain off of it. I agree that it is better to life off of the basics in life, but I also believe it is important to have some kind of extravagance in life. Without materialistic things life would be bland and boring. I also believe that those unnecessary things inspire inventions that are needed for basic life.
ReplyDeleteI was not at the lecture on Friday, but I did get to read an excerpt from it. From reading the paper, I thought that the main point of the speech was to trust yourself, not your seniors. It almost seemed as if Henry David Thoreau was trashing the older generation. He says, “...and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors. They have told me nothing, and probably cannot tell me anything to the purpose.” This to me seems like he’s just bashing the generation before him. He goes on to say, “If I have any experience which I think valuable, I am sure that this my Mentors said nothing about.” Even though he says all of this, he makes the point in the very beginning that “What old people say you cannot do, you must try and find that you can.” To me, he is saying that you must live life for yourself, have your own experiences, not trust what the older generation before you says. I also feel as though he’s saying to not listen to them at all. And I have to disagree with that. Sure, times may have changed since they were younger, but at the end of the day, they have lived before you have. They may know a thing or two about manners or what works and what doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience things for yourself and find a new, creative way to do things that also work. I think Henry David Thoreau was afraid that people are losing their creativity because the elder generation is taking it away from them.
ReplyDeleteI did not get to attend the lecture on Friday, but based on the excerpts, Henry David Thoreau’s main principle seems to be that people need to live life for themselves. Thoreau believes that people base their lives off of advice and concepts the generations before them have experienced. He says “no way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.” You don’t know how well or not so well something is if you don’t try it; everything works differently for different people. Thoreau also brings up how things have changed a lot through out generations. People have become smarter and new concepts have been created, but the only way this can continue to happen is if people live their own lives. If people just did everything the same as their elders than nothing would change, nothing new would be developed. Thoreau is saying that life is just a big experiment that everyone needs to try for themselves. The most valuable information and the most treasured memories are things you experience for yourself not things older people tell you about.
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