Walden: "Conclusion"

Walden: "Conclusion"

1. One should travel their mind not the world.

   • Having "more lives to live."
     • Leave behind the complexities of life and live a simple life.
       • Poor often live better than the rich because they are not bound down by material items.
         • Do not oppose society just for the sake of opposing it. Oppose society to follow your own path.
           • Live life to the fullest and enjoy it even if it is a poor life.
             • You are stuck with your life so might as well enjoy it as much as you can. The riches a person has should not determine how happy they are with their lives.
           • The goal of opposing society isn't just to be different than what is normal. The goal should be to develop you own way of living thatg allows you to grow spiritually.
         • Material items tie a person down to earthly things and keeps them from being spiritual. This means that the poor are able to live a simple and spiritual life which Thoreau belives is the best way to live.
       • This idea is expressed through the parable Thoreau tells. Living a simple life and focusing on a single task a time allows you to create a lifestyle thats worth while.
     • Thoreau uses this expression to justify leaving the cabin. Having more lives to live is his way of saying that he has explored that part of his mind and is ready to keep "traveling."
   • Thoreau starts the chapter by speaking about traveling and how some things are unique to certain lands. He comapres this to his own mind which he claims is even more important to explore.

2. Literary devices

   • Parable: Thoreau tells the parable of an artist who wanted to create a perfect staff and in doing so created a lifestyle that seemed to stop time. He uses this story to say that the complexities of life and worrying about society are distractions.
     • Rhetorical questions: This chapter is filled with rhetorical questions that get the reader to think about what Thoreau is saying and to evaluate their own life.
       • Extended metaphors: Thoreau imploys this device often. He compares the world to ones mind, humans to nature, and many other geographical aspects to a person's life.
         • In this chapter, Thoreau uses a lot of figurative language and he discusses broad philosophies rather than specific events.

3. Vocabulary

   • Ethereal - characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy.
     • Semblance - The outward appearance of something, especially when the reality is different
       • The vocabulary in this chapter is descriptive but not complicated.

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