The Poweful Writing of Henry David Thoreau :: Biography

Why was Henry David Thoreau such a wonderful writer? He had many great qualities, but the most important were his devotion to nature and writing, his desire for independence, and his experiences he encountered throughout his life. Henry David Thoreau looked to nature as the basis of life and writing. He believed that nature is the reflection of inner spiritual reality. He spent his life in search of the essentials of reality and of experiences that would bring him close to these essentials. He lived in a hut for two years at Walden Pond to rid his body of inessential things. During Thoreau's stay, he completed his first book titled, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers(1849). Here, he also filled his journals with materials for his most famous piece, Walden. After he left the hut, and after college, he became a literary apprentice by writing essays and poems and by helping edit the transcendentalist journal, The Dial. When success did not come, Thoreau remained dedicated to his program of "education" through intimacy with nature, and also through writing that would express this experience. It was his life in nature that was his great theme. In order for Thoreau to write so much on nature he had to be familiar with it. His knowledge of the woods and fields, of the rivers, the ponds, and swamps, of every plant and animal was outstanding. Emerson even stated, "His power of observation seemed to indicate additional senses." Thoureau wrote a book titled Walden(1854) in which the theme of it was the relationship to the order and beauty of nature in the human mind. This book consists of records of Thoreau's stay at Walden Pond. Thoreau's love and devotion to nature and his writing was a key to his excellence in writing. Henry David Thoreau also felt that individualism was a great necessity to his writing style. In his piece of literature titled "Civil Disobedience", he expressed his belief in the power and the obligation of the individual to determine right from wrong, independent of the dictates of society. Thoreau's friends agreed with his views, but few practiced it in their own lives as consistently as he. Thoreau demonstrated his idea of independence in many ways. He worked for pay intermittently, he made relationships with many of the towns outcasts, he never married, he signed off from the First Parish Church rather than be taxed automatically to support it every year, and he lived alone in the woods for two years, in seclusion. His nearest neighbor was at least a mile away. While he was living independently in the woods, he thought of many new The Poweful Writing of Henry David Thoreau :: Biography Why was Henry David Thoreau such a wonderful writer? He had many great qualities, but the most important were his devotion to nature and writing, his desire for independence, and his experiences he encountered throughout his life. Henry David Thoreau looked to nature as the basis of life and writing. He believed that nature is the reflection of inner spiritual reality. He spent his life in search of the essentials of reality and of experiences that would bring him close to these essentials. He lived in a hut for two years at Walden Pond to rid his body of inessential things. During Thoreau's stay, he completed his first book titled, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers(1849). Here, he also filled his journals with materials for his most famous piece, Walden. After he left the hut, and after college, he became a literary apprentice by writing essays and poems and by helping edit the transcendentalist journal, The Dial. When success did not come, Thoreau remained dedicated to his program of "education" through intimacy with nature, and also through writing that would express this experience. It was his life in nature that was his great theme. In order for Thoreau to write so much on nature he had to be familiar with it. His knowledge of the woods and fields, of the rivers, the ponds, and swamps, of every plant and animal was outstanding. Emerson even stated, "His power of observation seemed to indicate additional senses." Thoureau wrote a book titled Walden(1854) in which the theme of it was the relationship to the order and beauty of nature in the human mind. This book consists of records of Thoreau's stay at Walden Pond. Thoreau's love and devotion to nature and his writing was a key to his excellence in writing. Henry David Thoreau also felt that individualism was a great necessity to his writing style. In his piece of literature titled "Civil Disobedience", he expressed his belief in the power and the obligation of the individual to determine right from wrong, independent of the dictates of society. Thoreau's friends agreed with his views, but few practiced it in their own lives as consistently as he. Thoreau demonstrated his idea of independence in many ways. He worked for pay intermittently, he made relationships with many of the towns outcasts, he never married, he signed off from the First Parish Church rather than be taxed automatically to support it every year, and he lived alone in the woods for two years, in seclusion. His nearest neighbor was at least a mile away. While he was living independently in the woods, he thought of many new

Aping Western Culture Essay

This topic might make most of us go back to the good old days of childhood when we used to run around and play in the hot and burning sun without the pressure of the world upon us.Now the entire world(at least the majority) is mesmerized by the non real world of computer games. Part of the reason for this shift is the lack of good grounds and the lack of togetherness that is persisting in today s world. We might play the popular football or cricket game on PC but its no where near to the joy that we get while playing outdoor football or even cricket. I can still remember the days when I used to play cricket in the burning hot sun in my village, sometimes even bare foot. Nothing can match the joy that we get when we flex some muscles while playin these outdoor games. I also remember my school days during which I used to wait for holidays so that i can play cricket, hide and seek,laggoree(A local game in which we throw the ball at stones and regroup all the stones while avoiding getting hit by the ball), lock and key,badminton and many more innovative games. Most of these games used to be played in the streets and they do not require a play ground. At least I used to play them on the streets. I used to leave my house in the morning and come back for lunch and then again go out and return home at night.Playing with many people is surely fun to the core. Just the assembly of so many people was a joy to be in. Only in villages can we get to see groups of children playing outdoor games.Its becoming more and more of a rare scene in the cities.I can see school kids already carrying the burden of t he world on their tender shoulders. There might come a time when games will be restricted to indoor games or even worse only the computer games. There s nothing wrong in playing on the computer as I myself do get hooked on to the computer games but from time to time playing outdoor games relaxes the mind and also its a very good exercise to our body.Even the PET classes in the schools are taken by other subject teachers in most of the schools.Also many of the schools do not even have a playground in their school premises. All this is sad and the future is going to be even more worse.At this point I remember the popular animated series that comes on disney channel â€Å"Recess†. Its focus is mainly on the outdoor games. There is a popular saying that â€Å"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy†, its time we changed it to something like this â€Å"All work and only playing a on computer makes Jack a dull boy†. There are still a lot more things that I could have written but it might get boring so I leave it to the people reading this blog to comment and share their experiences.

Educators Struggle with Philosophy - 1075 Words

As an educator we all struggle with philosophy and where to go from there once we decide what our set of beliefs are. Once we put our philosophy in place, we then struggle with changing our philosophy. I believe that philosophies can be always changing any given situation and in order for growth as an educator we have to be aware to the situations that can change our philosophy, as well as being true to our core beliefs. However, in order for this to happen we must understand what philosophy is, and what it is not and how it fall in line with ideology and theories. For this assignment, I will compare and contrast philosophy, ideology, and theory. Philosophy is the most beliefs about what is true or real according to individual values (Gutek, 2009). Philosophy is our beliefs that will determine what we do professionally and personally. Not having a philosophy set in place, it will be difficult to make decisions within the classroom, creating curriculums and evaluate progress. Although a person can set goals without having a philosophy implemented, not having the foundation of a set philosophy (core set of beliefs) achieving the goals can be a very difficult challenge. Educators need a starting point to understand why we think and act the way we do in our classrooms. Having a philosophy allows an educator to reflect on how to make classroom actions consistent with our beliefs related to learning. However, before we list our â€Å"beliefs† we need to delve deeper into what makesShow MoreRelatedEssay on My Philosophy of Education1206 Words   |  5 PagesAs an educator we all struggle with philosophy and where to go from there once we decide what our set of beliefs are. Once we put our philosophy in place, we then struggle with changing our philosophy. I believe that philosophies can be always changing any given situation and in order for growth as an educator we have to be aware of the situations that can change our philosophy, as well as being true to our core beliefs. However, in order for this to happen we must understand what philosophy is, andRead MorePhilosophical Position Paper : Personal Philosophy1527 Words   |  7 PagesPhilosop hical Position Paper Lori Riley Liberty University â€Æ' Abstract It is my personal philosophy that we are each shaped by our own life experiences. God has created each one to be unique and special. â€Å"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well† (Psalm 139:14, NIV). God has plans for each and every one of us. We are also shaped by the interactions that with have with each person in our lives, as well as, events that we each livedRead MoreThe Most Important Way Of Serving Our Country829 Words   |  4 Pagesconcurrent philosophers like Nel Noddings, Martha Nussbaum, Elliot Turiel etc., Gulen’s philosophy initially was not evaluated nor acknowledged by contemporary philosophers and academic institutions, instead his ideas was accepted by local people and put into action immediately by his followers. While the world has no shortage of educational models or theories, distinguished feature of the educational philosophy of Gulen is the fact that it has not remained in spee ches or books only (Hunt AydoganRead MoreImplementation Of No Child Left Behind1564 Words   |  7 PagesNot only does standards based reporting help identify what skills a student may struggle in, but also what one excels in as well. Teachers can use this information to differentiate instruction and carry gifted and talented students to higher levels in the already too short amount of time they are in school. In order to effectively implement a standards-based grading and reporting system in a school district, educators need to recognize and comprehend five essential understandings (Guskey, 1999, 2005)Read MoreMy Philosophy Of Education : How We Must Educate Our Children1393 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy of Education How we must educate our children in Arkansas, as well as in the United States, has changed over the past twenty years since I began a career in education. Educating our children has become a data-driven task, in which high-stakes testing is the driving force requiring our students to compete with children from countries around the globe. State testing assessments drive curricula and make students, teachers, and principals more accountable for what is happening in the classroomRead MoreExploring Inquiry Based Spatial Sense Activities1236 Words   |  5 Pagesself-help and life skills. The current initiatives call for all students, regardless of their ability, to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. With this new accountability, special educators must re-evaluate the curriculum they teach and the pedagogy they employ. Special educators must select new philosophies and practices to meet the diverse needs of the students in their classes. This will ensure that students are effe ctively prepared for the rigorous expectations of being college and careerRead MoreThe Banking Concept Of Education951 Words   |  4 Pagesto see the struggles that teachers’ had, trying to teach large class sizes all of the same information. The longer the teachers taught, the more they lost their passion. In class there was never enough time for teachers to show their passion, or explain why they really loved the subject they were teaching. So in the following paper I will be discussing the banking concept of education. I will discuss who I believe my audience is. Also, I will be arguing why I think educators struggle with inspiringRead MoreTeaching And Learning Theoretical Framework Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pagesunderstand and possibly a view from a different perspective. My philosophy of teaching is written from the perspective of a graduate school student. I have not yet begun my career in academia. I expect my philosophy to develop over the years and change with exp erience. I pray it does because if it does not, something is terribly wrong. Teaching/Learning Theoretical Framework The Theoretical framework that guide my educational philosophy is Kolcalba Comfort Theory (CT). As defined by the creator, â€Å"CTRead MoreEducation Is The Most Modern Means Of Learning778 Words   |  4 PagesI have formulated a philosophy of teaching statement with the foundation that that the student is the center of attention. My philosophy is also in-line with Merriam and Brockett (2009), where according to them, the progressive philosophy is where it places more value in knowledge derived from observation and experience than it does from tradition and authority (p. 35). In this respect, I believe that study and knowledge is critical to solving a problem or correcting a situation within adult educationRead MoreChristian Philosophy Versus Christian Worldview1294 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophical questions regarding how society truly functions and different human beliefs. As educators it is critical that we nurture the Christian mind in order to fulfill the Christian worldvie w. It is also absolutely essential that the education system and learning objectives put forward are relevant because they make significant contributions to worldview. This paper aims to discuss Christian philosophy versus Christian worldview and explain how they are directly related. It will also describe