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Finna Globes
Amer. Lit
10/15/08

David Henry Thoreau

David Henry Thoreau was in born in 1817 and was a key author throughout the American Renaissance period. His writing style is different from Emerson (Founder of Transcendentalism) because he uses concrete images in his writings. He was a transcendentalist, which is a philosophy that sought to create a new religious consciousness that would exhibit the freedom and democracy of a new nation. Thoreau rejected the normal ideas of a democratic government and believed in meditation while observing nature in all of its forms. Thoreau is known as the first nature writer who was an average citizen that protested against slavery and loved to write metaphorically. Thought that a person could live a life of simplicity. One of his most famous writings was a short-story call Walden, Or Life in the Woods. In his “Economy” chapter, Thoreau emphasizes that a feeling of dissatisfaction with one's possessions can be resolved in two ways: one may acquire more, or reduce one's desires. He argues that the simplification of one's lifestyle does not obstruct such pleasures as owning one's residence, but only assists them. Another theme he uses is the illusion of progress. An example of Thoreau's resistance to progress is his criticism of the train, which throughout Europe and America was a symbol of the wonders and advantages of technological progress. A motif in the story is the use of imaginary people. At the beginning of the chapter “Former Inhabitants,” Thoreau openly acknowledges that in his winter isolation he was forced to create imaginary company for himself. Symbols were used in his writings to create imagery and to help the reader better understand what they are reading. A symbol used in the story is animals. Thoreau doesn’t talk about the scientific part of animals but rather emphasizes their human characteristics. He sees two ants wage war with all the ferocity and carnage of a...