Henry Thoreau and 'Civil Disobedience' - 0 views
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Prior to his arrest, Thoreau had lived a quiet, solitary life at Walden, an isolated pond in the woods about a mile and a half from Concord. He now returned to Walden to mull over two questions: (1) Why do some men obey laws without asking if the laws are just or unjust; and, (2) why do others obey laws they think are wrong?
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Audrey B on 31 May 10The two questions that led Thoreau to go to Walden Pond.
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Transcendentalism became Thoreau’s intellectual training ground. His first appearance in print was a poem entitled “Sympathy” published in the first issue of The Dial, a Transcendentalist paper. As Transcendentalists migrated to Concord, one by one, Thoreau was exposed to all facets of the movement and took his place in its inner circle. At Emerson’s suggestion, he kept a daily journal, from which most of Walden was eventually culled. [12] But Thoreau still longed for a life both concrete and spiritual. He wanted to translate his thoughts into action. While Transcendentalists praised nature, Thoreau walked through it.
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So while Thoreau was living at Walden Pond in solitude, he was also apart of the Transcendentalist movement. "Thoreau was exposed to all facets of the movement and took his place in its inner circle...he kept a daily journal from which most of Walden was eventually culled." Thoreau lived as an observer and researcher of other people's actions. He wanted to learn more and eventually "translate his thoughts into action." Translating his thoughts to action took years but eventually lead to "Civil Disobedience"--an essay written in result of turning thoughts into action.
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