Month: May 2017

Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life?

On By purplefrog01In English 1: autobiographyLeave a comment

Henry David Thoreau was an American poet, essayist, naturalist, and abolitionist from Concord Massachusetts.  For 26 months he lived alone in the woods along Walden pond,  in a small shack that he built himself.  He took up this lifestyle to get a closer look at what life really was, and to get a deeper understanding of the simple lessons of life.  After his stay at Walden pond he went back to live with his mother and work his family’s pencil factory.  He spent 8 years writing a book called Walden based on the two years and two months that he lived beside Walden pond, this book was not really noticed by the public until after his death in 1862.

I respect the fact that he was willing to dedicate himself for such a large portion of his life to write this book, but I will be honest in saying that this was not an efficient book in terms of delivering an important message to readers.  His writing is very confusing, he claimed to have lived the life of a hermit, when he relied on the stores in town to provide him with day to day necessities.  This was not a hermit lifestyle.  There are countless paragraphs that sound like pure jibber-jabber, they make no sense and leave the reader wondering what is going on.  There are several paragraphs that are absolutely ridiculous and illogical.  Thoreau made himself sound like somewhat of a lunatic in several different instances.

Maybe he had reason behind these statements that appeared to be useless and illogical, but if he had reason behind them, he never shared it.  If Thoreau had provided more background information about himself, and why he went to Walden pond, the book could have made much more since and and been a more effective piece of literature.

This man was a poet, and to understand a poem, you must understand the reason behind the poem, or at some level understand what the poet was feeling.  in my opinion, Thoreau spoke somewhat like a poet, and in this case the reader has no background behind what the “poet” was saying or what it represented.   The book was not a large piece of poetry, but the writing had somewhat of a poetic sound to it.  So, yes, Walden would have been a much better book if Thoreau had provided the reader with more background information.  If a person knows what they are reading and what it means they are less likely to get bored, and they might actually read with interest.

Thoreau said that great poets can be understood only by great poets.  While on most levels I do not agree, it may partially explain the reasons behind the poetic and illogical paragraphs in this book.  Perhaps only men like Thoreau can understand and appreciate the writings of a man like Thoreau, maybe the average person simply cannot appreciate his fantasies of life.

The education you deserve.

On By purplefrog01In Business 1Leave a comment

Education is important.  There are so many options for education in today’s world that it can be quite overwhelming to find the right one that will provide you with the benefits you deserve.   The Ron Paul curriculum could be the answer you are looking for, and it is 100% risk-free, so if you find that it is not what you are looking for, no problem.  If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can get a full refund in a matter of minutes.  The membership and every course comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.  Along with this, the Ron Paul curriculum has many policies that make your academic life easier and more meaningful.

Parents are not required to do anything.  In the first few grades, parent should assist their child in operating the computer, or answering any questions.  But beyond 3rd-4th grade the parents do not have to do anything.  This does not mean they can’t, they are welcome to so much as take the classes with the students if they like.  They are given the option to be flexible.  Why don’t parents have to do anything?  Because this curriculum is 98% self-taught.  Coming from a student, I can tell you that the self-taught aspect will transform the way a student learns, students will become more independent, and will be able to assess information in a more organized and intelligent manner.  This is a skill students will be expected to have if and when they enter college, public schools do not train students to be self-taught.  The RPC will give you an opportunity to put yourself ahead.

Imagine how nice it would be to have more flexibility in your schedule, the ability to allocate your time to be more productive, and enjoy life more.  The RPC lessons can be done anytime and anywhere that you have a computer and WI-fi, this is great for students in high school who have jobs.  It can be hard to be flexible when you attend a public or private school, as the system has to adjust itself to the population, not the individual.

When you sign up for the family membership, you get a free “academic boot camp” course.  Dr. North assessed it in the most straightforward way:

Raise Your Grades, Learn College-Level Study Skills, and Begin Lifetime Leadership Training.

Not textbooks!  Textbooks are expensive, they are bulky, and after you are finished with them, chances are, you will never use them again.  You can always sell them, but this takes time.  The RPC has no textbooks, with the exception of the business 1 course, and for valid reasons.  The reading material is all found in on-site PDF’s, this simplifies everything and saves a lot of money.

Different students have different opinions and different reactions to certain benefits.  But one of the most universal techniques learned from the RPC is the skill of effective writing.  No matter who you are, no matter the level of your writing skills, you will see an improvement in your ability to write.   With weekly writing assignments, students learn and practice their writing on a set schedule.  The ability to write is a crucial skill that you will use throughout your life.

At this point, you probably have doubts about this curriculum, and to be fair, this curriculum is not for everybody, there is a chance it will not work for you.  But as I said previously, there is a 100% money-back guarantee, there is no risk.  If you begin this curriculum and discover that it is not what you seek in your education, you can get a full refund in a matter of minutes.  Give yourself the education you deserve, and open the doors to new opportunities.

 

 

 

 

 

Was Thoreau dependent on the division of labor while he was living on Walden Pond?

On By purplefrog01In English 1: autobiographyLeave a comment

Henry David Thoreau was a man with a different perspective on life.  He spent 26 months of his life living alone in a shack he built near Walden pond.  He supposedly took up this lifestyle to learn more about the simple lessons and messages of life, away from the world of business.  He never married, nor did he have any children, after his venture on Walden pond he went to work at his family’s factory.  Personally, I found his autobiography, so far, to be hard to read, and often my mind wondered away.  He spent 8 years writing this book, I respect his dedication, but honestly he could have done a much better job of organizing it and making it easier for the reader to follow.  Perhaps that is why this book got hardly any attention at first, it was not until he died that there was any real popularity.

So to answer the original question, yes, Thoreau was dependent on the division of labor while he was living on Walden pond.  To begin with, he bought all of the supplies to build his house from a store.  Stores must be owned and run by someone, all of the merchandise comes from factories which are operated by members of the division of labor.   Also, he states that he paid $28.12 1/2 for all of the supplies, this is money he must have earned prior to his stay at Walden pond, which means he depended on the division of labor to convert to this lifestyle.

Later, he returns to the store to buy common foods that most people find pleasurable.    Those things are produced by laborers, they are sold by laborers.  He depended heavily on the division of labor.  Honestly, I do not think he would have survived without it.  If he did, it would have been a rough experience for a man like him.  He also states that he dined out occasionally, I assume he is referring to a restaurant, if not, he must have meant something similar, this was not a hermit lifestyle.

He spoke of fishing.  Yes, it is possible to make your own gear to fish with, many people have, and still do.  You do not need to buy a rod, or line, or even hooks, but I highly doubt that he made all of his own fishing aids.  These are things he probably purchased, not necessarily, but I doubt he made everything out of natural materials.  He also bought clothing and household items, again, the system is simple, in order to get that stuff without making the materials and the items, the division of labor must exist.

He planted crops to earn money to pay for the items listed above, this, again, shows that he depended on the division of labor.

He was not a fan of the common workforce.  To briefly assess it, he thought of it as men slowly working themselves into the grave.  He was against the factory system, but after his 26 month stay, he returned to work at his family’s pencil factory.