Diamond Mines in South Africa - 5133 Words

Diamond Mines in South Africa TEAM D Eugene Patton, James Pruitt, John Morawa, Kenneth Miller, Nicholas Nauroth, and Shemika McWilliams DeVry University Online April 13, 2011 Diamond Mines in South Africa South Africa’s Culture, Government, Economy, and religion of South Africa (Shemika McWilliams) Diamond mining in South Africa is the main force behind the country’s economy but this has not always been the case. South Africa’s large diamond mining industry started with the discovery of a large diamond on 1886 by a young shepherd named Erasmus Jacobs. The discovery brought in many miners from different parts of the world to South Africa and this lead to the discovery of a bigger diamond in 1871. This created a diamond rush in†¦show more content†¦By the 1860s, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Church of England, and the Roman Catholic Church began mission work (South Africa: Missionaries: Nineteeth Century, 2004). Thirty years later, diverse groups such as the Salvation Army and African American missions of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the National Baptist Convention worked in South Africa. African Christians, often independent of missionaries, made their religion an important part of their identity. The beginning of the twentieth cen tury, over 30 missionary societies worked in South Africa. Majority of the people were working to promote Christianity throughout Africa. Missionary influence was profound, resistant to easy categorization, and continually negotiated and shaped by African Christians. This movement changed the country’s culture but had little to do influence on the political environment in the country. Political Environment The politics in Africa are very different from the politics that we follow here in the United States. The history of Africa politics is complex. When Egyptian politics looked toward the Mediterranean; the empire was deeply African with several generations of kings and important civilizations, such as the Meroe, coming from the highlands of Nubia (World History, Africa in, 2004). Throughout the decades much of West Africa became part of a much larger African-European network of trade in textiles, slaves, and precious commodities with politicsShow MoreRelatedGlobal Witness Is A Non Governmental Organization Working1311 Words   |  6 Pages Global Witness is a non-governmental organization working independently in Africa to end the political corruption and to bring change to those areas that are impacted the most by violence, human rights violations, and an exploited economy. Employees of Global Witness conduct extensive and very well organized investigations that most of the t ime places the team directly in the danger zones so they can experience what most victims do. There were several changes to government that resulted in corruptionRead MoreDe Beers A Diamond Is Forever Campaign1398 Words   |  6 PagesDe Beers : A Monopoly in the Diamond Industry De Beers advertising slogan A Diamond Is Forever has been the center of its effort to establish the stone as the only appropriate gem to symbolize lifetime love and commitment. The more ad money spent, the more diamonds people buy. And when people buy diamonds, De Beers profits. It is the reason the company spends $180 million a year worldwide to advertise cut diamonds--a product it doesn t even sell. There are very few companies ... you may struggleRead MoreDiscovery Of Diamonds And Gold Diamonds946 Words   |  4 PagesDiscovery of Diamonds Most all of the world has had a love affair with diamonds. They are sparkling, mesmerizingly beautiful and considered rare gems. Yet, if you knew the history and the blood that is shed over the 133 million carats of diamonds mined each year, you would probably never buy a diamond again. Diamonds have been considered valuable since they were found. To understand the diamond industry we must first look at when they were discovered and where they are mined. Although, the firstRead MoreThe History of the Diamond Cartel and Its Role in Determining the Price of Diamonds1174 Words   |  5 PagesDiamonds have been identified as being precious but expensive gems for many decades. Diamonds were extremely rare, only found in India and Brazil until the late nineteenth century (Vogelsang, 2005: 5). After the discovery of diamonds in South Africa, the diamond industry began to flourish. Diamonds then became very abundant and cheap to produce. In order for the value of diamonds to remain as high as they were during the phase in which they were still rare, a diamond cartel was introduced. A cartelRead MoreDiamonds : A Symbolism Of Blood1119 Words   |  5 PagesDiamonds: A Symbolism of Blood or Regality? Marilyn Monroe’s famous line â€Å"Diamonds are a girl’s best friend† is glamorously known worldwide. It is true that diamonds is what every girl desires for. Diamonds signifies to consumer’s wealth and glamour and are generally associated to gift one another or symbolize romance, marriage, and purity. However, despite how appealing a diamond is, its worth could be someone’s life. This is known as blood diamond or conflict diamond. A blood diamond is a diamondRead MoreShould Diamonds Cost so Much? Essay1132 Words   |  5 PagesDiamonds have long been considered some of the most prized and sought after possessions. They have been perceived as indicators of wealth and romance. The diamond market however; has been one of the most controversial and controlled markets in history run by a cartel â€Å"†¦an association of suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition† (Oxford English dictionary) formed to prevent the market from becoming flooded with diamonds from too many suppliers, resultingRead MoreThe Battle Of The Diamond Ring1033 Words   |  5 PagesEngagement rings have been in our history for as long as anyone can remember, but the diamond ring is something no one can forget and its history is even more memorable. Originally, the ancient Greeks and Romans were the first to have engagement rings. However, the engagement rings they used did not include diamonds they included a key, which initiated that it was more of a sign of ownership than love. The first known diamond engagement ring was given in 1477 CE between Archduke Maximillian and Mary ofRead MoreEssay about The Price of Diamonds Is Too High1177 Words   |  5 PagesStatement: â€Å"The price of diamonds is too high.† The diamond cartel is the most successful and long-lasting cartel in history. The cartel created a scarcity for diamond and stabilized the prices at a high level. This essay will be discussing the validity of the statement with reference to the market of the diamond industry, history of the diamond cartel, how the price of diamonds is determined, and the implications thereof. â€Å"A cartel is a group of firms acting together†¦to limit output, raise pricesRead MoreMarketing Schemes Of The Diamond Industry Essay1398 Words   |  6 Pagespumps to miners during the diamond rush in 1869 and eventually sensing he had ventured into an untapped market, bought diamond fields by securing funding from the Rothschild family and founded De Beers in 1888. The name De Beers was derived from the two Dutch settlers who owned a South African farm which the British government upon discovering diamonds on their land, forced them to sell in 1871, to a merchant for 6,600 GBP. Diamond monopoly Until mid-1800s, diamonds were a rarity and could onlyRead MoreDiamonds : An Artifact Of Love And Commitment Between Two Lovers1362 Words   |  6 PagesDiamonds! Often used as a beautiful, symbol of love and commitment between two lovers. These are used as a representation of taking that final, everlasting step into eternal happiness with one another before committing to marriage. Diamonds have been a valued and highly revered commodity to consumers all over the world. Unfortunately there is a dark, sordid history and a lot of bloodshed that is attached to these pretty, little rocks. The first known discovery of this natural resource was in India

A Passage to India Imperialism - 1677 Words

Discuss Forster’s portrayal of Imperialism in the novel a passage to India A passage to India by E.M.Forster is a novel which deals largely with the political, economic and social takeover of India by the British Crown. The novel deals widely with colonialism and more specifically, imperialism. Forster presents the theme in question through the lives and minds of the characters from both the Indians and the English people. There is no subjective undertone to the novel and we see clearly how each character feels, politically correct or not. Forster successfully presents different scenarios and relationships with the assistance of symbolism and imagery, for us to imagine and determine a path to where it may lead; based on the concerns the†¦show more content†¦It is evident now that he feels all Englishmen are hopeless, in the end they all conform to the Imperialistic movement and behaviours which encourage racism and a general bad attitude to the Indians. Hamidullah notably gives English women a much shorter tether probably being that they only comm unicate on a personal or sociable level and have no need for professional pleasantries before adopting the imperialistic traits. Forster himself having lived in India is divulging an exaggerated experience of his time there, he is magnifying issues which are completely evident in the force of Imperialism but had never been acknowledged in this way before. There will always, like with any topic be novels which contribute mere nods to the opposition with a main focus on the protagonists encounters, this is not what Forster set out to do. His approach, although himself anti-imperialist is very liberal in that he highlights and presents the Englishman, his â€Å"undeveloped heart† and narrow-mindedness to an unknown world to which he must adapt, or mustn’t as the story goes. An issue what can also be questioned in the novel is if Imperialism itself is the problem, or the way in which the British conduct themselves when India, under Imperialistic ruling. The behaviour of the British can be summoned on many different tangents from Imperialism. The topic of race andShow MoreRelated Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness and A Passage to India1683 Words   |  7 Pages It is best to analyze the works, Heart of Darkness and A Passage to India, applying the historical and cultural conditions of the society in which they were produced. The relations between groups and classes of people that imperialism sets up, and that these two works explore, starkly reveals the contradictions within capitalism in a way that a similar piece of fiction set within one culture and dealing with characters from that culture alone cannot. Prior to the analysis however, I would likeRead MoreAnalysis of the Heart of Darkness Beginning982 Words   |  4 Pageslocation, it being the Thames, but also where they are going. This is stated by the words ‘The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway’, telling the reader that they are using it as a waterway, a passage to the sea, and then ocean. This is further conveyed by the fact Conrad writes â€Å"the seas and sky were welded together without a joint’. When you see the sea and sky appear to join together, it means you are looking into the horizon. Often, peopleRead MoreImperialism And Its Effects On Society1513 Words   |  7 PagesWhen a person thinks of Imperialism and its effects what is the first concept they might envision? Slavery? Poverty? The empire that covered the world? One might think of men in power or men as the forefront of every decision. While those are all logical assumptions, in reality, in a paradisiacal reality they are not completely accurate. The ignored onlookers in these disparagements were women. Women are the ones who witness the choices being made, they understand the changes taking place, but wereRead MoreFriendship And Cultural Discourse During Colonial India Essay1162 Words   |  5 PagesNot Yet: Friendship and Cultural Discourse in Colonial India Over a bubbling hookah, three Indian men argued about whether being friends with a Englishman was possible. Hamidullah, one of the men, smoking surmised that is possible, but only in England. This statement opens up a discussion of the complicated relationships between native Indians and Anglo-Indians in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. As a result of the cultural divide between the peoples and misunderstandings that emerged, Anglo-IndiansRead MoreConcept of Imperialism1392 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Imperialism was always seen as positive for Westerners, but as destructive by the peoples of Africa and Asia. To what extent does this statement appear to be true? Rudyard Kiplings The White mans burden seems to be an ironic condemnation of imperialism. Whilst most Westerners of the viewed imperialism as a necessary fact and as a boon to the savages, Kipling was a pre-contemporary in more ways than one and saw the Whites as simply one more other race populating the world. The White manRead MoreThe Negative Representation of the East in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India836 Words   |  3 PagesIn this paper I would like to argue that E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India has represented the East in a negative way. This is a traditional novel for exploring themes of racism and the effects of colonialism. It deals with the tensions between India and the Britain during the British Raj in India. The theme which determines the plot-line of this novel is introduced in the beginning through the conversation of Hamidullah, Mahmoud Ali and Aziz as† They were discussing as to whether or no it is possibleRead MoreNature Of Conquest : Understanding The East India Company s Role Of Bengal1246 Words   |  5 PagesNature of Conquest: Understanding the East India Company s role in Bengal A reassessment of the eighteenth century in Indian politics goes hand-in-glove with a discussion of the EIC s intrusion. Before that, a few words are in order regarding Bengal during this period. Referred to as Subah Jannat-i-Bilad-Bangla by Aurangzeb, the province of Bengal proved to be one of the most successful experiments of successor states in eighteenth-century India.1 The efficiency in administration brought aboutRead MoreImperialism And Its Impact On Society Essay1425 Words   |  6 PagesResponse 1: Imperialism Gaining complete dominance within a society can be viewed as a lion taking control over its land. These lions can be regarded as a powerful empire, as they live among other preys fighting for supremacy. In History it has been said that â€Å"A nation that did not expand would not survive† (American Passages, 529). Imperialism is a prime example of a group of prey fighting for sovereignty, within this land we come across the lions, otherwise known as the nations who control theRead MoreExploration For A New Route1451 Words   |  6 Pagesfor a new route to Asia, the VOC in 1609 employed Henry Hudson, an Englishman, to locate the legendary Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. The VOC had hoped that it would provide a safer and quicker route instead of having to pass through the Cape of Good Hope or going around the tip of South of America. While Hudson never did discover the supposed Northwest Passage, he did explore a vast area of modern day northern US and Canada. These explorations gained the VOC a footholdRead MoreChinese Immigration Of The United States985 Words   |  4 PagesRussia, the slow collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the Crimean War (1853-1856), the faltering control over Latin America by Spain, as well as the growth of European Imperialism and trade in Southeast Asia. In addition, the growth of market capitalism and international trade dominated by corporations such as the East India Company increased western influence in China and exacerbated its financial problems. For the British Empire in particular, this period lead to further development of trade

Impact of Priorities on the Intersection of Language and Culture Free Essays

Carolina Granados Mrs. Brady AP Language and Literature 16 September 2012 Impact of Priorities on the Intersection of Language and Culture The impact of language on culture and culture on language are all essentially based on priorities. A priority can be described as a resource or activity that a culture gives specified attention to. We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of Priorities on the Intersection of Language and Culture or any similar topic only for you Order Now Distinguishing the priorities of a culture can be easily done by taking a look at their language or at their culture. The priorities of cultures, such as that of the Normans, Eskimos, Italians or Asians, are food, everyday activities, and communicating. There are many types of priorities but one priority that is probably the most important to any culture is food. According to Bill Bryson in The Mother Tongue, â€Å"every language has areas in which it needs, for practical purposes, to be more expressive than others† (14). This means that the culture’s priorities cause the language to be more expressive. For example, Italians have over 500 names for macaroni because pasta is their main priority, while Araucanian Indians of Chile have a variety of words for hunger because food is scarce thus not a top priority. As reported by Tanya Brady in her lecture, in 1066 A. D the Normans and the Anglo Saxons had different words for the food they ate. The Anglo Saxon’s priority was the farm animals and to provide the French with food and so they named their food with words like sheep, cow and pig. On the other hand the Norman’s priority was not the farm animal but the actual food on their table therefore they named their food with words like mutton, beef, and bacon. This matters because it shows that their priorities of their food are seen throughout the words in their language. In 1984, Winston was unfamiliar with â€Å"good† foods, like wine. In the book O’Brien says, â€Å"It’s called wine† (Orwell 171). This means that Winston did not know what it was called because it was not in his language sine wine was something Winston never had, making it not a priority. Food is a simple priority that can be affected by the words we use to describe it. In The Origins of Pleasure, Paul Bloom argues that changing the word that describes the food can change what a person thinks they are eating thus bringing more pleasure. For example, changing the name of wines for a more luxurious and expensive name an cause adults to believe they are drinking the expensive stuff making the wine more enjoyable. This shows that the words that are chosen to describe something can affect priorities, like the adults with the wine. Priorities of any culture, like the Eskimos, circle around the everyday activities they do. According to Bill Bryson, Eskimos have fifty words for types of snow. This means that the snow is a large part of their life, making it a big part of their language. Bryson also states that Arabs have over 6,000 words for camels and camel equipment. Working with camels is an everyday thing for the Arabs making camels a priority to their culture. Brady makes it clear that the Normans focused everyday on matters of court, government, fashion, and high living, while the English peasants just continued to eat, drink, work and sleep. The difference in preferences of these two tiers, the French-speaking autocracy and the English-speaking peasantry, is seen throughout the words in their language. In 1984 George Orwell describes that Winston’s priority was to work for the Inner Party. His everyday life did not consist of fun and interesting activities but consisted instead on things the Party wanted him to do. This was because his leader Big Brother was destroying words out of their vocabulary which limited what Winston and the rest of the people in Oceania could do. Orwell describes Winton’s day by saying, â€Å"He†¦hurried of to the Center, took part in the solemn foolery of a â€Å"discussion group,† played two games of table tennis†¦ and sat for a half an hour through a lecture†¦ † (109). This shows his activities were controlled and limited. Mark Pagel in How Language Transformed Humanity said, â€Å"You use your language to alter the settings inside someone else’s brain to suit your interest,† and in fact that was what Big Brother was doing to them. Limiting a person’s activities also limits their priorities. Malcolm Gladwell, in Outliers, states that Asian children tend to work harder in mathematics because it is an advantage in their culture. Their language constructed of remarkably brief number words, which allowed the children to memorize them faster. The difference means that Asian children learn to count much faster than American children. This difference matters because the advantage of the number words in their language made mathematics one of their culture’s priorities. Communication is another priority of any culture around the world. Davis Sedaris in Americans in Paris portrays the priority of communication perfectly. Davis Sedaris could not communicate with the people in Paris because of his language, which narrowed down who he was able to talk to and what he was able to do. Sedaris’s activities were around the people that made him happy and that he had ease understanding and communicating like the children at the theater. Sedaris’s priority of communicating with others was affected by the language he had not yet mastered. Malcolm Gladwell observed that the kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of communication. In the Avianca crash Klotz, the pilot, was not able to communicate his problem effectively because he was using his own cultural language, speaking as a subordinate would to a superior. To the Kennedy Airport air traffic controllers the mitigated speech from the pilot did not mean he was being deferential to a superior but instead it meant he didn’t have a problem. According to George Orwell the Inner Party used Euphony to prevent people in Oceania to communicate. The purpose was so that their society would speak so easily, almost automatically, with no personal expression so that communicating would become harder. Stripping away the uniqueness of how the word was said made the ideas left behind not worth listening to, thus decreasing the communication between everyone. Orwell says, â€Å"There will be no love† (267). In Oceania the people did not have any individual relationships, or any bonds or any love because there was no communication. This means that the priority of communication with individuals, like friends and family was removed completely. This matters because again changing the language in any way can affect the priorities of any individual, like the priority of communication. Mark Pagel states, â€Å"Our modern world is communicating with its self and with each other. † This means that communication is a way for every culture to transfer goods, ideas and technologies. This is a way for parts of the world to put their priorities together changing the known language and culture. Priorities are a large factor of the intersection between language and culture. Priorities essentially distinguish the difference in cultures by pin pointing the focuses in every single culture. Priorities of cultures, such as the food they eat, the activities they conduct, and the way they communicate, affect what people correlate to the words they speak which in turn changes the language. Works Cited Brady, Tanya. â€Å"The History of English Language. † A. P. English Language and Composition. Tahquitz High School. Titan Trail, Hemet, CA. 22 August 2012. Lecture Bryson, Bill. The Mother Tongue: The English Language. Great Britain: Penguin Books,1990. Print. Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New Work: Little, Brown and Company, November 2008 Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Penguin Books, 1949. Print Page, Mark. â€Å"How Language Transformed Humanity. † 2011 August. http://www. ted. com/talks/view/lang/en//id/1203 Sedaris, David. â€Å"165: Americans in Paris. † Interview with David Sedaris. By Mike, Daisey. Chicago, 2012. Web Bloom, Paul. â€Å"The Origins of Pleasure. † TED Global. Edinburgh, Scotland. July 2011. Conference Presentation. 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Henry David Thoreau Essay Research Paper Henry free essay sample

Henry David Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Henry David Thoreau was a adult male who expressed his beliefs of society, authorities, and world while populating under his ain self-criticism. Thoreau believed he had many failings which made him a failure. This strong disapproval of himself contrasted with his powerful words and strong actions. These contradictions led to some of Thoreau # 8217 ; s greatest pieces of literature. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817, in his grandma # 8217 ; s house. Thoreau believed that Concord was, # 8220 ; the most estimable topographic point in all the universe, and in the really nick of clip, excessively # 8221 ; ( Harding 4 ) . Though Thoreau was born in # 8220 ; the epoch of good feeling, # 8221 ; his household experienced many bad lucks, politically, physically, and financially ( 4 ) . Thoreau # 8217 ; s male parent, John, was a little, quiet, adult male who got along with Henry on the surface, but it seems that the two neer rather understood each other # 8217 ; s desires. He had weakening wellness and this caused the household # 8217 ; s fiscal strain ( 11 ) . As for John and Henry # 8217 ; s relationship, Harding says, # 8220 ; Their relationship was one based more on acceptance than on enthusiasm # 8221 ; ( 9 ) . Cynthia Thoreau, Henry # 8217 ; s female parent, was more of an vocal dynamic individual. Though the household was hapless, she was known to ever hold plenty for her kids and her neighbours as good. It is evident that both parents passed on their love of nature to their kids ( 9,10 ) . After Henry # 8217 ; s birth, John was forced to subscribe over the household place in Boston. The household was forced to travel as they would many more times to come. On October 12, 1817, Henry was christened after his uncle David Thoreau, who had late died ( 11 ) . At the age of five Henry started school. This was the age that he went to see his grandma for first clip and had his first visit to Walden Pond. Thoreau remembers, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; one of the most ancient scenes stamped on the tablets of my memory # 8230 ; . That sweet purdah my spirit seemed so early to necessitate at one time gave the penchant to this deferral among the pines, where about sunlight and shadow were the lone dwellers that varied the scene, over the disruptive and varied metropolis, as if it had found its proper babys room # 8221 ; ( 13-14 ) . It is evident that Thoreau associates Walden Pond with his happiest memories. Thoreau was a profoundly spiritual adult male, but disliked church. He was really serious as a kid and loved his purdah ( Schneider 4 ) . Thoreau says he was genuinely happy when he could be by himself ( 25 ) . In 1828, Thoreau and his older brother John, to whom he was closest, went to Concord Academy. Henry was the smarter of the two and in 1833, was sent to Harvard University, where he did really good. It was there that Thoreau was foremost exposed to composing publically when the Editor of the Dial, which is a periodical for a transcendentalist group, gave him a occupation. In 1837, Thoreau graduated form Harvard and this is where he foremost heard Ralph Waldo Emerson speak. It was at this clip that he began composing his diary. He started learning in Concord # 8217 ; s Center School for a brief period of two hebdomads. Thoreau was told to implement corporate penalty in the schoolroom and he resigned. He ended up working in his male parent # 8217 ; s pencil mill where he improved American pencils. He did this by bettering the method of blending black lead which he discovered by researching the European methods of doing pencils. This made his male parent # 8217 ; s company the leader in the American market. It was besides at this clip in his life that David Henry had his name changed to Henry David. In clip, Thoreau became good friends with R.W. Emerson and Emerson took on the function of Thoreau # 8217 ; s wise man. Thoreau found support in Emerson # 8217 ; s individuality and doctrines. Both work forces took a nonnatural position of the universe. In 1839, Thoreau and his brother John reopened the Concord Academy. They so took a boating trip on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers to Hooksett, New Hampshire, and to Mount Washington. In 1840, Thoreau published his first piece of poesy in the Dial. Merely a few of his pieces from these publications are remembered, such as, # 8220 ; Sic Vita, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Smoke, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Inspiration, # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Bluebirds. # 8221 ; His love of nature was expressed in his essays such as, # 8220 ; The Natural History of Massachusetts, # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; A Winter Walk. # 8221 ; While this was a positive clip in Thoreau # 8217 ; s life the following twelvemonth held some adversities. The school shut down due to his brother # 8217 ; s unwellness, and Thoreau moved in with William Emerson as his handy-man in order to do money. He still continued to print his poesy and essays in the Dial. The two nonnatural friends, R. W. Emerson and Thoreau began to differ in their doctrines. Thoreau was going a strong truster that the material universe existed where Emerson believed more in the being of the human psyche ( Schneider 4,6-8 ) . Thoreau is known to hold fallen in love with Ellen Sewall, who was besides the involvement of his brother, John. However, she turned them both down in matrimony. It is believed that Henry neer had another love involvement. Horace Hosmer says, # 8220 ; he did non hold the # 8216 ; love -idea # 8217 ; in him: i.e. he did non look to experience the sex-attraction # 8221 ; ( 9 ) . He is portrayed as a homosexual adult male and some of his plants are contained in homosexual books. Walter Harding says, # 8220 ; there is grounds of a strong homoerotic component in Thoreau # 8217 ; s personality-although I should add that to the best of my cognition no factual grounds of homosexualism on Thoreaus # 8217 ; s portion has been exposed # 8221 ; ( 9 ) . There is no cogent evidence that Thoreau was a homosexual, but it would do sense to recognize his disinterest in sex was due to his hunt of moral pureness. Thoreau was a adult male who found no love in society, hence he turned to nature ( 9 ) . In 1842, John Thoreau died of tetanus. This terrible emphasis caused Henry to endure from psychosomatic symptoms of lockjaw. Soon after John # 8217 ; s decease, William Emerson # 8217 ; s boy, Waldo, died. The tragic emphasis of these two incidents in such a short affair of clip was a really unsmooth period for Thoreau. In 1844, Thoreau worked in his male parent # 8217 ; s pencil mill once more. During this clip his love for nature grew and continued to remind him of his brother. In 1845, Thoreau moved to Walden Pond and built a one room cabin. It was here where he began his work on the first of his two published plants of literature, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack River. It was in 1846, when Thoreau spent the dark in gaol for declining to pay a canvass revenue enhancement in order to protest the authoritiess participationin the Mexican War and their allowance of bondage. As Schneider says, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; he spent his celebrated dark in gaol # 8230 ; # 8221 ; ( 14 ) . He believed he was doing an unbelievable statement that would put a theoretical account for the remainder of society. Unfortunately, his action had small consequence on the people, which led to his essay # 8220 ; Civil Disobedience # 8221 ; ( 14 ) . In this essay, Thoreau explains how he could non name a authorities his ain that allowed bondage. He foremost delivered this essay as a address called, # 8220 ; The Rights and Duties of the Individual in Relation to Government # 8221 ; ( Meltzer 44 ) . It did non go known as # 8220 ; Civil Disobedience # 8221 ; until after Thoreau # 8217 ; s decease. His powerful and persuasive words in this address trade with moral issues and their struggle with the jurisprudence ( 44 ) . Besides at this clip, Thoreau took his first trip to the Maine Forests where he climbed the Mount Ktahdin ( sic ) . He gained much from of his clip spent at Walden Pond and got much accomplished. He completed the unsmooth bill of exchange of his 2nd and best known piece of work, Walden ( Schneider 14 ) . Harding Tells us Thoreau lived at Walden two old ages, two yearss, and two months out of his 44 old ages of life ( Hicks 47 ) . He felt that this was clip good exhausted and a good facet to his life, about like a life completed to his overall life. Thoreau left Walden Pond to return to town and work on composing and talking. He stayed with the Emerson # 8217 ; s for a clip and than his parents. The twelvemonth 1849 saw the publication of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and the talk # 8220 ; Civil Disobedience. # 8221 ; Unfortunately, A Week was non a immense hit and this lone down Thoreau. In 1854, Walden was published by Ticknor and Fields and sold really good. Over the following few old ages Thoreau took many trips to Cape Cod, New England, New Jersey, and the Maine Woods. He met many new interesting people such as John Brown and Walt Whitman. In 1859, Thoreau # 8217 ; s male parent died and he inherited the pencil mill. At this clip, he was giving talks and composing essays. In 1860, Thoreau # 8217 ; s concluding unwellness began to fall. He still wanted to work. He continued to compose verse forms such as # 8220 ; Wild Apples # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Autumnal Tints # 8221 ; which consisted of his nonnatural positions which remained changeless throughout his calling as an creative person. In 1860, Thoreau contracted bronchitis and went to Minnesota to happen a desiccant clime, nevertheless, he returned place when the alteration did non seem to assist. On May 6, 1862, Thoreau died in Concord ( Schneider 9,11-14,16,19,21 ) . Thoreau spent his life seeking to understand the semblances of the material universe and see past them and understand truth. His life is a contrast between two extremes, pure transcendental philosophy and surface ideals. It is said that merely in Walden did he show a balance between the existent universe and his art ( 23 ) . Thoreau was an unbelievable American writer. Harmonizing to his diary, he thought of himself as a poet, though Stern tells us his prose was much better than his poetry. Thoreau had the ability to read people for who they truly were. He had high outlooks of people and could hardly run into these outlooks himself. His life was full of seeking for truth, beauty, and honest apprehension for a better life for world ( Stern 15 ) . This seeking was due to his uncertainty and unreciprocated inquiries. Many thought Thoreau was stuck up, but he was merely self-critical. As Thoreau says, # 8220 ; I neer dreamed of any outrageousness greater than I have committed. I neer knew and neer shall cognize, a worse adult male than myself # 8221 ; ( 16 ) . In this quotation mark from Walden, we see his arrant disgust with himself. Much of Thoreau # 8217 ; s letdown in himself stemmed from his high outlooks of society and other people. These let-downs non merely made him fed up with society and the universe, but besides himself because he could non alter it ( 16 ) . Due to Thoreau # 8217 ; s low self-opinion he had wide temper swings. Excerpts from his diary show this wide contrast clearly. January 6, 1857 ; IX, 206, # 8220 ; The storms are happy, Concord is happy, and I am happy excessively, # 8221 ; This shows some credence of himself when it came to his intelligence and endowment, but his unsettled sentiment and unachievable criterions can be seen in his authorship from the really following twenty-four hours, # 8220 ; In the street and in society I am about constantly inexpensive and dissipated, my life is ineffably average # 8221 ; ( 25 ) . Thoreau, like any creative person, would torment himself through extended internal tests. These extremes of both his witting and unconscious heads make up Walden ( 25 ) . Walden is a great classic of American literature and one of two of Thoreau # 8217 ; s published pieces of literature. The other 1 is A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Both of these classics stress the writer # 8217 ; s love of nature and found their beginnings at Walden Pond. Thoreau has other books that are aggregation of essays, talks, assorted jaunts, and Reform Papers ( Johnson 3 ) . A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers is written about the boat trip Thoreau and his brother took on the rivers Concord and Merrimack. Thoreau began composing this after his brothers decease. Emerson is besides considered one of his inspirations for composing this book. He included much of his travel cognition, and things he read at Harvard such as pastoral supplications. His journey on the river taken with his brother is quoted in one essay, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; he therefore depicted the journey as a backdown from the small town to an good poetic universe where he and his brother achieve a closer Communion with nature # 8221 ; ( Johnson 3 ) . His two earlier jaunts were, # 8220 ; A Walk to Wachusett # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; A Winter Walk # 8221 ; which were published in the Dial. In these Hagiographas, Thoreau used this trip as a religious pursuit for spiritualty and imaginativeness. His usage of nature symbols such as mountains and rivers became prevailing cardinal characteristic in A Week. When he began utilizing his retentive memories to compose the book he used many entries from his diary. He besides used other inspirations such as a walking circuit he took in southern New England in 1848. It was at that place he dealt with the issue of the growing of the Merrimack River since 1839. Harmonizing to Johnson, # 8220 ; By the clip it was published in 1849, A Week was therefore composed of a carefully orchestrated series of jaunts through New England, at one time a pastoral kingdom, a primitive wilderness, and a bustling industrial part # 8221 ; ( 4 ) . Henry and John left Concord on Saturday, August 31, 1839 on the Musketaquid, a boat they built and gave the Indian name of the Concord River. Thoreau includes things such as what the darks were like at their campgrounds, and their extended advancement up the Merrimack River. Their river journey ended on Wednesday dark where they so walked 10 stat mis back to Concord. He mentions the tourer attractive forces they saw such as the basin and flume at Lincoln, Franconia Notch, and the old adult male of the mountains they saw from Echo Lake. He did non needfully depict these things in great item, but we can still see the personal feeling in it ( 5-6 ) . Due to Thoreau’s composite and back and forth personality, in clip, he viewed his trip as a trip of the head, spirit, and organic structure. We get this from his journal entries. In them he describes a backdown to a dateless universe, but does non overlook things and people that were along the Concord and Merrimack. He wanted to show nature and adult male as one ( 9-10 ) . A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers is one of his most nonnatural pieces of literature. Walter Harding summarizes: # 8220 ; [ Recent critics ] see the book as # 8216 ; a hunt for the sacred # 8217 ; or # 8216 ; an expounding of the nonnatural experience # 8217 ; or # 8216 ; a defence of the American Indian # 8217 ; or # 8216 ; a encomium to the Greek gods. # 8217 ; # 8221 ; ( Schneider 28 ) . The point he is seeking to do is that critics can non hold on Thoreau # 8217 ; s efforts at integrity in this book. It is agreed that the most obvious structural device he uses is that of a round journey, such as a surface fact that the brothers # 8217 ; journey began and ended in Concord. Thoreau himself says, # 8220 ; we were rowing homeward to happen some autumnal work to make, and assist the revolution of the seasons # 8221 ; ( 29 ) . Along the trip, Thoreau portrays the sights he sees and refers to plants of ocular art. We see specific images such as the landscape, the scene, and a adult male and his Canis familiaris ( Schneider 30 ) . We see the personal imagination and sense a feeling of reality through the unbelievable usage of vocabulary and description. His words are like those of an creative person depicting a picture. Another facet of Thoreau # 8217 ; s transcendental philosophy is his disconnected displacements from the yesteryear to the nowadays. He is seeking to interrupt down the differentiations between the two. Images of the forenoon, twenty-four hours, and flushing are used to portray the continuity and integrity of the yesteryear, nowadays, and the hereafter. Thoreau negotiations about the initiation of the town of Billerica, and so leaps into long essays on myths, fabrications, and legends every bit good. Sometimes he will utilize # 8220 ; I # 8221 ; and other times # 8220 ; we # 8221 ; ( 31 ) . This is all portion of the nonnatural experience. Thoreau # 8217 ; s overall subjects of life are predominant in A Week. His uninterrupted battle with lasting in the universe without selling out like the bulk of society is his most clearly seen subject. We besides see Thoreau as he tries to cover with his inquiries and battles. By usage of his transcendental philosophy, Thoreau implies that the material universe is non true, it is non # 8220 ; existent # 8221 ; or # 8220 ; significant # 8221 ; ( 34 ) . He finds much letdown in the people of society which is reflected in his ain ego sentiment. Thoreau had outlooks of happening religious truth in nature, non through it. He believed it was a symbol and that we should be able to see God ( 36 ) . These contrasting thoughts show us Thoreau # 8217 ; s agencies of screening out his confusion and concluding his ego accounts. A Week consists of thoughts on how to populate a successful and full nonnatural life by doing usage of # 8220 ; consecutive twenty-four hours journeys # 8221 ; toward # 8220 ; ageless day. # 8221 ; Thoreau saw two waies that he approved of, that of the # 8220 ; hero # 8221 ; and that of the # 8220 ; poet. # 8221 ; Schneider tells us, # 8220 ; his end was to unite the two on the nonnatural premise that the greatest life is the greatest poesy, and frailty versa # 8221 ; ( 37 ) . Thoreau used the thoughts that as a hero-poet he needed to detect that his ain personal individuality was created by his ain alone head. At the same clip he needed to recognize his head was portion of God # 8217 ; s. Thoreau says, # 8220 ; Let us roll where we will the existence is built unit of ammunition about us, and we are cardinal still. # 8221 ; This clearly shows us his nonnatural position of the universe being an extension of our heads ( 39 ) . Walden was started near to two old ages after A Week and is considered the chef-doeuvre of the two plants. There is more assurance in consolidative art and life and his positions of life are more confident. Richard Lebeaux observes, # 8220 ; By the terminal of his first twelvemonth at Walden, Thoreau had eventually succeeded in settling on and constructing a solid early grownup life construction # 8221 ; ( Schneider 45-46 ) . In Walden, Thoreau uses the same round form as in A Week, but this clip it is that Time of the twelvemonth which is paralleled by that of twenty-four hours. Most of what he writes about in Walden is based on his first twelvemonth life by the pool. Thingss such as his dark in gaol, trip to Mount Katahdin, and scientific surveies of the 2nd twelvemonth he merely touches upon. This helped to unite the book. This great integrity creates a character right in the beginning which you must go familiar with in order to understand the remainder of the book. The character is created by the foundation of the cabin on land and by the reader # 8217 ; s extension which allows for a better position of life. Thoreau is far plenty from Concord to see it objectively, but he is non wholly detached ( Schneider 47 ) . He tells us his intent for composing this book was to reply inquiries about his ain life, and as Schneider tells us, to edify pupils who are # 8220 ; intellectually hapless and unenlightened that they do non cognize how to populate # 8221 ; ( 47-48 ) . It is evident that Thoreau was concerned about the heads of his readers and their ethical motives. This presents a strong entreaty to immature people, people who believe in alteration, and even rebellious people. Walden is thought of as a book about societal protest, an autobiography, and a journey into doctrine and nature which evokes strong feelings. Stern says, # 8220 ; Walden was to be his personal testament, the kernel of all he had observed and set down in his Journal, the conveying together of everything he had felt and thought about # 8221 ; ( 7 ) . Many people look at the manner of Walden more than its content. Critic, Charles R. Anderson, thinks that the book should be read as a verse form instead than a book. He explains how it can be looked at as a web or circle. Walden Pond is in the center which represents the peaceable province for which adult male hunts. He says there are radial lines of humor taking off from the center which run across the animal life. These lines have homocentric circles which are ends of happening the perfect life or Heaven. He besides says that this circle is so tightly constructed that when any portion of it is disturbed the whole piece is effected. He feels that Walden is a great verse form that expresses the true desires of the universe and it is sad that the human race could non achieve them ( Stern 10-11 ) . There are other great techniques Thoreau includes such as his involvement in natural history, political relations, economic sciences, prose manner, mistiming, divinity, etc # 8230 ; . Many of the particular chapters are viewed critically in Walden. Some critics who believe that Walden is specifically a nature verse form think that merely those chapters refering to nature should be included. They believe # 8220 ; Economy # 8221 ; should be skipped because it deals with political relations, along with philosophical chapters such as # 8220 ; Where I lived and What I Lived for, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Higher Laws, # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Conclusion. # 8221 ; This belief led to Thoreau being considered a nature author and non a philosopher or literary figure, stated by Harding ( Hicks 44-45 ) . There are, nevertheless, those that believe Thoreau is non a typical nature author. He is non cunning, sentimental, proficient, or dull. He does non give lower categories of animate beings human features, but does non degrade them either. He uses humor and wit to indicate merriment at, non merely animate beings, but worlds every bit good. Walden trades with worlds populating simple lives, non merely to accept them, but to bask them every bit good. In the first chapter, Thoreau tells us that we should follow our ain manner of life and do things our ain manner instead than that of our parents. He makes us recognize the complexness of civilised life and to take our ain personal desires instead than those imposed on us by society. He tells us that we should worry more about making what is right for us and non what is right for our neighbours. For if we live for others we will discover that when it comes clip to decease we will hold lived for nil. At the terminal of his ain life Thoreau says, # 8220 ; I suppose that I have non many months to populate ; but, of class, I cognize nil about it. I may add that I am basking being every bit much as of all time, and repent nil # 8221 ; ( 47 ) . Harding Tells us it is evident that Walden is devoted to replying how we happen the kernel of life and this is seen in # 8220 ; Where I Lived and What I Lived For # 8221 ; : Our life is frittered off by item. # 8230 ; simpleness, simpleness, simpleness! # 8230 ; Let us pass one twenty-four hours as intentionally as Nature, and non be thrown off the path by every nutshell and mosquito # 8217 ; s flying that falls on the tracks ( Hicks 48 ) . Walden is besides seen as a satirical unfavorable judgment of modern life and life. The sarcastic side of Thoreau is sometimes misunderstood and he is taken excessively earnestly. Thoreau expresses much wit in this book and should non be taken rather so earnestly. Hick tells us, Thoreau expresses his humor and wit through the usage of literary devices such as, # 8220 ; wordplaies, exaggeration, slapstick, jeer, lampoon, and burlesque # 8230 ; # 8221 ; ( 50 ) . Most of his wit is pointed at society and establishments which Thoreau believed could utilize reform. A good illustration of this: We are eager to burrow under the Atlantic and convey the Old World some hebdomads nearer to the New ; but perchance the first intelligence that will leak through into the wide, flapping American ear will be that the Princess Adelaide has the whooping cough ( Hicks 50-51 ) . This is a perfect illustration of the manner people are in society when it comes to their precedences and their involvement in the personal businesss of others. Thoreau is indicating merriment at how people would be more interested in chitchat than any significant information. Walden is looked upon as an improbably written literary chef-doeuvre. It is said that he wrote the first Modern American prose. Walden is abstractly written with each well constructed paragraph, line, and sentence falling nicely into topographic point together. The rhythms of escapades take topographic point in one twelvemonth. Each chapter in the book has its ain set topographic point. The religious and everyday chapters are carefully alternated. # 8220 ; Higher Laws # 8221 ; is followed by # 8220 ; Brute Neighbors. # 8221 ; The practical is followed by the philosophical with # 8220 ; Economy # 8221 ; so # 8220 ; Where I Lived # 8230 ; . # 8221 ; The carnal chapter is followed by the human one where # 8220 ; Winter Visitors # 8221 ; is followed by # 8220 ; Winter Animals. # 8221 ; Chapters that are following to each other are tied together by contrast such as # 8220 ; Solitude # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Visitors. # 8221 ; Some are tied together chronologically such as # 8220 ; The Pond in Winter # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Spring. # 8221 ; The three major expository chapters, # 8220 ; Economy, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Higher Laws, # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Conclusion, # 8221 ; are strategically placed in the beginning, in-between, and terminal. Harding Tells us Walden contains 423 good structured, long paragraphs. Thoreau uses a device known as # 8220 ; flood tide stoping # 8221 ; ( Hicks 53 ) , where the last sentence carries the paragraph a small farther and beyond what it is stating. The paragraphs are independent, but can non be moved without damaging the full work. Thoreau besides utilizations unbelievable and complex vocabulary with words such as ; # 8220 ; # 8230 ; integument, shady, faint, nutriment, fluviatile, and periplus. # 8221 ; ( Hicks 54 ) . A dictionary is required merely to read the book. Thoreau besides alludes to Greek Gods, Biblical phrases, he quotes other poets, and alludes or refers to earlier authorization figures in history or antediluvian classics ( 51-54 ) . Yet another manner to look at Walden is on a religious degree. A major thesis of Thoreau is a religious metempsychosis and this is more apparent in, # 8220 ; Economy, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Where I Lived # 8230 ; , # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Higher Laws, # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Conclusion. # 8221 ; This is why Walden has become a religious guidebook to many ( Hicks 55 ) . Thoreau shows us that we need to pass more clip breaking ourselves than inventing agencies of destructing the remainder of the universe. We non merely see the reclamation psyche, but the Earth every bit good ( 55 ) . All these parts, thoughts and constructs conceive our ain beliefs about the stuff which we read and the writer who writes it. Thoreau was a complex adult male in hunt of religious peace and felicity while combating his ain personal battle. It was his disgust of society and the universe around him which led to his ain negative self-opinion. While this was an unhealthy attitude it contributed to some of Thoreau # 8217 ; s best pieces of literature. 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