Analysis Of David Henry Thoreau s Poem, Where I Lived And...

Take a moment and think about what makes you happy on a typical day? More often than not, one would base their happiness on their ability to finish tasks and being able to check â€Å"things† off that have been accomplished. Infrequently, people rarely take the time to reflect on the simple pleasures in life. As expressed in David Henry Thoreau’s essay, â€Å"Where I lived and What I lived For†, humans need to simply their lives. We, as a society, have begun to become â€Å"frittered away by details† (Thoreau, 1100) and material things. Thoreau’s argument is convincing as it stresses the significance and importance of living a simple life that nature can give. As such, people should follow this perspective of life in the sense that one should try to do the unconventional and live simply. By living simply, one will be able to find happiness from within. Although a simple life is ideal, there are others who feel simplicity is, and can be equated to ignorance. As the historian Thomas Gray once noted, â€Å"Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise† (Ode on a Distant Prospect, 1783). In simpler terms, the less one knows about the world around them, the better off they are. Speicher-Cook 2 Those that believe the notion of ignorance as being blissful, and the ideology that it is easier to live without awareness of the world around them, do not feel the need to adapt. For example, children learn to accept what they have growing up. In third world countries, frequently, due to theShow MoreRelatedWalts Whitmans Vision of America in Leaves of Grass17685 Words   |  71 PagesSous†©la†©direction†©d’Anne†©Roland†Wurzburger†© Gymnase†©du†©Bugnon,†©Lausanne†© 2012†©  «I have sung the body and the soul, war and peace have I sung, and the songs of life and death, And the songs of birth, and shown that there are many births. I have offerd my style to every one, I have journeyd with confident step; While my pleasure is yet at the full I whisper So long! » Walt Whitman, So Long !, Deathbed edition (1892) †© 2 Walt†©Whitman’s†©vision†©of†©America†©in†©Leaves†©of†©Grass†© †© Contents†© I. †© Introduction†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦