What does Thoreau mean when he says the richest vein is somewhere hereabouts?
I think that the richest vein is somewhere hereabouts; so by the divining rod and thin rising vapors I judge; and here I will begin to mine”. What is Thoreau implying within this small passage? Thoreau believes his head is most valuable; understanding of the environment gives him an epiphany.
Why did he leave Walden Pond?
In the conclusion of Walden he writes, “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. He lived a relatively self-reliant life and discovered what it meant to “be alive.” At Walden, Thoreau lived his life on his terms and and, in his words, endeavored to live the life that he imagined.
What were Thoreau’s reasons for moving into the woods?
He wanted to commune with nature and live simply, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
What are three things that were important to Thoreau?
It would seem that the three things of greatest importance to Thoreau, then, were philosophy, nature (the love of nature and the study of nature), and freedom. Truth, of course, is an essential part of philosophy, as are reading and writing.
How did Thoreau live his life?
I wanted to live deep and suck out the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole genuine meanness of it, and …
What did Thoreau read?
Thoreau also loved to read and kept two copies of Homer’s Iliad with him at Walden Pond, one copy in English and one in the original Greek. When not in the mood for such heavy literature, he also enjoyed reading books about travel. Henry was something of a traveler himself within the region where he lived.
In what ways did the Industrial Revolution sometimes make life worse instead of better?
In what ways did the Industrial Revolution sometimes make life worse instead of better? The Industrial Revolution grew materialism and greed in humans. It created crowded areas and rebellions in factory workers. What aspects of Thoreau’s philosophy can be seen in the voluntary simplicity movement?