Walden

Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
October 9, 2007
Journal #20 Thoreau

Quote:
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand;instead of a million count a half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail"(Thoreau 1920).


Summary:
Thoreau is telling his audience of readers to simplify their lives. Keep everything you do to the bare minimum, such as eating only once a day instead of three. This simplicity will ultimately lead to a better life and better overall satisfaction life.


Response:
No truer words could have been said. Too many people in today's time have their lives full of clutter. I for example feel like I have too much junk in my room. I would love to clean it all out but I would not know where to start or where to put it all. The wonderful aspect of Thoreau's writings is that you can incorporate them into all parts of your life. Be it your daily routine, your living situation or even how you sustain yourself. Thoreau was not only preaching this but he also acted on what he said. He found himself a plot of land where he built himself a cabin to live in. This is where he was able to write Walden. Sometimes I wish I had the opportunity to find myself a plot of land live by myself in nature. This could prove to be somewhat difficult especially considering that I am from the suburbs and I am not extremely knowledgeable when it comes to living off of the land. I simply love how Thoreau says, "keep your accounts on your thumbnail", It speaks to everybody. To many people have too much on their platter. They try to juggle to many events and daily actions all at once. As a society of free thinkers Thoreau is telling us to free ourselves from this personal oppression. I say oppression because at times a life full of distractions and events can keep a person down. Thoreau writes about how much more freedom we could have if we broke ties with the complicated matters in our lives and kept them at bay or to the bare minimum.