Walden And Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Analysis

Sharon Ahmed
Walden and Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau is one of the most interesting men I have ever encountered in my readings. Thoreau decided to isolate himself from all of civilization, far away from any neighborhood, town, business or governing body. In doing so he wished to discover what mankind could not teach him. In Walden and Civil Disobedience, he recorded his findings. Throughout most of this book i was confused...and then I was overwhelmed, but at the end of the day I've reached a point of realization I otherwise wouldn't have. I was blind but now I see. That was corny but true. Thoreau is a really intelligent and philosophical man, that was the first thing I observed about him due to his constant references
It's a fools life because us average people are programmed to believe in superficial ways of life. If you ask anybody what they wish to do with their lives, they wish to be successful, become famous, become rich. Funny thing is I was watching this motivational video called "Listen..This Will Change Your Life," and in it a man proposed that if we take a hundred men at the age of twenty five who start even, do you have any idea what will happen to those men by the time they are sixty five? These one hundred men at the age of twenty five believe they will be successful. You would notice that they were eager to be successful as well but by the time they are sixty five, one will be rich, four will be financially independent, five will still be working, fifty four will be broke. He was discussing how men need to think of a pre-determined goal and do whatever it takes to reach that goal and that is how man can be successful. This man continues to describe what success is and how man can achieve it, but Thoreau has a completely different take on the aspect of success than most men