Dialectical Journals on Henry David Thoreau
Economy (pages 7 – 65)
I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, and cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. (pg. 8)
So much for a blind obedience to a blundering oracle, throwing the stones over their heads behind them, and not seeing where they fell. (pg. 9)
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. I would rather ride on earth in an ox cart with a free circulation than to go heaven in the fancy car of an excursion train and breath a malaria all the way. (pg. 33)
This is the first sentence in “Economy” that gave me a hint towards what Thoreau’s thought process is and what he thinks about society and the way people should live. What I got out of this passage was that people who inherit things are actually less fortunate to have something that they did not have to work for. This means that they do not get to experience the hardships of earning that piece of land or all that money. Instead of being happy they inherited something, Thoreau says that under any circumstance, someone who is forced to take care of or do something that they didn’t choose to do for themselves. They will most likely hate doing it. And I agree with this, because I think that a lot of children go against their parents and rebel just to find their identity. I think that if you force someone to inherit something that they don’t want to earn, you’re taking away their individualism.
I think that this is such a good quote. I really like the message of it. What Thoreau is saying is that people should not take others advice. If you do, it’s the equivalent of “throwing a stone over your shoulder and not seeing where it falls.” If you go off of things others say and see your life on it, you cannot see where the stones of your life will fall. You see the stones that other people throw for you. I also have the same mindset of individuality and
I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, and cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. (pg. 8)
So much for a blind obedience to a blundering oracle, throwing the stones over their heads behind them, and not seeing where they fell. (pg. 9)
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. I would rather ride on earth in an ox cart with a free circulation than to go heaven in the fancy car of an excursion train and breath a malaria all the way. (pg. 33)
This is the first sentence in “Economy” that gave me a hint towards what Thoreau’s thought process is and what he thinks about society and the way people should live. What I got out of this passage was that people who inherit things are actually less fortunate to have something that they did not have to work for. This means that they do not get to experience the hardships of earning that piece of land or all that money. Instead of being happy they inherited something, Thoreau says that under any circumstance, someone who is forced to take care of or do something that they didn’t choose to do for themselves. They will most likely hate doing it. And I agree with this, because I think that a lot of children go against their parents and rebel just to find their identity. I think that if you force someone to inherit something that they don’t want to earn, you’re taking away their individualism.
I think that this is such a good quote. I really like the message of it. What Thoreau is saying is that people should not take others advice. If you do, it’s the equivalent of “throwing a stone over your shoulder and not seeing where it falls.” If you go off of things others say and see your life on it, you cannot see where the stones of your life will fall. You see the stones that other people throw for you. I also have the same mindset of individuality and