American Literature Coursework (Coursework Sample)

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American Literature
Henry Thoreau is a major contributor to the philosophical movement known as Transcendentalism and American literature at large. His works in books, essays and poems move around two major: life conduct, also known as portrayal, and nature. These two are the major concerns of this author. In most of his works, Thoreau used his interpretation of nature to explain how people live or how they should live.
In the book walden, Thoreau seems unconcerned by the impacts of human on nature. Looking closely in his words, he does not support the abuse of natural resources for purposes of material gains. At that same instance, he admits that the farm he owns takes its tolls on the native species that are found in that land. In addition to all this, he acknowledges the spirit of entrepreneurship that led to the building of railroad. There is also a relation between man and nature that is seen in the representation of the Walden Pond by Thoreau. It is not clear on what the pond represents since it is torn between showing how humans destroy or abuse nature or it could also be a symbol of the goodness of humans. He mentions that he bemoans the numerous developments that have been done at the Walden Pond since he was young. In the chapter "sounds" Thoreau turns his book into more of a reality. He describes the things he sees and hears through the window.
First, he talks about the train, he describes it in a way to show something that thrives as others decline. For example, the trees that were around the pond were cut and transported by train. This is an indication of abuse of natural resources. He also describes the sounds of the nearby community and the woods. The sounds as described by Thoreau are an indication of the reality of nature and its complexity too. This chapter ends with an illustration of how his Walden home lacks domestic noises. In simple terms nature fills his senses. In this book, Thoreau uses the world of animals to bring out the unity that exists between animals and compares it to human life. This helps to put emphasis on the complexity of nature. Thoreau claims that the knowledge of nature by humans is imperfect; therefore, humans will find it hard to infer some natural phenomenon. In the chapter "solitude”, Thoreau introduces it with a lyrical expression. Thoreau states that if only humans had a closer relationship with nature or natural environment, there would be no need for physical proximity of others. He ends this chapter with a metaphor referring to visitors who represent nature and God and comparing it to the health benefits and vitality that is imparted by nature.
In the book "Walking”, nature is the main theme. This is indicated in the first sentence of the book which states "I wish to speak for nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil, to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of nature, rather than a member of society (Thoreau, 7)" In this book Thoreau is more concerned about nature and what it provides. He compares the types of walks that people take when they are undertaking their businesses of life and compares it to a walk of nature. According to him, nature offers the feeling of exploration and a serene environment. The author uses nature to symbolize situations in life. For instance he refers to the challenge experienced when deciding on which direction to follow when taking a walk. He states that there is a right way but we always choose the wrong way. This is a perfect symbol of the decisions we have to make in the ideal life but in many occasions, people make the wrong choices. Thoreau makes a call for literature that expresses nature truly but this has not happened yet. According to Thoreau, civilization is one of the major factors that pulls people out of nature. In this book nature is portrayed as equally important to learning. The author says that wild and dusky knowledge is required by man as well as lettered learning. This book ends with a positive longing for inspired understanding and a recalling of a moving sunset that had been seen earlier by Thoreau. In the final paragraph Thoreau refers to a relaxed walk heading to the Holy Land.
Thoreau development his naturalistic skills in his two essays that were written in 1843, "A Walk to Wachusett" and "A Winter Walk”. Although these essays can be treated as having more of romantic literature descriptions, the author had already started to include philosophical skills in his writing. The presence of nature was not merely accepted passively. He believed that divinity was existing in nature. The permanent nature of the divine allows nature to act as a vessel for human insight. The main aim of his earlier essays about nature was to deal with creating awareness on humans about their own powers and possibilities in their experience with nature. The early view of nature by Thoreau were greatly impacted by Emerson’s nature, which was a key influence on the intel...