Walden Portfolio

By Ryan Musumeci 11/21/13

Ryan Musumeci Fitz 9th Grade English Walden Narrative Paragraph 10/23/13

Simplicity
We have lost contact with reality, the simplicity of life. -Paulo Coelho As Thoreau said in Walden, To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically. Life has many complicated details and nuances, but the simplicity of life is what can be truly amazing. It can sometimes be hard to stop and think about the little things, the simpler times, and that is why I believe some people dont enjoy life to the fullest. This day and age is all about technology and big new ideas to move the world forward, but have we ever any time to relive the old days when none of this existed? While many people say they want to live a simpler kind of life, not many can be bothered to actually go out and do it. I know that as much as I would want to go out and live a simpler life with less responsibility and troubles, I could not survive it. As I walked around the pond mostly in silence, I envied what Thoreau had accomplished. To be able to live without unwanted attachments to the difficulties of life. I thought to myself about the beautiful trees and the gentle ripples of the water. I looked at the pond and thought of it as a great place to live. But then I remembered that I am too attached to my iPhone to be without it for even an hour. The technology has been a part of my life since I was a young child, and I do not think fondly of leaving it alone. And that is the same dilemma that most common people such as myself face. We cannot live without our technology so we cant go out and enjoy nature. Thoreaus quote was about practicing what you believe in. Its like that old saying, you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? Most people cant, but Thoreau actually went out and did it. He proved that you dont have to have many expensive materials and devices to be happy and to live well. And that is why I admire him so much, because he succeeded in doing what I dont think I will ever be able to do, to live peacefully and thoughtfully in nature.

Ryan Musumeci

9th Grade Fitz English Economy Analysis Paragraph 10/30/2013

Simplicity
Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity.
-Thor Heyerdahl From the Declaration of Independence, we are guaranteed the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but how we use our life, how we use our liberty, and how we pursue our happiness makes the major difference in how we turn out. In Henry David Thoreaus essay Walden , his experiment with living a simple life on Walden Pond is a creative reminder that a simpler life is a better life. Thoreau believes that less is more and by simplifying our lives we can lead more rewarding lives. As Thoreau uses slavery as a he speaks of men in the search for wealth becoming the slave drivers of themselves. They work to the point where they cannot enjoy life at all, and they become so wrapped up in their work that they do not realize they are going backward from their goal. And because of that Thoreau says: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things." [Walden: Economy page 3] In the first chapter of Walden , Economy, Thoreau states that most people work so hard in the pursuit of a better life that they can never achieve it. They are always so wrapped up in whatever they are doing to enjoy the simplicities of life, which is what Thoreau believed can truly make people happy. He denounced the "quiet desperation" and made himself a home in the woods, removed himself from the rest of the world, and only re-entered on his own terms.. He found a way to live simply, how he wanted to live, without being a slave to work or money. Thoreau wanted to get this message of simplicity out to everyone else who was trapping themselves in their work, by setting an example and living his life to the fullest with almost nothing.

Ryan Musumeci

9th Grade Fitz English Walden Analysis #2 11/13/2013

Simplicity
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. [Walden: Economy pg 35] The key to a happy life is simplicity. In the essay, Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, he explores the effects of luxuries and genius inventions which allow us to stray from our simple roots. These roots of simplicity are what allows us to live our lives in true freedom. If we are always caught up in the intricacies of our life and never take time to stop and think about the simple things, we will become distracted from what we are all truly searching for. [when] In the first chapter of Walden , Economy, [who] Thoreau writes about what we truly need to be happy and to survive, and how the simple existence can be the best kind. [what] He speaks of the bare minimums needed for survival, food, water, clothes, shelter, but he also speaks of the things that we do not truly need. To Thoreau, the luxuries of life only serve to complicate it. Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. [Walden: Economy pg 19] In this quote, Thoreau really hits the nail on the head. He is basically saying that by focusing attaining luxuries, like the newest iPhone or the next generation gaming console, we are distracted from how we should truly be living. Thoreau believes that these things are not needed to be happy, and that you can still live a simple life with the same level of engagement and fun as having technology and money. Thoreau chose how he wanted to spend his days instead of being in an endless search for money and power. He chose to write, admire nature, and spend time with friends. He lived simply and was quite happy with his life, and many would argue that he was extremely successful, even though he may not have been in the traditional way of having lots of money. If enough thought is put into this topic, the conclusion will be reached that a simple life has more freedom than a life with technology and luxuries. And this is the kind of life that Thoreau urges his readers to live. The fact that Thoreaus ideas of simplicity and happiness are still relevant today with all of the changes in society is truly amazing.

Necessities

We dont always know exactly what necessities really are. In the essay Walden , by Henry David Thoreau, he discusses heavily about what the difference is between our wants and our true necessities. Thoreau tries to convince us that what we think we need is much more than what our bare necessities are. He believes that in order to exist and to be truly happy we need to live by only the essential facts of life, and let go of all of the things that are not true necessities. As Thoreau talks about why he went to live in the woods, why he subjected himself to such a spartan like existence, he says:po 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. [Walden: Where I Lived and What I Lived For] This is the what Thoreau wanted for himself, and it really speaks to his personality. He wanted to live the way he wanted to live, and not be subject to the needs and desires of anyone else but himself. He went to the woods to live with only the bare necessities, food, water, and shelter, so that he would not be trapped by the wants and desires of everyday life in regular society. Reading Walden has made me realize that money, power, and popularity, are all ways to have your life be run by the desires of other people. They allow you to become a slave to yourself in an endless search for these wants in order to impress others. But if you live by only the true necessities, you live for yourself and your true desires. That is the life that Thoreau advocated for his readers, and if I learned anything from reading the first two chapters of Walden , its that a life with only the bare necessities may be the best way to live.