瓦尔登湖毕业论文Word文档格式.docx

瓦尔登湖毕业论文Word文档格式.docx

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A.NatureasaLivingEntity3

B.NatureasaMeansofSelf-realization3

III.TheSocialValueofH.D.ThoreauWalden’s8

A.ModernPeople’sSocialLifeStyle8

B.TheCausesofSuchLifestyle9

C.TheInfluenceofThoreauWalden’sonCurrentSocialLife10

IV.EnlightenmentfromThoreau’sViewstheofNature11

A.TheEntityoftheNature12

B.TheDiversityoftheNature13

C.TheSelf-realizationofHumanbeingsintheNature14

V.Conclusion15

Bibliography17

Acknowledgements18

—

AnAnalysisoftheValueofH.D.ThoreauWalden’s

I.Introduction

HenryDavidThoreau（1817-1862）,afamousAmericanwriterinthenineteenthCentury,authorofWalden,wasborninConcord,Massachusetts,andgraduatedfromHarvardUniversityin1837.Whenhewasyoung,heoftenwenttothewoodswithhiselderbrother.ThereforehelovedtheNaturesodeeply.Inthe1950s,Americaneconomiessoaredsorapidlythattherewerealotofpeoplepursuingthemateriallifebutignoringthespirituallife.However,Thoreauwantedtolivesimply.AndatthattimetheTranscendentalistMovementwasverypopularinConcord,andEmersondidhaveagreatinfluenceonhim.AllofthesethatmadeThoreaudeterminetobuildacabinontheshoreofWaldenPond,thenhecouldlivealoneandbeclosetotheNature.Sooner,hewrotethefamousbook,Walden,whichmainlytalksabouthislifeandexperiencesduringthosedayswhenhelivedbyhimselfinthewoodnearWaldenPond.

In1845,Thoreaubeganhistwo-yearresidenceatWaldenPond,andhadputthetheoryoftranscendentalismandEmersonsopinions’intopractice.Duringthatperiodoftime,hemaintainedthatmanwasapartofthenatureandmancouldandshouldco-existwiththenatureharmoniously.Today,heisregardedasoneofmajorinterpretersoftheNatureaswellasAmericanenvironmentalsaintinAmericanliteraryhistory.

Infact,sometimesweshouldgetridofthehubbubofthesocietyandlife,regardlessofwhatthatmeans.ThebestplaceweshouldgotoistheNature.OnlywhenwecomebacktotheNaturecanwerealizeourlimitationsandthenbetter

understandourlife.ThoreauisnotconsideredasaprofessionalnaturalistandhismasterpieceWaldenisnotuniversallyacceptedandappreciated.Butwiththeseverityofenvironmentalcrisesandtheriseofenvironmentalmovements,Thoreau’sphilosophyonthenatureandlivingsimplyhaddrawnthepublic’attentions.Atpresent,manyresearchersallovertheworldarepayingmuchattentiontoecologyandimplicationsofthemodernsociety,theyhaveemphasizedtherelationshipbetweenplantsandlivingcreaturesaswellastheirenvironment.Basedonthepreviousresearches,thispapercontinuestoanalyzeThoreau’thoughtsonthenatureinWaldenandstatesthathecannotmerelybeviewedasanecologicalwriterbutoneofthemostrepresentativenaturalists,whofocusedonthenatureitself.Ontheotherhand,itdiscussesafewrelatedtopicslikeUndertheDomeproducedbyChaijing.

Byexertingmeansofhistoricalcriticism,discussingandanalyzinghislifebackgroundandWalden,wecaneasilyfindhisopinionsofthenatureinWalden.Wecanseethathisviewsaboutthenaturehadpredictedthearrivalofenvironmentalcrises,andhadindicatedthedirectionthatpeopleshouldmoveforwardinthefuture.Ingeneral,Thoreauhasleftagreatlegacytotheworld,hepointedoutalotofpricelessimplicationsforMan.Therefore,itishumanbeings’dutiestopositivelyparticipateinthegroupsofenvironmentalprotectionasThoreaudid,foritisreallyaneffectivewaytoprotectandsaveourEarth.

II.TheEcologicalValueofH.D.Thoreau’Waldens

WiththethrivingofindustryinAmericainthe1850s,theenvironmentwasdevastatedseverelybypeople’excessivepursuitsofmaterials.Facingsuchasituation,manyscholarsadvocatedtoreturntothenature.Thoreau,atypicalrepresentativeinthatperiod,formedhisuniqueviewsofthenature.Inthispart,twomainaspectsofhisthoughtsofthenaturewillbeinterpreted:

thenatureisalivingentity;

andthenatureisameanstomakehumanbeingsknowthemselvescompletely,

italsofocusesontherelationshipbetweenManandNatureandtheimplicationsforhumanlife.

A.NatureasaLivingEntity

AsarepresentativeofRomanticism,Thoreaubelievesthatallthingsinthenaturearealiveandhedeemshumanbeingscanfeelthepowerofthenaturemerelybybeingclosetothenatureandlivinginthenature.What’smorthe,natureisanorganismthatneverdies,forthecycleofitisinfinite.

Sincethenaturehasalwaysbeenviewedasalivingorganism,soitisthenaturethatmakeseveryobjectsomeaningfultoThoreau.Hesaid:

“Naturemustbeviewedhumanlyatall;

thatistosay,thescenesmustbeassociatedwithhumanaffections.Itindeeddemonstrateshisideaofthingsaslivingorganism.InThoreau’seyes,Walden

PondismorethananusualoneinConcord.Itisthesymbolofallthenature.During

hislifeatWaldenPond,hetreatedeverythingasalive.AlltheweedsinPondwere

cleanandbright.AndevenmorehedescribedPondwithbeautifullanguage:

“Alake

isthelandscape’smostbeautifulandexpressivefeature.Itisearth’seye,look

whichthebeholdermeasuresthedepthofhisownnature”.（Thoreau,2004:

143）Itis

obvioustoseehisromanticviewofthenature,andwecanreallyseethatthenatureisalivingentity,ourlifeisrootedinthenature,andisalsocontinuedbythenature.

B.NatureasaMeansofSelf-realization

Thoreauhadalwaysregardedthenatureasameansofself-realization.Thatistosay,Thoreau’swholelifeisaprocessofseekingtheself-realization.Inhisopinion,thenatureisameanstomakemanknowhimselfandtohaveabetterunderstandingof

whatkindofrelationshiphumanbeingsshouldcopewiththenatureandwhatkindoflifethathumanbeingsshouldleadto.Itisobviousthathumanbeingsandthenaturecankeepaharmoniousrelationship,andatthesametime,manshoulddecreasethedesireofmaterialismandmoneyworshipandthenfocusontheinnerhearts.

1.RelationshipbetweenManandNature

Inthe17thand18thcenturies,withtheadventoftheindustrialrevolution,the

ideaofthenaturewasincreasinglyrelatedtoamechanicalmetaphorwhichregarded

thenatureasadeadmachinewhosefunctionwasjustforhuman’portationsexandmoneyworship.ThisridiculousattitudetothenaturewasdefinitelynotacceptedbyThoreauatall.Althoughhewasnothighlypraisedinhislife,hevariouslyobtained

thetitleof“sonofnature（BronsonAlcott）,”“bachelorofnature（LeonBazalgette）,

and“loverofnature”.InThoreau’seyes,mancanmaintainaharmoniousrelationship

withthenaturebybeingadispensablepartofthenature,returningtothenatureand

respectingthenature.Asfarashewasconcerned,hethoughtthatthenatureisnot

onlythehouseofhumanbeings,butalsothehomeofoursouls,sothatbeingharmoniouswiththenatureisthebestwaytomakethedreamofself-realizationandself-promotioncometrue.

Besides,Thoreauindicatedthatnaturalexuberancewasdamagedbyscienceandtechnology,whichalsodestroyedtheharmoniousrelationshipbetweenManandNature.InthechapterofSoundinWalden,Thoreautooktherailwayasanexampletoillustrateit,andwasskepticalabouthumanbeings’controlofthenature,criticizedourdestroyingtothenature.

Firstofall,manbelongstothenature.Itisuniversallyheldthatmanistherulerofthenature.However,asapuredefenderofthenature,Thoreauobjectedtoitandgavetheprioritytothewholenature.InThoreau’philosophyofthenature,one

prominentaspectwashisbeliefthatmanis“theapartnatureof”whoisequaltothenature.Hemadehisremarkclearinthefollowinginspiringpassage:

“Iwishtospeak

awordforNature,forabsolutefreedomandwildness,ascontrastedwithafreedomandculturemerelycivil—toregardmanasinhabitant,orapartandparcelofnature,

ratherthanbeingamemberofsociety.”（Thoreau,1971:

205）

Wecandrawtheconclusionfromtheabovethatismentioned.Ontheonehand,Thoreauwishedtobeadefenderofthenature,forits“absolutefreedomandwildness”on;

theotherhand,ThoreauhadexpressedhisownopinionoftherelationshipbetweenManandNature.Ratherthanbeingaministerofthenature,manis“aninhabitant,orapartandparceloftheNature.”ThisideaoftherelationshipbetweenManandNaturewasvividlyreflectedinWaldenwhichrecordedhis

communionwiththenatureatWaldenPond.“Igoandcomewithastrangelibertyin

Nature,apartofherself.”（Thoreau,2004:

e110）unionThbetweenManandNatureisnotmerelyaspiritualperfectionthatThoreaualwayspursued,butalsoadoctrinethatheferventlypreachedtoothersortohimself.

Secondly,humanbeingsreturntothenature.Returningtothenature,namely,livingasimplelifewasapopularsloganinRomanticperiod.Thoreauisdifferentfromothertranscendentalists,hewentdeeplyandprofoundlyintothenatureandhewasanaturalist.Becauseofhispassionforthenature,Thoreau,wecanseehimanatureobserver,hadbeguntoliveinWaldenPondformorethantwoyears.DuringthetimewhenhewasatWaldenPond,Thoreaulivedinalifefreefrommaterialisticpursuits,hereducedhismaterialrequirementstotheminimum,andeventriedtobe

self-sufficientineverything.Andhenotonlyobservedthenature,butalsoputhispassionofthe