瓦尔登湖毕业论文.docx
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瓦尔登湖毕业论文.docx
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瓦尔登湖毕业论文
Contents
AnAnalysisoftheValueofH.D.Thoreau’sWalden
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,andhadputthetheoryoftranscendentalismandEmerson’sopinionsintopractice.Duringthatperiodoftime,hemaintainedthatmanwasapartofthenatureandmancouldandshouldco-existwiththenatureharmoniously.Today,heisregardedasoneofmajorinterpretersoftheNatureaswellasAmericanenvironmentalsaintinAmericanliteraryhistory.
Infact,sometimesweshouldgetridofthehubbubofthesocietyandlife,regardlessofwhatthatmeans.ThebestplaceweshouldgotoistheNature.OnlywhenweebacktotheNaturecanwerealizeourlimitationsandthenbetterunderstandourlife.ThoreauisnotconsideredasaprofessionalnaturalistandhismasterpieceWaldenisnotuniversallyacceptedandappreciated.Butwiththeseverityofenvironmentalcrisesandtheriseofenvironmentalmovements,Thoreau’sphilosophyonthenatureandlivingsimplyhaddrawnthepublic’sattention.Atpresent,manyresearchersallovertheworldarepayingmuchattentiontoecologyandimplicationsofthemodernsociety,theyhaveemphasizedtherelationshipbetweenplantsandlivingcreaturesaswellastheirenvironment.Basedonthepreviousresearches,thispapercontinuestoanalyzeThoreau’sthoughtsonthenatureinWaldenandstatesthathecannotmerelybeviewedasanecologicalwriterbutoneofthemostrepresentativenaturalists,whofocusedonthenatureitself.Ontheotherhand,itdiscussesafewrelatedtopicslikeUndertheDomeproducedbyChaijing.
Byexertingmeansofhistoricalcriticism,discussingandanalyzinghislifebackgroundandWalden,wecaneasilyfindhisopinionsofthenatureinWalden.Wecanseethathisviewsaboutthenaturehadpredictedthearrivalofenvironmentalcrises,andhadindicatedthedirectionthatpeopleshouldmoveforwardinthefuture.Ingeneral,Thoreauhasleftagreatlegacytotheworld,hepointedoutalotofpricelessimplicationsforMan.Therefore,itishumanbeings’dutiestopositivelyparticipateinthegroupsofenvironmentalprotectionasThoreaudid,foritisreallyaneffectivewaytoprotectandsaveourEarth.
II.TheEcologicalValueofH.D.Thoreau’sWalden
WiththethrivingofindustryinAmericainthe1850s,theenvironmentwasdevastatedseverelybypeople’sexcessivepursuitsofmaterials.Facingsuchasituation,manyscholarsadvocatedtoreturntothenature.Thoreau,atypicalrepresentativeinthatperiod,formedhisuniqueviewsofthenature.Inthispart,twomainaspectsofhisthoughtsofthenaturewillbeinterpreted:
thenatureisalivingentity;andthenatureisameanstomakehumanbeingsknowthemselvespletely,italsofocusesontherelationshipbetweenManandNatureandtheimplicationsforhumanlife.
A.NatureasaLivingEntity
AsarepresentativeofRomanticism,Thoreaubelievesthatallthingsinthenaturearealiveandhedeemshumanbeingscanfeelthepowerofthenaturemerelybybeingclosetothenatureandlivinginthenature.What’smore,thenatureisanorganismthatneverdies,forthecycleofitisinfinite.
Sincethenaturehasalwaysbeenviewedasalivingorganism,soitisthenaturethatmakeseveryobjectsomeaningfultoThoreau.Hesaid:
“Naturemustbeviewedhumanlyatall;thatistosay,thescenesmustbeassociatedwithhumanaffections.Itindeeddemonstrateshisideaofthingsaslivingorganism.InThoreau’seyes,WaldenPondismorethananusualoneinConcord.Itisthesymbolofallthenature.DuringhislifeatWaldenPond,hetreatedeverythingasalive.AlltheweedsinPondwerecleanandbright.AndevenmorehedescribedPondwithbeautifullanguage:
“Alakeisthelandscape’smostbeautifulandexpressivefeature.Itisearth’seye,lookingintowhichthebeholdermeasuresthedepthofhisownnature”.(Thoreau,2004:
143)Itisobvioustoseehisromanticviewofthenature,andwecanreallyseethatthenatureisalivingentity,ourlifeisrootedinthenature,andisalsocontinuedbythenature.
B.NatureasaMeansofSelf-realization
Thoreauhadalwaysregardedthenatureasameansofself-realization.Thatistosay,Thoreau’swholelifeisaprocessofseekingtheself-realization.Inhisopinion,thenatureisameanstomakemanknowhimselfandtohaveabetterunderstandingofwhatkindofrelationshiphumanbeingsshouldcopewiththenatureandwhatkindoflifethathumanbeingsshouldleadto.Itisobviousthathumanbeingsandthenaturecankeepaharmoniousrelationship,andatthesametime,manshoulddecreasethedesireofmaterialismandmoneyworshipandthenfocusontheinnerhearts.
1.RelationshipbetweenManandNature
Inthe17thand18thcenturies,withtheadventoftheindustrialrevolution,theideaofthenaturewasincreasinglyrelatedtoamechanicalmetaphorwhichregardedthenatureasadeadmachinewhosefunctionwasjustforhuman’sexportationandmoneyworship.ThisridiculousattitudetothenaturewasdefinitelynotacceptedbyThoreauatall.Althoughhewasnothighlypraisedinhislife,hevariouslyobtainedthetitleof“sonofnature(BronsonAlcott),”“bachelorofnature(LeonBazalgette),”and“loverofnature”.InThoreau’seyes,mancanmaintainaharmoniousrelationshipwiththenaturebybeingadispensablepartofthenature,returningtothenatureandrespectingthenature.Asfarashewasconcerned,hethoughtthatthenatureisnotonlythehouseofhumanbeings,butalsothehomeofoursouls,sothatbeingharmoniouswiththenatureisthebestwaytomakethedreamofself-realizationandself-promotionetrue.
Besides,Thoreauindicatedthatnaturalexuberancewasdamagedbyscienceandtechnology,whichalsodestroyedtheharmoniousrelationshipbetweenManandNature.InthechapterofSoundinWalden,Thoreautooktherailwayasanexampletoillustrateit,andwasskepticalabouthumanbeings’controlofthenature,criticizedourdestroyingtothenature.
Firstofall,manbelongstothenature.Itisuniversallyheldthatmanistherulerofthenature.However,asapuredefenderofthenature,Thoreauobjectedtoitandgavetheprioritytothewholenature.InThoreau’sphilosophyofthenature,oneprominentaspectwashisbeliefthatmanis“apartofthenature”whoisequaltothenature.Hemadehisremarkclearinthefollowinginspiringpassage:
“IwishtospeakawordforNature,forabsolutefreedomandwildness,ascontrastedwithafreedomandculturemerelycivil—toregardmanasinhabitant,orapartandparcelofnature,ratherthanbeingamemberofsociety.”(Thoreau,1971:
205)
Wecandrawtheconclusionfromtheabovethatismentioned.Ontheonehand,Thoreauwishedtobeadefenderofthenature,forits“absolutefreedomandwildness”;ontheotherhand,ThoreauhadexpressedhisownopinionoftherelationshipbetweenManandNature.Ratherthanbeingaministerofthenature,manis“aninhabitant,orapartandparceloftheNature.”ThisideaoftherelationshipbetweenManandNaturewasvividlyreflectedinWaldenwhichrecordedhismunionwiththenatureatWaldenPond.“IgoandewithastrangelibertyinNature,apartofherself.”(Thoreau,2004:
110)TheunionbetweenManandNatureisnotmerelyaspiritualperfectionthatThoreaualwayspursued,butalsoadoctrinethatheferventlypreachedtoothersortohimself.
Secondly,humanbeingsreturntothenature.Returningtothenature,namely,livingasimplelifewasapopularsloganinRomanticperiod.Thoreauisdifferentfromothertranscendentalists,hewentdeeplyandprofoundlyintothenatureandhewasanaturalist.Becauseofhispassionforthenature,Thoreau,wecanseehimanatureobserver,hadbeguntoliveinWaldenPondformorethantwoyears.DuringthetimewhenhewasatWaldenPond,Thoreaulivedinalifefreefrommaterialisticpursuits,hereducedhismaterialrequirementstotheminimum,andeventriedtobeself-sufficientineverything.Andhenotonlyobservedthenature,butalsoputhispassionofthenatureintothemunicationwiththeanimalsandplants,andmadehimselfapartofthenature,closetothenaturebothinstinctiveandsensitive.FromThoreau’sperspective,ifmanwantstopursuethehighqualityandhealthylife,heshouldreturntothenatureandliveasimplelife.“WhileIenjoythefriendshipoftheseasonsItrustthatnothingcanmakelifeaburdentome”.(Thoreau,2004:
112)Healsothoughtthat“manwhohasinheritedfarms,houses,barnscattle,andfarmingtoolsisafool’slife”.(Thoreau,2004:
2-3)Furthermore,humanbeingsarebornwiththerelationshipwiththenature—theymusteat,drink,anddeposewithinanaturalenvironment.Natureisapermanenthome.ThesethoughtscanbefoundfrequentlyinWalden.“AsIpreferredsomethingstoothers,andespeciallyvaluedmyfreedom,asIcouldfareha
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