He Spent His Life In Voluntary Poverty, Enthralled By The Study Of Nat

He spent his life in voluntary poverty, enthralled by the study of nature. Two years, in the prime of his life, were spent living in a shack in the woods near a pond. Who would choose a life like this? Henry David Thoreau did, and he enjoyed it. Who was Henry David Thoreau, what did he do, and what did others think of his work? Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817 ("Thoreau" 96), on his grandmother's farm. Thoreau, who was of French-Huguenot and Scottish-Quaker ancestry, was baptized as David Henry Thoreau, but at the age of twenty he legally changed his name to Henry David. Thoreau was raised with his older sister Helen, older brother John, and younger sister Sophia (Derleth 1) in genteel poverty (The 1995 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 1). It quickly became evident that Thoreau was interested in literature and writing. At a young age he began to show interest writing, and he wrote his first essay, "The Seasons," at the tender age of ten, while attending Concord Academy (Derleth 4). In 1833, at the age of sixteen, Henry David was accepted to Harvard University, but his parents could not afford the cost of tuition so his sister, Helen, who had begun to teach, and his aunts offered to help. With the assistance of his family and the beneficiary funds of Harvard he went to Cambridge in August 1833 and entered Harvard on September first. "He [Thoreau] stood close to the top of his class, but he went his own way too much to reach the top" (5). In December 1835, Thoreau decided to leave Harvard and attempt to earn a living by teaching, but that only lasted about a month and a half (8). He returned to college in the fall of 1836 and graduated on August 16, 1837 (12). Thoreau's years at Harvard University gave him one great gift, an introduction to the world of books. Upon his return from college, Thoreau's family found him to be less likely to accept opinions as facts, more argumentative, and inordinately prone to shock people with his own independent and unconventional opinions. During this time he discovered his secret desire to be a poet (Derleth 14), but most of all he wanted to live with freedom to think and act as he wished. Immediately after graduation from Harvard, Henry David applied for a teaching position at the public school in Concord and was accepted. However, he refused to flog children as punishment. He opted instead to deliver moral lectures. This was looked down upon by the community, and a committee was asked to review the situation. They decided that the lectures were not ample punishment, so they ordered Thoreau to flog recalcitrant students. With utter contempt he lined up six children after school that day, flogged them, and handed in his resignation, because he felt that physical punishment should have no part in education (Derleth 15). In 1837 Henry David began to write his Journal (16). It started out as a literary notebook, but later developed into a work of art. In it Thoreau record his thoughts and discoveries about nature (The 1995 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 1). Later that same year, his sister, Helen, introduced him to Lucy Jackson Brown, who just happened to be Ralph Waldo Emerson's sister-in-law. She read his Journal, and seeing many of the same thoughts as Emerson himself had expressed, she told Emerson of Thoreau. Emerson asked that Thoreau be brought to his home for a meeting, and they quickly became friends (Derleth 18). On April 11, 1838, not long after their first meeting Thoreau, with Emerson's help, delivered his first lecture, "Society" (21). Ralph Waldo Emerson was probably the single most portentous person in Henry David Thoreau's life. From 1841 to 1843 and again between 1847 and 1848 Thoreau lived as a member of Emerson's household, and during this time he came to know Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller, and many other members of the "Transcendental Club" ("Thoreau" 696). On August 31, 1839 Henry David and his elder brother, John, left Concord on a boat trip down the Concord River, onto the Middlesex Canal, into the Merrimack River and into the state of New Hampshire. Out of this

How to Use the Versatile French Word Même

How to Use the Versatile French Word Mà ªme The French word mà ªme is a handy one to know. Loosely translated as same or even, the words meaning changes based on how it is used in a sentence. Mà ªme  may function as an indefinite adjective, an indefinite pronoun, or an adverb. Indefinite Adjective When used as an indefinite adjective, mà ªmes meaning differs according to whether it precedes or follows the noun it modifies:1) Before a noun, mà ªme means same. Cest la mà ªme chose!   Its the same thing!Jai lu le mà ªme livre.   I read the same book.Il aime les mà ªmes programmes.   He likes the same programs.Il a le mà ªme à ¢ge que moi. Hes the same age as me. 2) After a noun or pronoun, mà ªme emphasizes that thing and means (one)self or personified.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Il a perdu la bague mà ªme.   He lost the ring itself.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je veux le faire moi-mà ªme. (stressed pronoun)   I want to do it myself.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elle est la gentillesse mà ªme.   She is the epitome of kindness. / She is kindness itself. Indefinite Pronoun Le mà ªme as an indefinite pronoun means the same and may be singular or plural.   Cest le mà ªme.   Its the same.Elles sont toujours les mà ªmes.   Theyre always the same.Cela / à §a revient (strictement) au mà ªme. It comes / amounts to (exactly) the same thing. Adverb As an adverb, mà ªme is invariable, emphasizes the word it modifies, and means even, (to go) so far as to.   Mà ªme Jacques est venu.   Even Jacques came.  Il avait mà ªme achetà © un billet.   He even went so far as to buy a ticket.  Ils sont tous partis, mà ªme le bà ©bà ©.   They all left, even the baby.  Je lai vu ici mà ªme.   I saw him in this very spot. Personal Pronoun Personal pronouns with  mà ªme  form the -self pronouns, which are personal pronouns of emphasis. moi-mà ªme   myselftoi-mà ªme   yourself (singular and  familiar)elle-mà ªme  Ã‚  herselflui-mà ªme  Ã‚  himselfsoi-mà ªme   oneself, yourselfvous-mà ªme   yourself (plural and formal)elles-mà ªmes  Ã‚  themselves (feminine)eux-mà ªmes  Ã‚  themselves  (masculine) Expressions mà ªme   right on, in, from; in position mà ªme que   capable ofde mà ªme que   just / right as (something happened)mà ªme que (familiar) moreoverquand mà ªme  Ã‚  even so, anywaytout de mà ªme   even soÇa revient au mà ªme.   That amounts to the same thing.Cest du pareil au mà ªme.  (informal)   Its always the same.en mà ªme temps at the same timeIl na mà ªme pas pleurà ©.   He didnt even cry.   mà ªme la peau  Ã‚  next to the skin mà ªme le sol  Ã‚  on the bare ground  Ã‚  Je suis parti et lui de mà ªme.   I left and so did he.  Ã‚   mà ªme:  dormir mà ªme le sol   to sleep on the floor mà ªme de   able to,  in a position tode mà ªme:  faire de mà ªme   to do likewise  or  the samede mà ªme que just asmà ªme que  (familiar) so much so thatmà ªme si   even if

What is Sociology and Why We Study it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is Sociology and Why We Study it - Essay Example But, little is understood by many about the significance of studying and understanding of society and its elements. To keep informed and influence the people for a better and socially conscious life, a new branch of knowledge has evolved over the years known as Sociology, which is a part of Social Science. "The term 'sociology' was first coined by Canadian sociologist Talcott Parsons in the late seventeenth century to refer to any study into the systematic behavior of humans, animals or plants. The discipline became established in academic departments in the late 1950s, beginning at the University of New Orleans" (Fundamentals of Sociology). The Study of Sociology is important to understand social structures, social systems and social issues, which are peculiar to each society and country. Further, the need for a proper understanding is compounded since individual behavior is largely influenced and shaped by social elements and its interaction with him/her. The present essay is an at tempt to review the fundamentals of sociology and to stress how relevant the study of sociology is in the practical life of individuals. Meaning and Definition In simple terms sociology refers to the study of human society. It involves the examination of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociology as a body of knowledge provides a critical and systematic understanding of the processes that structure the society in which we live. A sociologist looks an individual as a part of the group and the study of individual is always done in that perspective. Therefore, the study of sociology enables individuals to understand the nature of patterns in groups and collective life in which individuals are a part of, for example families, youth cultures, workplaces, ethnic communities or society as a whole. As a discipline, it tries to address questions like how society is made possible, how it functions, and what sustains it. To understand how society operates, one must study social elements such as the family, education, work, religion, and the state. The term 'sociology' has been defined by many authors in different ways, some of which are discussed below: 1. Anthony Giddens (Defining Sociology) defines "Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes". 2. In "The Complete A-Z Sociology Handbook" (1996) Tony Lawson and Joan Garrod - define sociology "is the study of individuals in groups and social formations in a systematic way, which grew out of the search for understanding associated with the industrial and scientific revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is now an established discipline in post-16 education and has offered generations of students' insights into the social world they inhabit. Often accused by the right of being left-wing, it includes individuals of every political opinion who are united by a commitment to search for knowledge and understanding through providing evidence for the theories and insights they offer". 3. American Sociological Association (Defining Sociology) defines Sociology "is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Since all human behaviour is social, the subject matter of sociology