Individualism: Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, And Joni Mitchell

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Four names come to mind quickly as I look for past champions of individualism: Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson and Joni Mitchell. Experts on the subject may offer other, more suitable, examples, but I want to begin with these because they influenced me during my studies in literature and music. Thoreau’s Walden would seem to be a reasonable place to begin as I consider avoiding social interaction. However, a quick review reveals that Thoreau’s aim was merely to simplify his life, “to live deliberately,” rather than to avoid social interaction altogether. He focused on the significance of Nature for the individual and on identifying the excesses of being overly civilized. He concluded that plants were a more appropriate

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