Solitude Rhetorical Analysis

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The general definition of Transcendentalism is defined as a religious and philosophical movement that was developed during the early 1800s ‘as a protest against the state of spirituality and the state of intellectualism’. The transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions were venal and tarnished the ‘purity’ of the individual person. They believed that people were at their best when they were self-reliant and independent. In Henry Thoreau’s essay, Solitude, he argues that the instinct to separate yourself from society and into a world of solitude is something that emphasizes self-reliance and independent thinking that is separate from the conformity of society. In his ‘self-exilation’, Thoreau found that his solitude was ‘key to explore his relations to nature’ (Hornat). However, his removal from society does not necessarily mean that his solitude entails for “loneliness”, because he sees that nature offers a ‘better society’ than humans do. In an article by Jan Hornat, he mentions that Thoreau’s solitude is depicted as a ‘non-emotional state of the mind’. Thoreau also believes that solitude is necessary for when someone needs to solve his …show more content…

Thoreau seemed to feel that with solitude one could understand the beauty of living in a ‘natural state’. Concerning the way we live, that is ‘unadulterated and uncontaminated by modern society and the complexities of modern life’(Mateusek). Thoreau’s experience with solitude gives the example that in society we are often too distracted with the fast paced and ‘short intervals’ (1052) of life that we do not stop to appreciate the life around us and develop individual perspectives outside of the societal conformities that society has

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