TranscendentalismTranscendentalism

AP English Language and AP English Language and CompositionComposition

English 11-2English 11-2

““The millions are awake The millions are awake enough for physical labor; but enough for physical labor; but only one in a million is awake only one in a million is awake enough for effective enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one intellectual exertion, only one in a hundred millions to a in a hundred millions to a poetic or divine life. To be poetic or divine life. To be awake is to be alive” (110-111).awake is to be alive” (110-111).

“ “We must learn to We must learn to reawaken and keep reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest forsake us in our soundest sleep” (111).sleep” (111).

“ “I know of no more I know of no more encouraging fact than the encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor” (111).conscious endeavor” (111).

““It is something to be able to It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, medium through which we look, which morally we can do” which morally we can do” (111).(111).

““To affect the quality of the To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts” day, that is the highest of arts” (111).(111).

““I went to the woods because I I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (111).that I had not lived” (111).

“ “ I wanted to live deep and suck out all the I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and if it proved to be mean, lowest terms, and if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion” (111-account of it in my next excursion” (111-112).112).

““Our life is frittered away by detail” Our life is frittered away by detail” (112).(112).

““Simplicity, simplicity, Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity”(112).simplicity”(112).

““Why should we live in such a hurry Why should we live in such a hurry and waste of life? We are determined to and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry. Men be starved before we are hungry. Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches to-day so they take a thousand stitches to-day to save nine tomorrow” (114).to save nine tomorrow” (114).

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden: or Life in the Woods. The Franklin Library: Franklin Center, 1981.