Choose one of these quotes to explain the truth with the paradox:
"I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was" (251).
OR
"I felt as if I alone of all my townsmen had paid my tax" (251).
In the first quote Thoreau is saying that at this place, Walden Pond, he is finally freer than anybody supposedly free person who lives in society because it is a confined place even when open.
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote, Thoreau see's a barrier between himself with the rest of society and in living at Walden Pond,he discovers that the rest of society will struggle more to find what Thoreau found at Walden Pond and the mountain they will have to climb will be steeper.
ReplyDeleteThe first quote describes how many would think that Thoreau's lifestyle would be different and harder than living in society with everyone else, yet he actually has it better than them. He is completely free and it would take a lot more for everyone else to reach that level of freedom within their constraints of society.
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote, Thoreau argues that in order to climb over the physical barrier that seperates society and nature, one must first break through the mental barrier of what free really is and give a barbaric yawp before coming to quiet desperation while at peace with himself.
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote, I believe Thoreau has most definitely recognized the fact that he lives quite an unorthodox life compared to most of his fellow townsmen, and yet he is more at peace and happy with himself then they ever will be. I think that by living in nature, Thoreau though of himself as free, and an individual while the rest of the people followed each other and did not see the true potential and beauty of life (and living in nature).
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote he's saying that despite what the town's men think he is not confined much like in Walden where he wasn't alone. He may be physically confined but for him you can't confine his spirit. None of the other towns people understand that mentality, creating a barrier, although not physically there it seperates him from the town much more effectively then the walls in the jail.
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote, it seems to me that he is saying that because he can appreciate nature and it's beauty, he is freer than them. He is also suggesting that it would be harder for them to break through a mental barrier of stone, than one in the physical. This reminds me of the old addage "Brain over Brawn", and how although you can train your physical body to be stronger, the mind must constantly be stimulated to increase intelligence. With this intelligence also comes imagination, wonder, and freedom. Something the men in the town have no concept of.
ReplyDeleteIn the second quote, Thoreau felt that he been seperated from the societal norms and duties. The idea of him being alone in finding clarity almost gives him a condescending out look on other individuals who had not found revelation. Paying taxes is a societal obligation but yet no one has to express this to someone. He is insuating that seeking peace and seperation should go without saying.
ReplyDeleteBased on Thoreau's beliefs and how he felt about the actions and lifestyles of the people around him, I believe that in the second quote, he is saying that he was the only one who paid the true tax of seeing life and nature the way it really is, while the rest of the people were stuck in their 'normal' lifestyles. Though the people may have paid their monthly taxes, most would never pay the tax of becoming an individual.
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote, Thoreau is speaking about if a wall was between him and everyone else, the difficulty would not be getting over the wall but knowing what to do on the other side for the townspeople. They cannot be as free as him because he has known and learned what to do on the other side of this stone wall while they are left on the other side in everyday life.
ReplyDeleteI think that the second quote means that Thoreau believed that everyone should be able to experience the inner freedom and peace he felt by isolating himself yet many do not seek this path. The paradox is that while it seems like it would be horrible, as it is compared to paying taxes, it is actually a spiritual enightenment and allows for true understanding of oneself. By doing a difficult but neccesary action (journeying out to live in quiet desperation or metaphorically paying taxes) one is rewarded with the oppurtunity to express oneself.
ReplyDeleteThe second quote is about how he feels that he is the one who actually did what he felt needed to be done, by escaping society to live freely. The rest of the people around him had not "paid their taxes" by bettering themselves through contemplation and escaping to ultimately make the society better as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe second quote describes a paradox, because he feels that only he out of all his kinsmen has "paid his tax". He means that out of all his friends and people around him only he has really lived life. He has truly lived off of nature and away from city life and so he has proven to himslef and possibly others that he has truly lived life, because he was not dependant on the "handicaps" of city life and society in general.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Thoreau, in the first quote, creates a paradox in which he believes that where he is at Walden Pond, although confined, gives him a better sense of being free than what others in society obtain. For these others, a climb so far from what they are used to would be treacherous but because it was what Thoreau wanted, he made it work.
ReplyDelete"I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was" (251).
ReplyDeletehe looked in the mirror and saw, not his happieness, but the suffering of his townsmen. it took his joy to see their suffering. It was more than a wall of seperation between them, it was a seperation comparible to night and day.
"I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was" (251).
ReplyDeleteThoreau realized that he needs to break through the barrier so that he could truly find the happiness that he wants. The seperation is evident and is similar to what we talked about in class, he can either fight through the suffering or he can drop everything and give up.
In the first quote, Thoreau is saying that by being put in jail, he no longer has to pay his taxes, he no longer has to search for a meal, he no longer has to spend time that he could be using for mind clearing thought, doing something to survive. He can write or spend some free-thought sessions in jail, whereas at Walden Pond, he would be looking for more sustenance.
ReplyDeleteThe first quote shows how much of an asset using one’s barbaric yawp is. Usually when people are isolated, there is a sense of loneliness and quiet desperation to find companionship however because he possesses a barbaric yawp, he has a greater sense of freedom and self-worth than the townspeople contain. It is a paradox because even though he is a recluse, isolated by the stone wall, he is satisfied because he is living instead of just being alive. Also, it isn’t like he is separated by any wall, it is a stone wall. The stone could represent endurance, coldness or stubbornness of the townspeople restraining their barbaric yawps which have the potential to burst out however, like the stone, they are stubborn to be a unique individual.
ReplyDeleteThe first quote says that the rest of society find Thoreau's barbaric yawp as a downfall because they do not see the benefits of isolating themselves. Society sees Thoreau's barbaric yawp as their quiet desperation. What they do not see though, is that they are surrounded by living things in their isolation.
ReplyDeleteIn the second quote, Thoreau is describing how he had payed his tax to society by not paying his taxes, therefore he was challenging the system of government that had been set in place. Another quote on page 251 was once well done is done forever, Thoreau thought that by not paying taxes that he could be able to change the system of taxes forever. Another paradox about this is the fact that he sees the beauty and receives pleasure from the jail, which is not the idea of jail whatsoever.
ReplyDeletei agree with this
DeleteIn the second quote Thoreau is saying that his townsmen paid the tax of seeing life behind society's walls, and never getting to experience it fully like himself. Once he broke free the "taxing" weight on his shoulder was lifted, and left for the townspeople.
ReplyDeleteThe first quote shows that Thoreau believes that his life style is the best, and he emphasizes that it is the only way to get the full of life, yet the greater obstical shows that he is glad to be alone on his side of the pond so to speak. In the latter half he refrences just breaking through the wall instead of climbing it, which shows his quiet desperation, or longing for somebody to pass the wall and join him.
ReplyDeleteThrough Thoreau's experiences of living in the wild, he escaped the burdens of society. There are actually a couple paradoxes in the second quote. Thoreau escaped society yet he was still paying a tax which is generally associated with government/society. Also, taxes are usually dreaded and Thoreau chose to escape society and live on his own in the wilderness. In the wilderness he was able to claim his individuality and grow through his thoughts and experiences. Yet, he still looks upon his experiences by paying the taxes of himself and his townspeople.
ReplyDeleteThe second quote depicts a paradox in which Thoreau feels that he had taken on the biggest burden of society by separating himself from his fellow townsfolk. He chose to isolate himself from society at Walden Pond in order to achieve peace and tranquility, but his caused him to fall behind on his social abilities. He most likely did not literally pay taxes, but taxes are often perceived to be a burden and unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThe first quote reveals that Thoreau feels that his lifestyle is representative of freedom even though the townspeople do not realize that. They see that he is in a quiet desperation when actually he is living his life with freedom and pride. The paradox is that although there is an actual wall separating them there's an even harder "invisible" wall to break which represents the townspeople resistance to change from their routine in modern society.
ReplyDelete"I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was" (251). In this quote, Thoreau believes he is as free as anyone could be and he thinks he lives the best lifestyle out of anyone when none of the townsmen realize it. They think he is isolating himself when they just are not walking across the threshhold he did. They see differently and do not put themselves in his shoes. The paradox is that even though there is not a physical wall between them, it would not matter because they create a wall between them and Thoreau anyways.
ReplyDeleteIn the second quote, his paradox is the fact that even though he most likely did not literally pay taxes, he feels he was the only one who truly paid taxes. He is not talking about taxes in the sense of money, but taxes in the sense of truly living a life without relying on things of the world such as money. He struggled with nature and paid his "dues" to truly living life to its fullest by connecting with nature and isolating himself from society.
ReplyDeleteyou guys are nerds
ReplyDelete