Question

3. In what way does Henry David Thoreau’s writing reflect American society?
A It speaks about freedom, self-reliance, and rugged individualism.
B It encourages a close personal relationship with nature.
C It denounces the role of government in people’s lives.
D It criticizes the use of a standing army for national defense.

Answer 1

The right answer is B It encourages a close personal relationship with nature. Thoreau was part of a movement called TRANSCENDENTALISM. Transcendentalists wanted to “awaken” a new outlook for a new democratic age. Their goal was to foster spirituality in harmony with the perfectionism of both the divine and of divinity’s creation: nature. Nature was Thoreau's first great subject; the question of how we should live was his second. Thoreau was committed to lead what Emerson called a life of “plain living and high thinking.”