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Walden

ripped up by its own traps, ruined by luxury and heedless expense. (6) By calling the internal improvements external and superficial, Thoreau is saying that these improvements do nothing for the nation but cause more anguish and headaches. A person might think that they could make themselves better by buying fancier clothes or getting an expensive haircut, but what does that really do for the internal self? When all improvements are made, a person only has an expensive hair salon bill, department store bill and a lot of clothes that only make the person look good to other people. These improvements, within the nation, could be considered stores, restaurants, highways, cinemas, gas stations, and factories. These are things that are supposed to make our life simpler and freer, but they are just more developments that bind us. These improvements, to other nations, could be seen as “superficial”. What happens to the green grass that was once beautiful to look at and to walk barefoot through? It becomes a paved way for our automobiles to drive upon. What happens to the clean air that we once breathed? It becomes polluted with fumes from cars and factories. As if in a rage, Thoreau exclaims, “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand…Simplify, simplify” (6). Thoreau wants us to set aside all of the trivial things in life and look upon the real and true aspects of our lives. There is no need for material possessions when we have a world full of beauty that God has created for us to enjoy. What do we need with a house full of knickknacks that only clutter and collect dust? There used to be a time when children would collect lightning bugs or run around the yard with the dog or read a book for entertainment, but now a child cannot live without Nintendo 64, Playstation or Nickelodeon. This is not the child’s fault, it is wha...

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