Mark Jespersen

Wedemeyer 2B

Transcendentalism Connection Mini-essay 2

PARAGRAPH 1: Exploration of quote

Topic Sentence
In his essay Walden Henry David Thoreau contemplates the use of the brain, specifically
how it is the strongest and most important tool and individual can possess, and that it is with the
brain we should place our faith.
DE 1
He compares the brain to his hands and feet and to the fore paws creatures use for
burrowing.
C1
Thoreaus comparison of the brain to these organs which are specifically used for work is
indicative of how he believes the brain should be used. Rather than mindlessly digging a hole he
believes you should dig into your mind, that you should search yourself because finding yourself
is essential to understanding the puzzle of life.
DE 2
He has faith that the brain is strong and sharp like a cleaver.
C2
Thoreau wants us to cut into the questions of life in order to uncover the secrets that lie beneath
the surface. Like many transcendentalists he has faith that through the brain you can discover
that which many cannot.

Mark Jespersen
Wedemeyer 2B

Transcendentalism Connection Mini-essay 2

PARAGRAPH 2: Connection with Fahrenheit 451

Topic Sentence
In his novel Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury mirrors the ideas Thoreau expresses by portraying
what would happen if the mind was devalued and forgotten.
DE 1
In the dystopian world media has been simplified to an extreme point, allowing society to
fling[s] off all unnecessary, time-wasting thought (Bradbury 52) and to instead focus on the
work that progresses their broken civilization.
C1
Bradburys portrayal of a world without thinkers reflects the ideas expressed in Thoreaus
writing. The society lacked the intellectuals that Thoreau revered, and because they were
missing such an important part of the human life they fell into a dystopia.
DE 2
It is only once those who use the cleaver (Thoreau) of intelligence are viewed as outcasts and
the word intellectual became the swear word it deserved to be that everything begins to go
long..
C2
The two authors believe that intellect is required for a healthy, smart, strong society (Bradbury
55).

Mark Jespersen
Wedemeyer 2B

Transcendentalism Connection Mini-essay 2

PARAGRAPH 3: Connection with Into the Wild

Topic Sentence
Topic Sentence
In his work Into the Wild Jon Krakauer uses the higher education of Chris and the way he applies
it to his life to connect his message to the ideals expressed by Henry David Thoreau.
DE 1
During an interview one of Chriss former employers describes him as intelligent, and
specifically recalls his use of big words and how often he read (Krakauer 18).
C1
Krakauer has established how happy Chris is with the ,albiet alternative, life he has found, and
throughout the novel he reveals that this happiness comes from the transcendentalist ideals and
deep thinking.
DE 2
Much like Thoreau, Chris found the secrets and meaning of life through the cleaver of intellect
and the tools of his mind.

C2
Krakauer and Thoreau are both believers of this lifestyle, and they use their writing to convey
the transcendentalist messages they believe in.
3