CONSCIENCE BY THOREAU

                       

HENRY  DAVIDSON  THOREAU:

CONSCIENCE 

CONSCIENCE is instinct bred in the house,
Feeling and Thinking propagate the sin
By an unnatural breeding in and in.
I say, Turn it out doors,
Into the moors.	5
I love a life whose plot is simple,
And does not thicken with every pimple,
A soul so sound no sickly conscience binds it,
That makes the universe no worse than ’t finds it.
I love an earnest soul,	10
Whose mighty joy and sorrow
Are not drowned in a bowl,
And brought to life to-morrow;
That lives one tragedy,
And not seventy;	15
A conscience worth keeping,
Laughing not weeping;
A conscience wise and steady,
And for ever ready;
Not changing with events,	20
Dealing in compliments;
A conscience exercised about
Large things, where one may doubt.
I love a soul not all of wood,
Predestinated to be good,	25
But true to the backbone
Unto itself alone,
And false to none;
Born to its own affairs,
Its own joys and own cares;	30
By whom the work which God begun
Is finished, and not undone;
Taken up where he left off,
Whether to worship or to scoff;
If not good, why then evil,	35
If not good god, good devil.
Goodness!—you hypocrite, come out of that,
Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
I have no patience towards
Such conscientious cowards.	40
Give me simple laboring folk,
Who love their work,
Whose virtue is a song
To cheer God along.

He sees himself as a part of both natural and social communities. He surveys the world through many  lance ..poet, philosopher, historian, environmentalist, civil engineer, educator, social critic, activist and so on..He live with simplicity and honesty. He means what he says. He lived what he wrote. His contribution to understanding yourself before changing the world is the key to life. Thoreau provides an example of what it is to find one's own way. He restores the lost connection between people of today's culture and their natural environment. He inspires us to strive to be ethical members of social and natural communities.

The questions which he raises are:

Ø  1.When will we stop harming others ?

           When will we stop harming nature?

Ø  2.What does is mean to live not merely exist?

Ø  3.What is the absolute value of the wild nature?

Ø  4.Why does imagination matter?

Ø  5.What choices can we make,that make a difference in how we live our lives?

Ø  6.What are the duties of the individual to himself ,to society and nature?

Ø  7.How do we know what we want, and how much is enough?

Analysis conscience

Thoreau's poetry conscience presents his philosophy on the world's most debated subject :           Is there any absolute truth? Conscience is "inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives "impelling one toward right action, throughout the poem the speaker struggles towards what he perceive ad God's mandate for simplicity .However his whole internal compass of right action his conscience is at odds with this divine mandate and incorrigibly leads him astray.

 "I love a life a whose plot is simple "

      

                       The poem that follows is riddled by very un-simple lines presenting his quest for  simplicity ad vain and hopeless . Thoreau  mocks the prevailing wisdom that

,"Tis a joy to be simple". It seems that Thoreau slyly suggest that the simple is the enemy of good. The line that follows Thoreau , sixth line presents  between us the problem  which one has to face in their life  throws curves at you. It is ambiguous. It is not a straight road and therefore it ,

 "...thicken(s) with every pimple"   

Moreover the seventh line does just what the speaker hates .He spite himself his humanity remains unruly complex forever spoiling the ideal.

Adam's fall is  pertinent to the subject of the poem by referring to the Biblical story indirectly the poem changes the challenges  the concept of morality .Man is bounded by circumstances and therefore it is wrong or unfair to expect constancy from him with the allusion to this story .Thoreau  proves that human  condition has  been  same over centuries.

He favors morality which is not wooden what he tries to say is that a piece of wood is a constant thing and can be given any shape or size. On the other hand conscience is abstract and differs person to person. So the rules laid down by the scriptures or God do not apply to all the situation. Man has got brain and this brain guide through the differences.

" If not good God,

then good devil"

.      Here is a poet who sings individualism .Thoreau advocates liberty. He believes that every human being  is unique and has the ability on his own. He reminds us of humanism which shifted man's focus from God or holy books to human being in Thoreau's poetry life become a celebration He says it consist of opposites and man is capable of living harmlessly adjusting to these elements of life.