Keaten McDonald

Intro to Humanities
Journal #11
Critical Thinking
1. Henry David Thoreau
(1817-1862)
2. Higher Laws
a. This title makes me think that there is some higher level that we must achieve, something
that is higher than the normal or the law we have now and are used to.
3. This piece was kind of hard to follow, I had to re-read it a couple of times. It is about a man who
was a fisher and hunter. Over the time that he spent in the outdoors he became more and more
accustomed of being around the animals, and eventually felt like he didnt need to bring a gun.
He then goes into the Higher Law, which is basically become more attached with nature.
4. From what I understood he is saying that one who is one with nature is purer and closer to the
Creator of everything. I believe that he is saying that in todays World we are too caught up in
everything that comes with life, such as technology.
5. One of the ways he supports his conclusion is by stating, When the reptile is attacked at one
mouth of his burrow, he shows himself at another. If you would be chaste, you must be
temperate. Another example that he gives to support his conclusion is when he said, In earlier
ages, in some countries, every function was reverently spoken of and regulated by law. Nothing
was too trivial for the Hindoo, lawgiver, however offensive it may be to modern taste. The final
quote that I really liked is, every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he
worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead. So
basically he is saying that we need not take these topics lightly. We need to be striving to become
better by become one with nature.
6. David Henry was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817. In the article he discussed the
importance of the woods and nature.
a. It would be really hard to talk and try to convince someone about the Higher Law of
animals and nature, if one didnt live it. It reminds me of the saying, Preach what you
live, and live what you preach. So this locations was perfect. The date also played a big
part, because if someone were to talk about this now, it would sound kind of weird with
all of the advancements in technology.
7. Dont get me wrong I enjoy nature but I feel like I never have time to leave my responsibilities in
life to go and take in the beauty of it. I totally understand and agree with him when he talks about
how he, and may I add the world, is so attached to technology that like I said, its hard to leave
and get away. On the other hand, I dont fully agree/understand that depending on what you eat
determines your level of spirituality. I do believe that there are things in life that you can
consumer that will harm your body, therefore one shouldnt consumer them.
8. The practical objection to animal food in my case was its uncleanness; and besides, when I had
caught and cleaned and cooked and eaten my fish, they seemed not to have fed me essentially is
the quote that I found to be weird or different, because we clearly dont believe that today. Fish is
probably the healthiest meat that someone can eat. Maybe I dont fully understand why some
meats are better than others.
The quote that I liked was when he said, we are so degraded that we cannot speak simply of the
necessary functions of human nature. I liked this quote because I agree with it. I feel that there
are many things in this world that are kept as a secret and we are hidden in the dark.