1. In this chapter Thoreau describes how he built his chimney and plastered his walls before winter set in. What benefit, both personal and economic, is there in building something yourself as he did, rather than having someone else do it?
Thoreau's choice to build his own chimney and plaster his own walls is beneficial both personally and economically because it gave Thoreau a new skill in masonry as well as saved money since he didn't need to pay someone else to do it. He "studied masonry" in order to build a satisfactory chimney, and reused old fireplace bricks to save time and money (an economical decision). He also smartly decided to build the chimney as "an independent structure" so that it will continue to stand long after the rest of the building is gone. Thoreau mentioned that the walls "never pleased [his] eye so much" after they were plastered, but having them plastered provided extra warmth to the cabin. Since Thoreau did the work himself, he garnered experience and a greater pride in his cabin than he would have had had he hired someone to do the work instead.
Thoreau's choice to build his own chimney and plaster his own walls is beneficial both personally and economically because it gave Thoreau a new skill in masonry as well as saved money since he didn't need to pay someone else to do it. He "studied masonry" in order to build a satisfactory chimney, and reused old fireplace bricks to save time and money (an economical decision). He also smartly decided to build the chimney as "an independent structure" so that it will continue to stand long after the rest of the building is gone. Thoreau mentioned that the walls "never pleased [his] eye so much" after they were plastered, but having them plastered provided extra warmth to the cabin. Since Thoreau did the work himself, he garnered experience and a greater pride in his cabin than he would have had had he hired someone to do the work instead.
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