1. Thoreau complains, "Our life is frittered away by detail." What do you think he means by this? Give examples from your life.
When Thoreau says that our lives are "frittered away by detail" what I think he means is that we get lost in the minuscule and unimportant aspects of life, such as wearing a specific pair of shoes to the party, or having the right hair-do. These things aren't important in the long-run, and by obsessing over these details, we are missing the big picture of life and not enjoying it to the fullest. Thoreau wants everyone to experience life by entertaining their own interests and becoming closer with the simple life of nature. To Thoreau, nature, unlike the hustle and bustle of the modern world, is calm and unperturbed by the tiny details that people obsess over. For example, I became overwhelmed by the smaller details when I was working on a poster for a Choir assignment. I got so wrapped up in the tiny details of the coloring, that I almost forgot to complete the actual point to the assignment, and ended up spending three hours on a project that I should have been able to complete in about one and a half. Detail is one of the distractions in life, and Thoreau calls us to instead focus on the simpler aspects of life like nature and our own hobbies.
When Thoreau says that our lives are "frittered away by detail" what I think he means is that we get lost in the minuscule and unimportant aspects of life, such as wearing a specific pair of shoes to the party, or having the right hair-do. These things aren't important in the long-run, and by obsessing over these details, we are missing the big picture of life and not enjoying it to the fullest. Thoreau wants everyone to experience life by entertaining their own interests and becoming closer with the simple life of nature. To Thoreau, nature, unlike the hustle and bustle of the modern world, is calm and unperturbed by the tiny details that people obsess over. For example, I became overwhelmed by the smaller details when I was working on a poster for a Choir assignment. I got so wrapped up in the tiny details of the coloring, that I almost forgot to complete the actual point to the assignment, and ended up spending three hours on a project that I should have been able to complete in about one and a half. Detail is one of the distractions in life, and Thoreau calls us to instead focus on the simpler aspects of life like nature and our own hobbies.
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