A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. Henry David Thoreau.?

Question

Any ideas for a 2 page papers on this?

Answer 1

Suggestion: how much do you know of Thoreau?  Do some research on him and that will help give you some perspective on why he ever wrote that quote.  This will also give you something a little more to write about when you have two pages to fill.  The author and the topic are related.  Find it and that will give you a killer paper!

Thoreau really wants you to ponder this one.  This quote is not immediately what you think it to be.  First: how many people really need second homes overseas, 5+ cars, or golden toilets?  Nobody....but those who are "rich" buy them because they can afford to be lavish.  In contrast, those who are considered poor only buy what they need to get by on: shelter, food, and clothing.

Now, look at the quote again.  The financially rich can afford to live without the excess, but don't because they can afford not to.  The poor can afford to live without the excess because they don't NEED more.  In essence, what truly makes a person "rich?"  There are two definitions, and that's what Thoreau wants you to think about.

Good luck with that paper.  I hope I have given you a little to ponder over and to work with.

Answer 2

Sure Melis. Think about what Henry David meant, and give examples. That ought to give you at least two pages, especially in this day of conspicuous consumption. People buy $10,000 Rolex watches that don't tell the time any better than a Timex; they pay $6000 for a suit. It's all absurd. Some years ago I traveled 4250 miles alone across the United States on a bicycle. I had to simplify my life to the absolute minimum of  possessions. Everything I owned I carried on my bike. I have never been, nor will I ever be, as free, and one of the prime uses of money is to buy freedom, i.e. the ability to do what you want when you want. There's a saying that goes,

"If you would make a man happy, do not add to his possessions, but subtract from his desires.