Henry David Thoreau starts "Walden" by explaining where he lived while he wrote most of the book. He lived in a house he built himself by Walden Pond pretty far from society. He then speaks about his belief that people are enslaved. They are too focused on material things, instead of living a simpler life with "spiritual values". "Thoreau then adjures his readers to give up their prejudices, refuse to be lectured by their elders, …showed first 75 words of 698 total…

…showed last 75 words of 698 total…and not following what everyone else does. He gives us advice on how to live and appreciate the small things, instead of working hard to support pointless things that will not make us happy. He does not see the need in working a job you do not like to pay for clothes, a big luxurious house and furniture. He did not experience this selfishly, he wrote about it so he could share it with us.