Question

What are thoreau's views on correspondence and the daily news?

Answer 1

In Walden (1854), Thoreau despises correspondence and the daily news as gossip and mostly a waste of time.

He asserts that he "could easily do without the post-office" and that all news, even international news are just the same information and the same gossip with different names on it.

Thoreau states that all these gossips just interfere in the way of living of the individual and his or her interactions with the immediate reality. The individual becomes obssessed with the information or gossips from other places and peoples instead of living his or her own experiences.

Answer 2

In "From Walden", Thoreau's view of correspondence is that it communicated in such a way that dulled the mind's of people, and it takes away the people's ability to think for themselves. He believed that literature (as part of civilization) was unimportant, that experience should be gained from living life on your own accord.