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What are Thoreau's main complaints about human society?

A) It is dull and full of empty relationships.
B) It is shallow and full of terrifying cruelty.
C) It is violent and full of appalling suffering.
D) it is rushed and full of meaningless distractions.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Thoreau's major criticisms of human society are its complexity, superficiality, and the restrictive nature of social and governmental constructs. He advocates for a simple, purposeful life with few distractions, which is most accurately reflected in option D as being rushed and full of meaningless distractions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main complaints of Henry David Thoreau about human society revolve around the overcomplication, superficiality, and constraints of social conventions and governmental policies. Thoreau advocates for a life stripped down to essential needs, devoid of the distractions and demands that estrange people from authentic experiences. In his seminal work, Walden, Thoreau discourses on living deliberately, reflecting his preference for an existence of simplicity over a life cluttered with meaningless distractions, aligning most closely with option D: it is rushed and full of meaningless distractions.

Through his two-year experiment living at Walden Pond, Thoreau practiced self-reliance and minimalism, building his own cabin and growing his own food. Such lifestyle choices echo his philosophy that true freedom comes from within and is not to be compromised by the binding societal norms or government interference. His writings, though set in the mid-nineteenth century, continue to inspire those seeking a less encumbered and more introspective way of life in our contemporary world.

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