SynopsisEconomics: This is the first chapter and also the longest by far. Thoreau begins by outlining his plan: a stay of two years and two months in a crude cabin in the woods near Walden Pond. He does this, he says, to illustrate the spiritual benefits of a simplified lifestyle. It easily provides the four necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing and fuel). He meticulously records his expenses and earnings, demonstrating his understanding of "economics" as he builds his house and buys and grows food. For a house and freedom he spends only 25 dollars. Companion Verses: This chapter consists entirely of a poem, "The Pretensions of Poverty," by the seventeenth-century English poet Thomas Carew. The poem criticizes those who think that their poverty gives them a kind of undeserved moral and intellectual superiority. Where I Lived and What I Lived For: After toying with the idea of ​​buying a farm, Thoreau describes the location of his cabin. He then explains that he settled in Walden Woods to "live deliberately, to face only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I was about to die, discover that I had not lived." Reading: Thoreau speaks of the benefits of reading classical literature (preferably in the original Greek or Latin) and laments Concord's lack of sophistication, manifested in the popularity of popular literature. He longs for a utopian age in which every New England village will support "wise men" to educate and thus ennoble the populace. Sounds: Thoreau opens this chapter by warning against relying too much on literature as a means of transcendence. Instead, one should experience life for oneself. So, after describing his... middle of paper... geese fly north and a hawk plays alone in the sky. Since nature is reborn, the narrator implies, he too is reborn. He leaves Walden on September 8, 1847. Conclusion: This final chapter is more passionate and urgent than its predecessors. In it, Thoreau criticizes Americans' constant drive for success, the acquisition of superfluous wealth that does nothing to increase their happiness. He urges us to change our lives for the better, not by acquiring more wealth and material possessions, but rather to "sell your clothes and keep your thoughts" and to "say what you have to say, not what you should." He criticizes conformism: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drum. Let him come closer to the music he hears, however measured or distant." By doing these things, men can find happiness and self-fulfillment.