Wild Apples

"Wild Apples" by Henry David Thoreau is an observant reflection on the common apple, written during the nineteenth century. The writing style is based on aspects of natural history and botany, and dives into the wild apple's ecological and societal weight. Thoreau blends his passion for wild apples with analysis of people's farming habits, and the details of the world in nature, to create a celebration of the natural world. In this book, Thoreau researches the background of the apple tree, discussing its cultivation, and its numerous appearances in nature; comparing grown and natural variants. He thinks about the scents, tastes, and visual appeal of wild apples, displaying their link to folklore and country lifestyles. Utilizing sensory language, he captures the encounters of wild apples, placing importance on their character and the happiness when searching for food. Thoreau also mentions the decay of nature’s trees while regretting the decrease in old practices and the new taste for grown variants, thus calling for focus on the wider effects of people on the earth.