Progress for Progress's Sake "Progress for Progress's Sake Must Be Prohibited." Although this quote comes from Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, it accurately describes Thoreau's attitude towards progress in Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, an excerpt from Walden. Where I Lived and What I Lived For is Thoreau's tale of the benefits of living simply and avoiding the evils that have penetrated society by leaving life in the woods. Specifically, they are his reflections on the true purpose of life. One of the areas of society it addresses is the idea of ​​progress. Thoreau states that progress always has a cost, even if that cost is not immediately visible to the public eye. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The cost of progress can be very serious, even deadly. One way Thoreau describes the deadlier aspect of this cost is through the extended metaphor of “sleepers.” The ties are railroad ties, but Thoreau uses them in a different context, as a symbol of those who built the railroads and lost their lives in the process. Many of these people were immigrants and their deaths were hidden. These people were the "cost" of the railroad. Thoreau uses imagery to convey this, saying that "the tracks are laid upon them, they are covered with sand, and the carriages run softly upon them." The sand in this passage is a metaphor for the way their deaths were "buried" to prevent the general population from discovering them. The dead are "deep sleepers", meaning it would be very difficult to wake them up or raise awareness about the issue. When this is attempted, the railway companies "suddenly stop the cars, and begin to cry, as if this were an exception." In other words, the people who first covered up the deaths would treat any evidence of death resulting from the construction of the railroads as something that was a one-time problem, as if it happened so rarely that no one was even aware of it. when the truth was really the opposite. Thoreau highlights society's tendency to ignore problems and risks when it comes to progress. This ignorance is a trend that has continued from Thoreau's time to the present day. Thoreau realizes this by saying that "every few years a new lot is established and invested." With this quote he means that there will be more and more secrets and more cover-ups in the name of progress that society will simply ignore. Through his analysis of the sleepers, Thoreau states that in the eyes of society, progress is more important than safety. Another cost of progress is individual happiness. Thoreau shows this through a second extended metaphor; the railway. He states that "if we do not take out sleepers, forge rails, and devote days and nights to work, but go tinkering with our lives to improve them, who will build railways?" Individuals are told that their happiness does not matter, that happiness is a sacrifice they must make for the sake of progress. This continues to this day. Many people work long, difficult hours, neglecting family and relationships with others, trying to progress in certain areas or maintain the progress they have already made. Thoreau continues this point by asking “if the railroads are not built, how will we get to heaven in the right season?” Through this question, he illustrates that individuals are told that the progress they make, in addition to benefiting society, will bring them more happiness in the long run. Railways symbolize the idea of ​​progress in.