Describe Thoreau’s notion of “poverty.” Is it the same as or different from the notion of poverty we have when, for instance, we speak of...

When Thoreau speaks of poverty, he means what we would call simplicity or simple living. It is not at all the same as Third World poverty, in which people suffer because they can't afford the basic necessities of life, such as food or shelter.

For example, Thoreau writes the following in Walden:

Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself too much to get new things, whether clothes or friends.

Here,...

When Thoreau speaks of poverty, he means what we would call simplicity or simple living. It is not at all the same as Third World poverty, in which people suffer because they can't afford the basic necessities of life, such as food or shelter.

For example, Thoreau writes the following in Walden:

Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself too much to get new things, whether clothes or friends.

Here, as in most of his writing, Thoreau addresses a comfortable, middle-class audience. He assumes that his readers have more than enough material possessions, such as clothing. In a similar way, calling poverty a "garden herb" like sage, that needs to be cultivated, means he understands poverty as a beautiful simplicity. He would never want to "cultivate" or grow the kind of poverty we associate with misery and stunted lives in the Third World.

In Walden, Thoreau promotes "poverty" (simple living) as a solution to the problem of excessive luxury. He urges people who are choked and drowning on material possessions to downsize and get rid of the clutter so that they can pay more attention to their neglected souls and spirits, and thus lead spiritually richer, more balanced lives. He addresses what we today would call the First World about "First World problems." He is not speaking to the genuinely impoverished.