You have the class to work on journals and/or your essays. Journals are due on Monday. Essays on Thursday.
1) ESSAY QUESTION:
As describe in Walden what is Thoreau's assessment of American
Culture (what is wrong with it)? Using specific evidence from the text
discuss and outline his argument. Then respond to it. Do you agree or
disagree with his insights?
This issue should cover the entire book - not just "Economy" - meaning
you should trace his argument, how it weaves throughout the book, also (think
Structure), and use specific evidence from various section of the text.
Note, this essays needs to be at least three pages. It can be longer.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year
(Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in
Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or
expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure
in which pairs of chapters present thematic
counterpoints to each
other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs.
"Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or
Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in
most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living,
however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long
opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong
with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents
a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and
simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the
symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's
optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential
to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
Think about particular themes of the book.
Self-Reliance
Materialism
Life, Consciousness and Existence
The interconnection of all things
Society and class structure
Visions of America
Technology/Modernization
How to live one’s life
Work vs. Enjoying Life
Liberation from traditional economic systems
Solitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
2) Towards the end of the book Thoreau states
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.Now put foundations under them.”
What
does he mean by this and how does Walden reflect this quote. Make an
argument about how Thoreau achieves this quote. Use evidence from the
text to support your answer. This essay needs to be at least three
pages.
You have the first part of class to work on journals. Then you need to start outlining your essays. Essays will be due next Wednesday.
1) ESSAY QUESTION:
As describe in Walden what is Thoreau's assessment of American
Culture (what is wrong with it)? Using specific evidence from the text
discuss and outline his argument. Then respond to it. Do you agree or
disagree with his insights?
This issue should cover the entire book - not just "Economy" - meaning
you should trace his argument, how it weaves throughout the book, also (think
Structure), and use specific evidence from various section of the text.
Note, this essays needs to be at least three pages. It can be longer.
NOTE- this is due the Wednesday you return from break.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year
(Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in
Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or
expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure
in which pairs of chapters present thematic
counterpoints to each
other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs.
"Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or
Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in
most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living,
however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long
opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong
with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents
a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and
simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the
symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's
optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential
to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
Think about particular themes of the book.
Self-Reliance
Materialism
Life, Consciousness and Existence
The interconnection of all things
Society and class structure
Visions of America
Technology/Modernization
How to live one’s life
Work vs. Enjoying Life
Liberation from traditional economic systems
Solitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
2) Towards the end of the book Thoreau states
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.Now put foundations under them.”
What
does he mean by this and how does Walden reflect this quote. Make an
argument about how Thoreau achieves this quote. Use evidence from the
text to support your answer. This essay needs to be at least three
pages.
Today we will discuss the final chapter in Walden, present what you did yesterday in class, and work on dialectical journals (you will need 55 by next Monday).
1) ESSAY QUESTION:
As describe in Walden what is Thoreau's assessment of American
Culture (what is wrong with it)? Using specific evidence from the text
discuss and outline his argument. Then respond to it. Do you agree or
disagree with his insights?
This issue should cover the entire book - not just "Economy" - meaning
you should trace his argument, how it weaves throughout the book, also (think
Structure), and use specific evidence from various section of the text.
Note, this essays needs to be at least three pages. It can be longer.
NOTE- this is due the Wednesday you return from break.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year
(Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in
Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or
expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure
in which pairs of chapters present thematic
counterpoints to each
other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs.
"Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or
Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in
most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living,
however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long
opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong
with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents
a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and
simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the
symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's
optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential
to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
Think about particular themes of the book.
Self-Reliance
Materialism
Life, Consciousness and Existence
The interconnection of all things
Society and class structure
Visions of America
Technology/Modernization
How to live one’s life
Work vs. Enjoying Life
Liberation from traditional economic systems
Solitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
2) Towards the end of the book Thoreau states
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.Now put foundations under them.”
What
does he mean by this and how does Walden reflect this quote. Make an
argument about how Thoreau achieves this quote. Use evidence from the
text to support your answer. This essay needs to be at least three
pages.
Chapter 18 Conclusion - which is the conclusion of the book. Think about how he wraps up his themes and returns to the beginning?
Today we will discuss Walden and your essay test that is coming up very very quickly (like tomorrow).
1) ESSAY QUESTION:
As describe in Walden what is Thoreau's assessment of American
Culture (what is wrong with it)? Using specific evidence from the text
discuss and outline his argument. Then respond to it. Do you agree or
disagree with his insights?
This issue should cover the entire book - not just "Economy" - meaning
you should trace his argument, how it weaves throughout the book, also (think
Structure), and use specific evidence from various section of the text.
Note, this essays needs to be at least three pages. It can be longer.
NOTE- this is due the Wednesday you return from break.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year
(Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in
Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or
expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure
in which pairs of chapters present thematic
counterpoints to each
other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs.
"Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or
Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in
most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living,
however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long
opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong
with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents
a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and
simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the
symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's
optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential
to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
Think about particular themes of the book.
Self-Reliance
Materialism
Life, Consciousness and Existence
The interconnection of all things
Society and class structure
Visions of America
Technology/Modernization
How to live one’s life
Work vs. Enjoying Life
Liberation from traditional economic systems
Solitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
2) Towards the end of the book Thoreau states
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.Now put foundations under them.”
What
does he mean by this and how does Walden reflect this quote. Make an
argument about how Thoreau achieves this quote. Use evidence from the
text to support your answer. This essay needs to be at least three
pages.
10/27 page 288
10/28 page308
10/29 work on dialectical journals
10/30 Finish book
Chapter 15: Winter Animals
Walking on the frozen pond. Listening to and visiting animals (contrast
with previous chapter). There is a great story here about the Hunter
who "lost his dog but found a man". Think about Thoreau's "pure"
definition of man. The Hunter keeps asking Thoreau, while asking about
his dog, "What are you doing here?" This seems to be an important point
or idea? The hunter (remember Thoreau's discussion of hunting) finds
Thoreau - the hermit, the poet...
Chapter 16: The Pond in Winter
You really need to connect this with the chapter "Ponds" or the pond in
summer. There is one of the greatest ice cutting scenes in all of
literature. Thoreau describes the ice in different colors - emerald
(think the importance here), blue. The ice is apparently transported
all over. Thoreau talks about being able to look into the pond and see
his soul, and then at then end of the chapter connects (through some
strange imagination) Walden pond with rivers/waters all over the world.
All people drink from his "well" and all water is connected. He
connects Ganges, Atlantis, the Persian Gulf - and the past, present and
future in water.
Really consider the spiritual nature of water here.
Chapter 17 Spring
Rebirth.
"And so the seasons went rolling on into summer, as one rambles into higher and higher grass."
Note, man-nature-God are all connected, so how do you make sense of the quote?
"I finally left Walden September 6th, 1847." (Near the end of summer).
Chapter 18 Conclusion - which is the conclusion of the book. Think about how he wraps up his themes and returns to the beginning?
In groups of 2-3 answer the following question on a google doc. This is practice for your upcoming test.
12.) Consider Thoreau's work as a reformist
response to one of the following:
Today we are going to discuss Walden, look at the final essay choices for the book, read "Chief Seattle's Speech" and relate it to Walden
You have two choices for the essay question. Choose and write only one of these.
1) ESSAY QUESTION:
As describe in Walden what is Thoreau's assessment of American
Culture (what is wrong with it)? Using specific evidence from the text
discuss and outline his argument. Then respond to it. Do you agree or
disagree with his insights?
This issue should cover the entire book - not just "Economy" - meaning
you should trace his argument, how it weaves throughout the book, also (think
Structure), and use specific evidence from various section of the text.
Note, this essays needs to be at least three pages. It can be longer.
NOTE- this is due the Wednesday you return from break.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year
(Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in
Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or
expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure
in which pairs of chapters present thematic
counterpoints to each
other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs.
"Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or
Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in
most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living,
however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long
opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong
with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents
a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and
simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the
symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's
optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential
to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
Think about particular themes of the book.
Self-Reliance
Materialism
Life, Consciousness and Existence
The interconnection of all things
Society and class structure
Visions of America
Technology/Modernization
How to live one’s life
Work vs. Enjoying Life
Liberation from traditional economic systems
Solitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
2) Towards the end of the book Thoreau states
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.Now put foundations under them.”
What
does he mean by this and how does Walden reflect this quote. Make an
argument about how Thoreau achieves this quote. Use evidence from the
text to support your answer. This essay needs to be at least three
pages.
10/27 page 288
10/28 page308
10/29 work on dialectical journals
10/30 Finish book
Chapter 15: Winter Animals
Walking on the frozen pond. Listening to and visiting animals (contrast
with previous chapter). There is a great story here about the Hunter
who "lost his dog but found a man". Think about Thoreau's "pure"
definition of man. The Hunter keeps asking Thoreau, while asking about
his dog, "What are you doing here?" This seems to be an important point
or idea? The hunter (remember Thoreau's discussion of hunting) finds
Thoreau - the hermit, the poet...
Chapter 16: The Pond in Winter
You really need to connect this with the chapter "Ponds" or the pond in
summer. There is one of the greatest ice cutting scenes in all of
literature. Thoreau describes the ice in different colors - emerald
(think the importance here), blue. The ice is apparently transported
all over. Thoreau talks about being able to look into the pond and see
his soul, and then at then end of the chapter connects (through some
strange imagination) Walden pond with rivers/waters all over the world.
All people drink from his "well" and all water is connected. He
connects Ganges, Atlantis, the Persian Gulf - and the past, present and
future in water.
Really consider the spiritual nature of water here.
Chapter 17 Spring
Rebirth.
"And so the seasons went rolling on into summer, as one rambles into higher and higher grass."
Note, man-nature-God are all connected, so how do you make sense of the quote?
"I finally left Walden September 6th, 1847." (Near the end of summer).
Chapter 18 Conclusion - which is the conclusion of the book. Think about how he wraps up his themes and returns to the beginning?
We are going to discuss chapter 13 today and give you time to work on dialectical journals.
10/24 page 261
10/27 page 288
10/28 page308
10/29 work on dialectical journals
10/30 Finish book
Chapter 14: Former Inhabitants and Winter Neighbors
Remember chapters contrast with the previous chapter.
"For human society, I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods" (246).
"...pranks of a demon not distinctly named in old mythology, who
has acted a prominent and astounding part in our New England lief and
deserves...to have his story told."
Like "Brute Neighbors" Thoreau alludes to problems in humans. He
receives few visitors in winter, but the woods are filled with ghosts of
former inhabitants and he tells some of their stories. Micah related
this to Chief Seattle and how the past is always with use.
Note, the demon he speaks of is Rum. Think about "Civil Disobedience".
Rum was made in New England from molasses shipped from the West
Indies. This rum was then sent to West Africa to purchase slaves for
the West Indies. So even abolitionists in New England profited off the
slave trade.
Many of the former inhabitants that Thoreau mentions are either former
or run-away slaves, or alcoholics of some sort. What's the connection?
Today we will discuss Walden and give you some time to work on dialectical journals.
10/23page 245
10/24 page 261
10/27 page 288
10/28 page308
10/29 work on dialectical journals
10/30 Finish book
Chapter 13: House Warming
Fall. You should be thinking about the cycle of life. Thoreau prepares
for Winter, building a chimney, plastering his cabin (self-reliance).
The Pond freezes and Thoreau is able to look through the ice itself and
see the bottom of the pond (Think Pond as the Eye of the World here).
Chapter 14: Former Inhabitants and Winter Neighbors
Remember chapters contrast with the previous chapter.
"For human society, I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods" (246).
"...pranks of a demon not distinctly named in old mythology, who
has acted a prominent and astounding part in our New England lief and
deserves...to have his story told."
Like "Brute Neighbors" Thoreau alludes to problems in humans. He
receives few visitors in winter, but the woods are filled with ghosts of
former inhabitants and he tells some of their stories. Micah related
this to Chief Seattle and how the past is always with use.
Note, the demon he speaks of is Rum. Think about "Civil Disobedience".
Rum was made in New England from molasses shipped from the West
Indies. This rum was then sent to West Africa to purchase slaves for
the West Indies. So even abolitionists in New England profited off the
slave trade.
Many of the former inhabitants that Thoreau mentions are either former
or run-away slaves, or alcoholics of some sort. What's the connection?
Chapter 15: Winter Animals
Walking on the frozen pond. Listening to and visiting animals (contrast
with previous chapter). There is a great story here about the Hunter
who "lost his dog but found a man". Think about Thoreau's "pure"
definition of man. The Hunter keeps asking Thoreau, while asking about
his dog, "What are you doing here?" This seems to be an important point
or idea? The hunter (remember Thoreau's discussion of hunting) finds
Thoreau - the hermit, the poet...
Chapter 16: The Pond in Winter
You really need to connect this with the chapter "Ponds" or the pond in
summer. There is one of the greatest ice cutting scenes in all of
literature. Thoreau describes the ice in different colors - emerald
(think the importance here), blue. The ice is apparently transported
all over. Thoreau talks about being able to look into the pond and see
his soul, and then at then end of the chapter connects (through some
strange imagination) Walden pond with rivers/waters all over the world.
All people drink from his "well" and all water is connected. He
connects Ganges, Atlantis, the Persian Gulf - and the past, present and
future in water.
Really consider the spiritual nature of water here.
Chapter 17 Spring
Rebirth.
"And so the seasons went rolling on into summer, as one rambles into higher and higher grass."
Note, man-nature-God are all connected, so how do you make sense of the quote?
"I finally left Walden September 6th, 1847." (Near the end of summer).
Chapter 18 Conclusion - which is the conclusion of the book. Think about how he wraps up his themes and returns to the beginning?
Today we will discuss "Brute Neighbors" and finish reading "Civil Disobedience". You should have some time to work on dialectical journals.
Chapter 12: Brute Neighbors
Poet and Hermit (both might be Thoreau): Shall I go to Heaven or a-fishing?
Battle between the spiritual naturals of man and animal. The poet wants
to go fishing (to survive) but gets lost in the beauty of nature. The
Hermit wants to meditate but is more practical about how to go about
fishing (where to find worms etc).
Then, there is a transition to "ANIMALS". Who are the brutes in this chapter?
There is a famous "War of the Ants" scene in this chapter. Thoreau
discusses how this war has been recorded by many writers (hyperbole) and
how this war has been going on since the beginning of time. Thoreau is
unsure of what they are fighting about, but the war is compared to
classical literature (bringing in the human aspect), and it is a war
between Ant Races. This is a way for Thoreau to discuss WAR in general,
but it is also a subtle allusion to the Mexican-American War.
Today we will discuss your essays and look at "Civil Disobedience"
10/21 page 214
10/22 page 228
10/23page 245
10/24 page 261
10/27 page 288
10/28 page308
10/29 work on dialectical journals
10/30 Finish book
CHAPTER 9
"Ponds" - Thoreau sees something spiritual in ponds and water. Most of
the chapter holds an idyllic tone and he describes the unity of nature,
self, and divinity. The pond, among other things, is called "God's
Drop". Note - "Ponds" also comes between the chapters "Village" which
recounts his sojourns to the village of Concord - where he is locked up
(he reports on the incessant gossip which numbs the soul, and compares
going to the village to running the gauntlet), and the chapter entitled
"Baker's Farm" where he talks about his neighbor John Field who works
himself to exhaustion to pay for his "rustic hut" and feed his family.
The question - why this juxaposition?
Quotes from the chapter to discuss:
"Once in a while we sat together on the pond, he at one end of the boat,
and I at the other; but not many words passed between us, for he had
grown deaf in his later years, but he occasionally hummed psalm, which
harmonized well enough with my philosophy." (169)
"It was very queer, especially in dark nights, when your thoughts had
wandered to vast and cosmogonal themes in other spheres, to feel this
faint jerk, which came to interrupt your dreams and link you to Nature
again. It seemed as if I might next cast my line, upward into the air,
as well as downward into this element which was scarcely more dense.
Thus I caught two fishes as it were with one hook." (170)
Also on 170 there is a description of Walden" "It is a clear and deep
green well, half a mile long and a mile and three quarters in
circumference...a perennial sping in the midst of pine and oak woods."
"Lying between the earth and the heavens, it partakes of the color of both" (171)
"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive
feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the
depth of his own nature." (180)
This is one of the most symbol-laden chapters in Walden;
it presents the pond as having human character. Thoreau introduces
the symbolic mode at the end of his opening to the chapter, as he
talks about fishing at night, when, he says, "I caught two fishes
as it were with one hook", a literal fish and a "symbolic" fish.
In groups on by yourself answer the following:
In what ways are the following qualities of Walden Pond symbolic
of human qualities for which Thoreau thinks we should strive?
Its depth and the purity of its water
Its colors, blue and green, and its position
between land and sky
Its role as "earth's eye"
The pond as a mirror
Sam's journal:
29. Walk With Your Feet
In the darkness that came to Walden pond the only option to properly navigate was to simply feel the path with one's feet. The only way to know the path was to feel the path. This idea clearly shows how our reliance on sight can end up hurting when it comes to navigating through life. If he did not have access to his other senses he would not be able to return home safely at night. The men who needed an escort back to town that Thoreau stumbled across every so often showcase the heavy reliance on one sense that people had.
Today let's think about the following. We will also look at "Civil Disobedience". I'm going to move the in-class writing until tomorrow.
1.) Does Walden appeal to our "sense
of rebelliousness and individualism"? Are we "inspired by his idealistic actions
and principled and good-humored erudition"? Do we enjoy thinking about how we
might take a more "Thoreauvian approach" to our own lives?
2.) How do modern conveniences and gadgets
influence our culture? After reading Thoreau, are we now eager to give them up?
3.) Can we consider how doing and thinking
for ourselves is made possible (or impeded) by modern educational and cultural
institutions?
4.) To which "genre" (or genres) does
Walden belong?
5.) What is Thoreau's relationship to his
audience and to society as a whole? How does he situate his narrative persona?
That is, what kind of person is the "I" in the text, and how do we know?
6.) How can Walden be considered as an
application of Transcendental philosophy?
We need to start to discuss some examples of rhetorical devices in Walden.
Anaphora -
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.” (Winston Churchill)
Apart from the function of giving prominence to certain ideas, the
use of anaphora in literature adds rhythm, thus making it more
pleasurable to read, and easier to remember. As a literary device,
anaphora serves the purpose of giving artistic effect to passages of prose and poetry.
As a rhetorical device, anaphora is used to appeal to the emotions of
the audience, in order to persuade, inspire, motivate, and encourage
them.
ANTITHESIS: (from literarydevices.net)
Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which
two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a
contrasting effect.
Antithesis emphasizes the idea of contrast
by parallel structures of the contrasted phrases or clauses, i.e. the
structures of phrases and clauses are similar in order to draw the
attention of the listeners or readers. For example:
“Setting foot on the moon may be a small step for a man but a giant step for mankind.”
The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in
the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest
landmarks of human history.
OTHER EXAMPLES:
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.
Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.
You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart.
Allusion (everywhere).
parallelism
parables, aphorisms, symbols, diction and syntax.
CHAPTER 2 - "Where I Lived and What For"
He goes to Walden Pond because he wishes to live deliberately, to slow
down the fast pace of modern life and actually enjoy it. He claims that
you can't learn anything from newspapers about live ("The Revolution
will not be Televised")
Quotes:
"As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes little
difference whether you are committed to a farm or a county jail."
"Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me. Moral reform is
the effort to throw off sleep. Why is it that men give so poor an
account of their day if they have not been slumbering?"
"The millions are awake enough for physical labor; but only one in a
million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one in
a hundred millions to a poetic or divine life."
"I have never yet met a man who was quite awake. How could I have looked him in the face?"
"Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity."
"We do not ride on the railroads; it rides upon us."
"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?"
"To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip."
"Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature."
"I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born."
Chapter 3 READING
Reading literature is the closest thing to living.
Reading great books requires training such training as athletes undergo.
Nothing truly can be translated.
"Most men have learned to read to serve paltry convenience, as they
learned to ciper in order to keep accounts... but reading as a noble
intellectual exercise they know little or nothing; yet this only is
reading, in a higher sense, not that which lulls us as a luxury .. but
what we have to stand on tip-toe to read and devote our most alert and
wakeful hours to."
"The best books are not read even by those who are called good readers."
"I do not make any very broad distinction between the illiterateness of
my townsman who cannont read at all, and the illiterateness of him who
has learned to read only what is for children and feeble intellects."
"We spend more on almost any article of bodily aliment or ailment than on our mental aliment."
Chapter 4 SOUNDS
This is a strange, but poetic chapter that focuses on the sounds that
Thoreau hears when living at Walden (and how the sounds make him feel).
There is this idea of Thoreau's that most of humanity doesn't quite
listen to its soundings. To be in-tune with the place you live is - in
part - to listen closely to it, to hear it, and perhaps to respond to
what you hear.
Chapter 4 - "Sounds"
This is a strange, but poetic chapter that focuses on the sounds that
Thoreau hears when living at Walden (and how the sounds make him feel).
There is this idea of Thoreau's that most of humanity doesn't quite
listen to its soundings. To be in-tune with the place you live is - in
part - to listen closely to it, to hear it, and perhaps to respond to
what you hear.
Micah has too really good dialectical journals on this chapter:
#16: "Much is published, but little is printed" p. 108
By published, Thoreau means made public, as in, anyone can observe/hear.
There are so many sounds and things of that nature that are able to be
observed, each with their own meaning and cause, but very few care to
listen, and fewer still, care to write them down. This continues the
thought that man uses nature only for what it can get out of it, and
tries its best to remove itself from it. Mankind in general doesn't care
about the chirping of a bird, or the chirping of crickets. When they do
care, it is as an annoyance, a reminder of the world they seek to leave
behind by becoming civilized.
#17: The train
In the 'Sounds' chapter, Thoreau goes to great lengths to personify the
train that he talks about. How it perspires steam, how it must put on
snow shoes, etc. This is done because in a way, the train represents a
concentration of what makes humans terrible, at least to Thoreau. They
are cold, calculated, used to transport things from one end of the world
to another, all the while cutting surgically precise lines through the
wilderness that Thoreau believes greater than man. It is a machine made
for business, and the making of money on the backs of those who are too
lazy and too luxurious to get what they need from the land around them.
"I am refreshed and expanded when the freight train rattles past
me, and I smell the stores which go dispensing their odors all the way
from Long Wharf to Lake Champlain, reminding me of foreign parts of
coral reefs, and Indian oceans, and tropical climes, and the extent of
the globe." (116)
"Now that the cars are gone by and all the restless world with them, and
the fishes in the pond no longer feel their rumbling. I am more alone
than ever. For the rest of the afternoon, perhaps, my meditations are
interrupted only by the faint rattle of a carriage or team along the
distant highway." (119)
Chapter 5 - "Solitude"
Thoreau makes a case for nature being a better companion than humans.
"I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in
company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love
to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as
solitude." (131)
"Next to use the grandest laws are continually being executed. Next to
us is not the workman whom we have hired, with whom we love so well to
talk, but the workman, who work we are." (130)
"If the bell rings why should we run?" page 95
This quote applies to our every day life as well as back then. Except now it relates to the phone or the chime of an email. Why do we feel a relentless sense of urgency to respond? Why should our stress level climb with each new message? Rather ignore the next text message that comes in, take a breath, and ask yourself "why should I run?".
The title of Thoreau’s most important work is selfless in name. By naming the book after a pond, Walden, rather than “Thoreau’s experiment” he emphasises nature rather than humanity. This focuses on Thoreau’s theme of non conformity and honing in to the simple and important motions of life. Throughout Walden Thoreau argues that Americans spend too much of their time focusing on obtaining materialistic wealth without appreciating to the true beauty of life which can be displayed in nature. This title goes against American’s view of life thus challenging the reader to think differently and break from American conformity.
Mina -
“Both place and time were changed, and I dwelt narrow to the parts of the universe and to those eras in history which would most attracted me. where I lived was as far off as many a region viewed nightly by astronomers.” (pg 85). This is one of Thoreau’s quotes that most connects with the ideas of transcendentalism, nature, and timelessness that flow through this chapter. These ideas are Thoreau ascending to a higher thought that tries to escape the capitalism and materialism that are pushed in today’s society. He is trying to reconnect with nature and with the consciousness of the underverse instead of just what individual people can achieve.
Read Walden by Henry David Thoreau
and work on dialectical journals. We will be discussing Bob Dylan and Gil Scott Heron on Tuesday.
Reading Schedule
10/6 page 100
10/7 page 125
10/8 page 135
10/9 page 150
10/10 work on dialectical journals
10/14 in-class writing prompt
10/15 page 178
10/16 page 194
10/17 page 228
10/20 in-class writing
10/21page 245
10/22 page 261
10/23 page 288
10/24 page308
10/27 work on dialectical journals
10/28 Finish book
10/29 work on essay
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last For the times they are a-changin’
CHAPTER 2 - "Where I Lived and What For"
He goes to Walden Pond because he wishes to live deliberately, to slow
down the fast pace of modern life and actually enjoy it. He claims that
you can't learn anything from newspapers about live ("The Revolution
will not be Televised")
Quotes:
"As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes little
difference whether you are committed to a farm or a county jail."
"Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me. Moral reform is
the effort to throw off sleep. Why is it that men give so poor an
account of their day if they have not been slumbering?"
"The millions are awake enough for physical labor; but only one in a
million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one in
a hundred millions to a poetic or divine life."
"I have never yet met a man who was quite awake. How could I have looked him in the face?"
"Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity."
"We do not ride on the railroads; it rides upon us."
"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?"
"To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip."
"Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature."
"I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born."
Chapter 3 READING
Reading literature is the closest thing to living.
Reading great books requires training such training as athletes undergo.
Nothing truly can be translated.
"Most men have learned to read to serve paltry convenience, as they
learned to ciper in order to keep accounts... but reading as a noble
intellectual exercise they know little or nothing; yet this only is
reading, in a higher sense, not that which lulls us as a luxury .. but
what we have to stand on tip-toe to read and devote our most alert and
wakeful hours to."
"The best books are not read even by those who are called good readers."
"I do not make any very broad distinction between the illiterateness of
my townsman who cannont read at all, and the illiterateness of him who
has learned to read only what is for children and feeble intellects."
"We spend more on almost any article of bodily aliment or ailment than on our mental aliment."
Today we will discuss chapter 1 of Walden. Please note that I will be checking dialectical journals this week. We will also be looking at Dylan and some news topics to discuss.
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last For the times they are a-changin’
We will discuss what you read last night and continue with Emerson. I'll try and give you a few minutes to work on dialectical journals at the end of class.
