Walden

1. Walden Henry David Thoreau

2. Mugshot Friday August 19, 2011 • Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States, was born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1822, and following a quite dramatic election, became president in March 1877 at age 54.

3. I Can… • I can analyze the meanings of nature images Thoreau uses in Walden.

4. What is Walden? • It is an essay collection by Henry David Thoreau • On July 4th, 1845, Thoreau decided to enact the principles of Transcendentalism and moved to Walden Pond. • He really wanted to be alone.

5. What is nature writing • This essay is classified as nature writing, which is a type of essay in which the writer uses first-hand observations to explore their relationship with nature. • This writing will be loaded with images of nature. • An image is a phrase or set of sentences that construct a picture in the reader’s mind of a place or a thing. • It also has meaning to the piece.

6. What I want from you • First • Read “Where I Lived and What I Lived For.” pg. 382-386 • Record one image of nature. • Quote the image. • Page Number and Line Number. • What is the image saying or its meaning. • Second • Summarize “Where I lived and What I lived For.” • Pair up with a partner and share your thoughts about this first section.

7. Mugshot August 22, 2011 • When astronomer Galileo observed sunspots in 1610, church leaders were angry that he’d suggest the sun wasn’t perfect; today we know sunspots are the sun’s relatively cold areas.

8. “Where I Lived and What I Lived For,” After Reading Questions. • Please write these in your notes • What is the significance of Thoreau taking up residency at Walden Pond on the Fourth of July? • What does Thoreau mean by saying he wants to “suck all the marrow out of life”? • Why is Thoreau constantly suggesting simplicity? • So far what do you think of Walden?

9. Independent Reading Project • What are your questions?

10. Mug Shot Tuesday August 23, 2011 • Millions of creatures live in and on our bodies; the human armpit, for instance, has up to 500 million bacteria in the space of a tiny, insignificant pinhead.

11. I Can • I can cite how Thoreau addresses the beliefs of his society and his relationship with nature.

12. What I want from you • First read the title of this section • Read “Solitude” pg. 386-387 • Look for how Thoreau criticizes society. • Write his criticism as it is written in the text. • Include Page Number and Line Number • React to his criticism. • Second • Summarize “Solitude.” • Third • Share with your partner.

13. Four Corners Quiz • Which would best describe Thoreau’s feelings throughout the section entitled “Solitude”? • Peaceful and Content • Anxious and Expectant • Lonely and Wistful • Restless and Eager

14. Answer A

15. Four Corners Quiz Two • What can you infer about Thoreau, based on the unconventional lifestyle he adopted? • He is a person in search of excitement. • He is unhappy that most people would reject his lifestyle. • He would return to the unconventional society if he felt he could succeed there. • He is not afraid to follow his own path, despite what society might think.

16. Answer D

17. Mug Shot August 24th 2011 • French author George Sand, born July 1, 1804, was a well-known rebel for the following reasons: she took numerous lovers, she dressed in men’s clothes, and she smoked cigars.

18. I Can • I can find and describe how Thoreau writes about his relationship with nature.

19. What Else I Want • Pre-Reading Question: Like the previous section, now look at the titles of the two sections and make predictions about that they will be about? • Read “The Pond in Winter,” pg. 387 and “Spring” pg. 388 • Write down an image of nature for each. (12 points) • Write the image as it is worded in the text. • Include page number and line number. • Explain how each of these are examples of something Thoreau has learned about nature.

20. “The Pond in Winter” • What is “The Pond in Winter,” about? • What has Thoreau learned from nature based on this title? • What does he mean by “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads?”

21. “Spring” • What is “Spring,” about? • Again, what we assume Thoreau has learned in this brief section? • What could he mean by “where yesterday was cold and gray ice there lay the transparent pond already calm and full of hope like the summer evening.”

22. Final Thought on Seasons • Surely Thoreau wrote about other seasons, but why would the book choose to include “Spring,” and “The Pond in the Winter,” instead of the sections about fall and summer?

23. Mug Shot August 25th, 2011 • According to a study published in January 1995 journalArchives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, athletes’ back-pain symptoms may indicate fractured vertebrae.

24. Mug Shot August 26th, 2011 • Head lice lay their eggs, which are called nits, in people’s hair; consequently, just-hatched lice have a ready-to-eat food source in the blood under their hosts’ scalps.

25. I Can • I can explain what Thoreau learned from his time at Walden Pond.

26. Opening lines of “Conclusion” “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one.”

27. What I Want From You • Read “Conclusion” pg. 388-391 • Write one lesson Thoreau has learned from his time at Walden Pond (6 pts) • Quote something Thoreau has learned from nature. • Include page number and line number • What does the lesson Thoreau has learned reveal about his time there.

28. Thoreau Wrap Up Questions Group Discussion • Why are the poor rich according to Thoreau? • “Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul….” what is the necessary Thoreau could be referencing? • What is the main idea of Walden? • Could you live your life like Thoreau suggests? • How would Thoreau and the Transcendentalists feel about Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites?