As we read the chapter, “Solitude,” I can’t help but think this is an appropriate one to be reading during a pandemic lockdown. On page 72, the chapter opens with Thoreau walking around Walden Pond at the close of day. He’s paying attention, a concept we just wrote about for your second writing project for ENGL101. He hears the sounds of the different creatures that come out at night. You might want to open up a tab and search images.google.com for what some of these animals look like. When he returns to his cabin, he sees signs that “visitors” have been by. In the next paragraph, he reflects on how far he is from his closest neighbor. He doesn’t seem to be afraid to be alone at night, but how does he imagine others feel about “the dark?”
I love this paragraph on the top of page 73. Did you look up the word “misanthrope?” What is Thoreau saying here about “Nature?” Do you think he minds being “solitary?” How have you felt about being solitary (or more than usual) these past weeks? Did you notice the little things like Thoreau did the “sweet gentle rain?” On page 74, he asks, “’Why should I feel lonely?’” He listens to the rain and contemplates the planet’s “point in space.” As you read this paragraph, try listening to rain sounds on your phone or laptop (or rain, if it’s raining outside!). What do you make of this “doubleness” that he describes in the middle of page 75? Vacciani, you might have come across this concept in some of the philosophy you enjoy reading. In the next paragraph, he reflects more on being “alone” and on “solitude.” Depending on your situation during the lockdown, you might wish for more alone time! Or you might be craving company. He’s making a connection, in this paragraph, between work and solitude that I think is really interesting. From the bottom of 75 to the top of 76, he writes about the roles “etiquette” or manners play in our encounters with other people. In the middle of 76, he lists several things that are “alone,” such as the “loon,” the sun, and God. Why do you think he says the devil is “far from being alone?” He ends this chapter by comparing the seasons to mythological figures. Look them up and see if you can figure out what these comparisons mean and how they relate to what he is saying about nature and solitude. On page 77, we start the chapter, “Visitors,” which is one of my favorites in the book! What do you think of his claim that he is “no hermit?” Now he says he has “three chairs” in his house. Aside from the literal meaning, do you think the three chairs might be a metaphor for something else? On page 78, he describes what it’s like to talk to other people. He’s saying something here about “boundaries” between people and “nations” that seems so significant to me when I think about what that means in our situation. In the last paragraph on page 78, he talks about eating with a small group of people versus a large group. What difference does he see? On page 79, he describes the hospitality of the Massasoit Indians. How do they treat visitors when they don’t have enough food for everyone? On page 80, he’s visited by a Canadian “woodchopper.” In the next couple of paragraphs, Thoreau describes him in great detail: his age, his eating habits, even his dog. On the top of page 81, we learn why Thoreau is so interested in this man. Why do you think he’s so fascinated in him? What do you think Thoreau admires about him? Is there someone whose qualities you admire? The paragraph on the bottom of page 83 is a tough one. He talks about “travelers” who come to see him. He tells them they can go drink out of the pond! I think he’s throwing shade when he refers to the “half-witted” (yes, he’s saying they’re dumb lol) visitors who he just kind of lets talk and talk. I feel like he’s being very judge-y here. I think he doesn’t have much patience for people who “oversee” people who are poorer than they are. On the other hand, he has respect for the guy who admits that he’s not too bright. On page 84, what do you think he means when he says, “Objects of charity are not guests?” In the next paragraph, he describes a “runaway slave” who he helps, but he doesn’t make a big deal about it. It’s a pretty short paragraph. Next week’s reading portion will take us through the end of the chapter, “Visitors,” and includes “The Bean-Field,” “The Village,” and the first part of “The Ponds.”
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