I’m starting with the paragraph at the bottom of page 35 where he describes making “hoe-cakes” over an open fire. Do you all see those TikToks of people who cook outdoors? They catch fish, fillet them, and cook a fancy meal like you would see in a restaurant. Hoe-cakes are simple though. I found this recipe (click). He also describes a sourdough starter (36), which is so 2020 Twitter! He’s awfully proud of himself, even his mistakes.
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I’m going to start on the bottom of page 23 since that is where we left off last time. Here, he gives us a date when he went there, “March, 1845” and a place where he went, “the woods by Walden Pond.” Notice how he doesn’t use vague or general terms, such as “years ago” and “by the water.” He also tells us what he was doing: building his house, and how he was doing it: with an axe he had borrowed. I’d like for you to think about these 5Ws in your own writing. Just like Thoreau, give your reader the details. In this paragraph, on the top of page 24, is a very famous quote: “the winter of man’s discontent.” Remember, he loves to use metaphors and layers of meaning. What else could “winter” refer to besides a season? Look up the word “discontent” and associate with the qualities of winter to break down the meaning of the entire image. He intersperses these metaphors in literal observations, such as the snake he sees while he is working. Now he’s using the snake as a metaphor to say something about what people to when they’re not making much of an effort to do anything. Then he’s back to the seasons, this time “spring.” Think of the qualities of spring and how they might apply to what he’s saying about people. Do your thoughts ever wander like this while you’re working?
He describes building this house from the materials available to him in the woods, but then he talks about buying “James Collins’ shanty” (did you look up “shanty?”). He repurposes Mr. Collins’ house for use in building this own. Today, we would call this “upcycling” and go to Williamsburg to buy an eco-friendly table made out of repurposed scraps or browse a vintage shop for old clothes to make new again. In the middle of page 26, he compares building a house to a bird building a nest. What’s wonderful in this paragraph is how he then describes the characteristics of specific birds to make a point about people who rent versus the cool kids who build their own houses. In the next very long paragraph that runs onto page 27, he focuses on architecture, using it as a metaphor to say something about people who care more about what’s on the outside than the core values. What else does he use in this comparison? On page 28, after congratulating himself on building a chimney, he calculates how much his house cost. To buy a house today, in NYC, how much do you think it would cost? Look it up if you’re not sure. Then compare it to Thoreau’s little cabin! On the bottom of page 28 and the next couple of pages, he writes about students and tuition. Depending on your future college plans, this should be a very interesting section to you. He’s making a point about the value in not only learning, but actually doing. Instead of reading about life in books, he thinks that students should also practice what they learn. On page 30, he builds the idea expressed in the topic sentence about ‘”colleges’” with several metaphorical examples. You may have to look up what a “telegraph” is and for those of you who are not accounting majors, what is “compound interest.” It may seem to you like he is jumping from topic to topic, but he is really giving examples of what he means that we buy into this idea college guarantees a good life. You’ll notice that Thoreau write a lot about the railroad. This was a relatively new form of travel. Trains moved much faster than horses, were much nosier, and space had to be made for them by cutting down Thoreau’s beloved forests. Think about new inventions that people distrust today and the reasons why. On page 31, he writes about growing his own food. He was learning something new and was very proud of his accomplishments. He’s proud that he can grow what he needs so that he doesn’t have to rely on others for basic survival, although notice how he’s not afraid to ask questions of the local farmers. On page 32, he writes about learning from his mistakes. Maybe you can think of your experience in this class in the same way. You didn’t come in here knowing everything you need to know about academic writing and so you’ll ask questions, make mistakes, and then improve, just like Thoreau does from season to season. On page 32, he explores one of his favorite themes: ownership. Do you ever feel like your phone is the boss of you? Do you run to it when it beeps or chirps? Does it wake you up in the morning and remind you of when your homework is due? He explores this idea of possessions by looking to his surroundings: farmers and farm animals. He then extends that example on page 33 to “nations” and “tombs.” From the bottom of 33 to page 34, he tallies up the money he’s earned and lists the supplies he bought with it to make the point that one doesn’t have to spend a lot of money to have a healthy diet. Page 12 starts in the middle of a paragraph so if you have to go back to page 11 to read the whole thing, please do so because this paragraph is so interesting. In it, he uses the example of an “Indian” selling baskets as a way to make a point about the relationship between labor, wealth, and compassion. The basket seller reminds me of the people selling bottles of water in Corona Park or on the street. In this paragraph Thoreau also does that thing where he takes a word and uses it to mean different things at the same time, comparing someone who “weaves” baskets with someone who “weaves” arguments. You should look up this word to see the various definitions.
We are still in the chapter, “Economy,” and so are keeping that title in mind as we read. I’m going to actually start at the bottom of page 5 where we left off last time because that paragraph starts with a very famous Thoreau quote: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” (5). What does it mean to be desperate? What does it mean to be quietly desperate? Have you ever felt this way? If you’re not sure what the word “mass” means, look it up! Go to your Google Group doc and comment on what you think this sentence means.
CLICK READ MORE ==>> Welcome to the first reading guide for the book we will read together this semester, Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau. I chose it because Thoreau writes about nature and issues having to do with access and enjoyment of our natural world. Like many of you, I live in Queens and can’t always spend time in nature so spending an hour a day in Walden Pond with Thoreau brings some nature into my life. The best way to read this book would be in a classroom where we could sit around in a circle and really dig into to the text together, but COVID had other plans for us so we will just have to make the best of it. Did you purchase the book? I hope so because there’s nothing like the feeling of holding the book in your hands and going through and highlighting your favorite passages. If you didn’t buy the book, however, you can read a free version either on your browser or on your tablet if you have one: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm
Every time you a have a reading in the book, I will post a guide for you, which are basically my thoughts as I read. My guide IS NOT a summary so you will still do the reading on your own. You will have to work really hard to read this book because it was written over a hundred years ago and so the language is old fashioned and difficult. I think—I know—that you will definitely connect to Thoreau’s ideas, which are still relevant today. Before we get started, please take a few minutes to go through my PowerPoint about Henry David Thoreau. This will give you some context for what you read. If the link doesn’t work for you, Let’s get started. This chapter is called “Economy.” Titles are important clues for our reading. They are signals that point us in a particular direction. In this case, we can assume this chapter will have to do with money, such as how much things cost or how money is spent. Economy has another meaning, too. Go ahead and look it up! Keep that second definition in mind as you read. The first paragraph of this chapter is important. It answers the WHO question. We know that “I” is the author of the book, Henry David Thoreau. It answers WHAT (he lived alone in a house he built himself). WHERE is Walden Pond in Concord, MA and WHY is answered in the last sentence of the paragraph. You might have to look up the word “sojourner” to understand it. He ends the next paragraph with the first of many metaphors you will notice as you read. In this one, he is comparing the action of putting on a coat to....what? Understanding the comparisons will help you dig deeper into what he is saying. Thoreau also uses a lot of allusions, some literary and some Biblical. We see a few of these in the next paragraph. You might have to look up some of these; for example, Hercules. In the middle of page 4, he starts a paragraph with the word, “But.” This is a signal to us readers that the writer is moving in an opposite direction from the previous one. He refers here to a “mistake,” which is our clue that he is going to refute a previous point. He follows this with a metaphor and an allusion. On the top of page 5, Thoreau starts discussion “poor” people, which is a subject he will return to again and again in his writing. What do you think he is saying about poor people here? Think about the title of this chapter. We know that he is concerned with money, and in this case, the distribution of money. Finally, in the last paragraph in this section, he talks about “Negro Slavery,” which in the time of this writing, was still legal in the United States. Thoreau was very much against slavery. What are some of his reasons against it in this paragraph? |
Book Order InformationNotes for Reading Guides:1. The page numbers in these Reading Guides correspond to the page numbers in the book listed above. You can also order the book by clicking HERE Resources |