[Melissa Rao]

Even though Thoreau utilizes some primitive tools in this section, I do not think that he is going back on his previous statements regarding technology because it seems that he is merely going for the most simplistic way of accomplishing his goals, and to do that he needed specific tools that could not be found on the floor of nature.  I believe that in this context the definition of technology comes down to the general assumption that this class has made regarding Thoreau in that he was adamantly against what he considered unnecessary technology or things that satisfied the “wants” in life rather than the “needs”.  I feel that I would not necessarily consider these specific tools technology based on the standards that Thoreau set in Walden regarding technology.

[Melissa Rao]

I agree with Darby, and definitely see Kelly’s point about technology creating a larger space for argument, dissent, and even war, however I believe that with the plethora of technology that is available to us, social mobility can be accomplished by superseding the traditional avenues of moving up the social and corporate ladders, and I do not necessarily think that is such a bad thing.  If you think about it, without the invention of the telegraph, telephone, or even fax machine, communication between great thinkers and inventors and those with revolutionary ideas would have been limited to hand delivered letters or even simply by word of mouth.  With the invention of so many great communication tools, especially the computer and the Internet, those with ideas that could change the world could get their ideas out in the open in the blink of an eye.  Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and other fundraising websites have helped so many people with great ideas circumvent the traditional route of getting their voice heard, and have helped those people move up the social and corporate ladder much more easily.  Technology is something that we should take advantage of to make our dreams a reality and can make social mobility more real for those who may not have otherwise had the chance to move up in the world.

[Melissa Rao]

I definitely agree with both Ali and Emily in that it is very important to be able to go out into nature and experience it for yourself in order to supplement your reading about it, however as an education major I cannot help but think of our schooling system today and how that is not necessarily always a viable option for teachers to pursue whilst teaching literature.  If a high school english teacher in Concord, Massachusetts was having her students read Walden it would obviously be an amazing teaching opportunity to have her students go on a field trip to Walden pond and experience nature as Thoreau did himself, however with public school extracurricular funding consistently decreasing and decreasing, that may not be an experience that her students would be able to have.  So, to bring it back to the question I think that experiencing nature is a wonderful supplement to the information and experiences that reading alone can give you, but I believe it is absolutely more important to gain knowledge from reading first, and then have supplements come second, as they may not always be there for you to use.

[Melissa Rao]

I definitely agree with Emily’s point in that although the aesthetic form of a text may have an impact on a reader’s experience, it is ultimately up to the reader to determine what he or she gains from the reading of that text.  I personally feel that the medium in which i read has little to no effect on my understanding of the particular text of which I read, however I believe that this is a point of contention in our increasingly digitized society.  I have witnessed heated debates between traditional, paper-in-hand readers and those who use other mediums such as their iPhones, e-readers, and laptops to read upon contest the idea of whether or not the form of a text has any effect on the reader’s overall experience.  With the digitization of society I feel that a divide has sprung itself up introducing two distinct points of view that argue that reading in any form but the traditional paper form makes the experience less about gathering information, or that argue that reading in any form is reading nonetheless and should not be deemed “less than” due to the medium in which the text is read upon.  I believe that it will be a very long time until this argument can come to fruition.

[Melissa Rao]

I have to agree with the points made above, in that traditional book reading is still a necessary and present force in our education system and that is essential to education and success in life, however I believe that it is getting less and less important as our world becomes increasingly digitized.  Traditional, sit-down, paper-in-you-hand reading is becoming more and more obsolete as books, newspapers, magazines, and more are turning to internet publications or online subscription based services to reach their readers.  Many teachers and professors allow their students to purchase the books or textbooks they need for class on their laptops, kindles, nooks, or tablets.  This being said, many students do not have to rely on traditional book reading in order to read up on current events, learn what happened in the Civil War, or to acquire the skills that they will need to succeed in their future careers.  Sure they may still need a hardcover book or two in the course of their studies, but wouldn’t you think that a software engineer, or a graphic designer, or a webpage developer (all relatively common professions today) will learn the majority of the skills they need to succeed on the internet or by using some sort of digital interface?  I do believe that traditional book reading still plays a major role in our education system, but I think that its importance is decreasing at the same rate that our digitization of society is increasing.

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