by Henry David Thoreau
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
[I should not obtrude my affairs so much on the notice of my readers]
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
[The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation]
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
[As this business was to be entered into without the usual capital]
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
[I have thought that Walden Pond would be a good place for business]
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
i know what hes talking about but ive never thought of it that way before- I know ice holes are just circles and people put their line down to fish them, but because of club penguin I see it differently in my head and picture an orange fish every single time. With the way he described it as transcendent it makes me think of the rainbow fish from another childhood book. Reading his sometimes whimsical words makes me relive more colorful and imaginative images in my mind. I like that about his writing.
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
Even in the winter time, Thoreau sits and listens to the noises that nature and the animals make. This time with himself, allows him to appreciate and think about nature even if it is too cold for him to go outside and truly experience it. Additionally, while paying close attention to these animals, Thoreau makes sure to recognize their behaviors and patterns that they do.
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
He describes how the Earth itself is always changing and “there is nothing inorganic”. Everything is always constantly changing and this is very powerful on Thoreaus intake of nature and how he personally feels and how he chooses to describe nature from his own feelings and how everything is connected.
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
This section was interesting to me because just as Thoreau is speaking about the peace of nature, he then emphasizes the war between two ants. This, then specifies that all nature is not peaceful and there is conflict and war in everything even nature.
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Posted in: ENGL 340 S24 Geneseo
In this Chapter of Walden, we see Thoreau discussing the beauty of the first few days of spring, which he describes as, “the first tender signs of the infant year just peeping forth.” His observations are quite interesting, as he states that the early signs of the new season are the most fascinating and beautiful parts of nature that people tend to disregard. He also states that people tend to focus on the tiresome aspects of the seasons, such as the bitter cold of winter, and the long rainy periods of spring rather than being grateful to observe the intricate details of the changing of the seasons.
Where I Lived, And What I Lived For 1-12 (1 comment)
What T was trying to say in this paragraph was that a wall that divides humans from nature should not divide them apart. T states that even he had a a tent, he always tried to have contact with the nature (birds) and tried to be part of their world instead of making them being part of his. I really liked how he worded this, it shows the difference between buying a bird and having it domesticated at home instead of being out and both free to explore.
The Bean-Field 9-17 (2 comments)
What a thoughtful reading of this interesting passage, Kira! The manuscript page below and the two that follow it show Thoreau’s draft in the A version:
These images are from HM 924, The Manuscript of Walden, in the Huntington Library Digital Collection.
And here are the relevant images from Versions E and F.
E Version:
F Version:
Visitors 12-18 (1 comment)
Reflecting on “Visitors” as Thoreau developed it between 1846 and 1854, there is a conscious effort to celebrate those individuals on the farthest vestiges of society– not unlike Thoreau himself– and to portray them in a favorable light. He suggests different types of genius in different ways of life, and doesn’t deign to place the value of one genius over another. Thoreau’s ear is impartial. He listens to everyone and everything with equal consideration. The only criticism he offers is of those whose opinions are most often trusted unequivocally by society: ministers, doctors, lawyers, and housewives. There is no reason their words should hold more weight than anyone else’s. In fact, we should doubt their opinions most of all.
Thoreau was a mite more critical of society in earlier versions of “Visitors”– he omits a dramatic passage from the original manuscript, wherein two young women fail to return the water dipper they borrowed from him, and he writes them off as “pariahs of the moral world.” The original ending of “Visitors” were the lines: “these are the folks that worry the man / that lives in the house that I built”, which is a rather pessimistic reaction to society. In later versions, he tailors this chapter around the surprising wisdom we stand to gain from genuine interactions with all people, especially those who are overlooked by society. At this time, Thoreau also helped harbor escaped slaves on their journey to freedom in Canada. Although this occurred for the most part at his parent’s house in Concord (because the house at Walden Pond was too small), he transposes this event to “Visitors”, commenting on the extent of his empathy almost ten years before the Civil War.