WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

Background
1. Who was Henry David Thoreau? Find at least 10 key detail facts about his
background,life,etc.
Henry David Thoreau was an American and Transcendentalist author from
Concord,Massachusetts, who has written thewell known bookWalden(1854)a
reflection on simple life in nature, and Civil Disobedience (1849) an
argumentative essay on disobedience prejudicial state. Born July 12, 1817,
Thoreau was the middle child of four. His father owned a small pencil factory,
where he would occasionally work for employment. At the age of 16, Thoreau
received a scholarship to go to Harvard College 1833. During his years at
Harvard hestudied variouscultures, such as Greek, Latinand German.In 1837
hegraduatedfromcollegeandventuredintotheeducationfield.Thoreauandhis
olderbrother John buildaschoolin 1838. TheThoreau'sschooldidnotlastvery
long,John became ill andthejourneycame toanend.HenryThoreauthenwent
to work forhis father forawhile inthefactoryandat atimeworkedforhisclose
friendRalphWaldoEmersonasacaretaker.Emerson,alsoanothergreatauthor,
was a good friend andmentor ofThoreau.Emersonhadan enormous influence
onThoreau.He encouragedThoreautoadventuretheworldofliterature,starting
with keeping a journal. Some of Thoreau's first work was published in a
Transcendentalist magazine called The Dial. Before Thoreau's famous writings
he wrotenature poems withEmersonin the 1840s.In1845 Thoreau encamped
on Walden Pond, owned by Emerson. Thoreau loved natureand and its spirits.
He spent more than two years on that land of Waldencreating a simplelife for
himselfandbuildingandcatchinglife'snecessitiesbyhand.Forexample,hebuilt
a small cabin in the woods, caught his own food and created his own
entertainment. At times he was employed at his family's pencil factory or as a
land surveyor. Thoreau'smost famouswork, Walden,was performed at Walden
Pond. The wilderness of Walden inspired Thoreau towrite.He kept journals on
any and everything that he had done or experienced including a canoe trip he
made with John years before. He then began to edit his journal entries. Those
edited journal entries were used to make of various books. One being his first
book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Hethen also rewrotehis
journal entries and crafted them into another book calledWalden. After Walden
was published it did not getalotof interest,itwasn'tuntil later when it became
well known and or a American literature masterpiece. Another piece of
Thoreau's, Civil Disobedience, was also inspired by something he had
experienced and believed in. Thoreau was a abolitionist. He was against the
Mexican War and slavery. Thoreau, in 1846, decided toprotestagainst slavery
andthe Mexican Warbyrefusingto paypolltaxes, he wasthenjailed.Thenext
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

day he was released but only on the terms of paying his owed taxes, which
another paid. Thoreauthengave a lecture on resistingthegovernmentandfrom
there refined his thought into his provocative essay. Thoreau never published
anymore bigprojectsafterWalden, buthe didwrite essays,journal, anddeliver
lectures. Thoreau was alsoanactive abolitionist. He directedescaped slavesto
trains heading to Canada. He was also connected with John Brown. In 1859,
when Brown was hanged,Thoreau spoke athis memorialservice that washeld
in Concord. In Thoreau
s later years he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The
cause of his development may have been from inhaling graphite dust while he
worked a the pencil factory. While battling the disease he was put on bed rest
andhad a hard timespeaking. May 6,1862,before his fortieth birthday,hedied
surroundedbyfamily.
2.WhydidThoreaugointothewoods?Whatwashisgoal?
Henry David Thoreau ventured into the woodsto experiment whether or notthe
luxuries oflifeareneededforsurvival.Hisgoalwastomakealivinginthewoods
using nothing but whathecouldprovide for himself. Hefeltasthat living simply
would keep him from themiserythat hisfellowmenfelt.In other words hewent
to live life simply.
I went to the woods because I wishedto live deliberately, to
front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to
teach,andnot,whenIcametodie,discoverthatIhadnotlived
(74).
3.WhowasRalphWaldoEmerson,andhowdidhisideasinfluenceThoreau?
RalphWaldo Emerson wasan American essayist, lecturer,poetandaleaderof
the Transcendentalist movement. Emerson had an enormous influence on
Thoreau. One examplebeingEmerson exposed Thoreau to Transcendentalism,
the thought that empirical and spiritual thinking is more important than the
physicalworld. BecauseThoreau wasaTranscendentalist his beliefhad agreat
influence withinhiswork.AnotherexampleofhowEmersoninfluencedThoreau's
Walden Pond, whereThoreau wasinspiredtowriteWalden.Emersonownedthe
land that Thoreau encamped. Emerson himself kept a journal and also
encouraged Thoreau to commit himself to writing by keeping a journal. The
journals that Thoreau had kept were revamped into the writings ofWalden and
manymore.

Introduction
1. Early in the introduction Jonathan Levin argues that by moving to Walden Pond
Thoreau was "stripping away all superfluous luxuries" (xiii). What are today's
superfluousluxuries?Aretherebenefitstolivingwithoutthem?
Today'ssuperfluous luxuries are money, big houses, abundanceofclothes,cars
and materialistic things, even water.These unnecessaryluxuriesare wantsthat
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

are often mistaken for necessities. One benefit of living without superfluous
luxuries isbeingable to live without themto truly appreciate the value ofhaving
them.Other benefits areindividualism and pride. Allweneedashumansarethe
basic needs of food,safe shelter,waterand food, butsocietymakesitseemlike
wehavetohaveanabundanceofthesebasicneeds.
2. What are some of the ways that Thoreau attempted to "recover" wildness? What
madewildnessimportanttoThoreau?
Thoreau attempted to "recover" wildness by moving to Walden and finding
simplicity. Hedid so by eliminating thefactorof "fastdelivery"andgoingoutand
doing things on his own. Anything he did was his own labor, anything from
hoeing beansto building hiscabin.Heventuredoutofhiscabinandroamed the
woods enjoying the rawness nature possessed and observing the underlying
simplicity of life, average, independent and simple. Wildness was important to
Thoreau not because of the savageness that came along withitbut the hidden
simplicityof it.Partofhispersonalbeliefswasonecouldonlytrulyappreciatethe
greater truths of life if they could experience wildness. He felt that wildness
presents the opportunity of finding the greater truths of life and appreciating
them.
3.WhymightJamesRussellLowellarguethatThoreauisahypocrite?
Lowell argues Thoreau is a hypocrite because Thoreau argued and advocated
for independence, but everyresources he used from the axe he used to cut
wood for his cabin to the land he squatted on was owned by another man.He
judged andcriticized others about notgoingout andgettingthingson theirown,
buthedidnotretrievethesethingsonhisownnorpaidtorentthem.
4. What are some major historical events that took place while Thoreau was actively
writingandpublishing?Pickoneandexplainhowitinfluencedhiswork.
One major event that washappening wasslavery.Eventhoughslaveryisavery
hardandcontroversialtopicThoreauwasinspiredbecauseofthat.Hedidalotof
work protesting against the government,who at thetime supported slavery. His
night in jail for not paying poll taxes was an act ofprotestand even inspired to
thewritingsofCivilDisobedience.
5. In certainplaces in theintroduction theauthor's style shifts from seriously academic
as he describes "a work suffused with mythopoeia" (xxix) to more accessible and
conversational: "you aren't going to be able to find one at the local hardware store
anytimesoon"(xxxii).Whywouldhechoosetocombinethesetwostylesofwriting?
Lowell mighthaveshiftedthetoneofvoiceoftheintroductiontomodelhatwillgo
on in the following chapters. Topics in the book are serious and sophisticated,
whileothersareconversationalbyaskingalotofquestions.


WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

Economy
1. On page 9 Thoreau states, "Most men, even in this comparatively free country,
through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the fractious cares and
superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. Their
fingers, from excessivetoil,aretoo clumsyand trembletoo much forthat. Actually,the
laboring man hasnot leisure foratrue integrity day by day he cannot affordtosustain
the manliestrelations tomen hislabor would bedepreciated inthe market. He hasno
time to be anything but a machine.How canheremember well his ignorance which
his growth requires who has oftento usehis knowledge?Weshouldfeedandclothe
him gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with ourcordials, beforewe judge ofhim.
Thefinestqualities ofour nature,likethe bloomon fruits,can bepreservedonlybythe
mostdelicatehandling,Yetwedonottreatourselvesnoroneanotherthustenderly."
Identify 2 figurative language elements (simile, personification, alliteration, etc.)
thatThoreau uses inthis paragraph and explainhow those 2 elements helphim
makehispoint.
Thephrase in the paragraph "Thefinestqualitiesofournature,likethebloomon
fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling, Yet wedo nottreat
ourselves nor one another thus tenderly," is a simile because it compares the
knowledge of people to the bloom of a fruit. What he is saying here is thatthe
most important part of who people are and what makes one different from
another, such as knowledge of people is not treated with love and care like it
should be. Secondly the phrase
... finer fruits cannot be plucked by them,
is a
metaphor. Thoreaudescribeshowmenaretooconsumedinsuperfluousluxuries
and are working themselves to death to obtain them that they are not able to
experience and appreciate the true meaning of life. He also uses another
metaphor in the phrase
He has no time tobeanything but a machine.
Thoreau
gives an exampleof howmenworkintheirdailylives.Amachineisadevicethat
performs a particular task, in other words men are working to just perform a
particular task for a paycheck so they can then go spenditon desired luxuries
thatsoonerorlaterthey
llgrowtiredofitorwillbetoosick ortiredtotrulyenjoyit.
Mengothroughthemotionsuntiltheyrunthemselvesdownandwhentheydoso
they are thrown away by their employer and a new, younger
machine
replaces
them.
2. Onpage 11,Thoreau states,
Themass of men leadlivesofquietdesperation.What
is called resignation is confirmed desperation. Fromthe desperate city you gointothe
desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and
muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

calledthe games andamusements ofmankind.Thereisnoplayinthem,forthiscomes

afterwork.Butitisacharacteristicofwisdomnotdodesperatethings.

WhatisThoreaustatinghereandexplainwhyyouagree/disagreewithhim.
In the phrase Thoreau states that menareleading lives withnomeaning. They
work their depressing 95 jobs and are eager toracehome. Majority work their
job(s) to pay bills or to purchase luxuries, not for the enjoyment. I agree with
Thoreau because much of the working class are working themselves to death,
not really knowing they
re doing so. Their attempting to reach the top, but in
realityaredigging theirgrave. For many whentheydogettothetopthey
reworn
out.
3. Writing StyleAnalysis:Thoreau lovesusingsemicolons in hiswriting.Take a lookat
oneexample on page10 inthelastparagraph:
Itishardtohaveasouthernoverseerit
is worse to have a northern one but worst of all when you are the slavedriver of
yourself.

What effect does it have on you as the reader when Thoreauuses semicolons
likethis?Whydoeshedothat?
Using semicolons throughout combines to phrases that were similar to one
another into onesentence. Thoreaudid this to furtherdefine oraddemphasisto
makehispointmorecleartothereader.
4. Onpage 22 about 8 linesupfromthe bottompage,Thoreau states,
Isay,bewareof
all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.
Why
washesosuspiciousofnewclothes?WhatdoesclothingsymbolizetoThoreau?
Thoreausaw clothesasadisguise.People useclothesandothermaterialthings
to mask who they are and pretend to be someone else. Wearing clothes that
don
t symbolize yougivesafalseperspectivetoothersofwhoyouare.Whenyou
send out false information people make false judgments based on that
information or your clothes. Thoreau believed in equality. The clothes on you
back,ragedornew,shouldnotdeterminehowpeopletreatyou.
5. On pages 50 and51, aswell as inother partsof Walden,Thoreau keeps incredibly
detailed records ofexpenditures andrevenue.Whatisthepurposeofhimkeepingsuch
detailedrecords?HowdoesithelphimmakehispointinEconomy?
Keepingextensive detailon hisjourney allowedThoreautogivedirectexamples
and created interconnection between him in the woods and the reader reading
about him in the woods. Also it allowedhim tovalidatethatonlynecessities are
prioritytoleadahealthylifestyle.
6. What are the essential elements of life according to Thoreau? What are the
nonessentialelements?
The essential elements of life are basic necessities, such as shelter, food,
clothing and water. Nonessential elements would be too much of necessary
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

elements, such as anexcessiveamountofclothes,food,waterandhousing.The

American dream essentially is living lavishly having a huge house, many cars,
thousandpairsofoutfitsandshoes.
7. This chapter is entitled
Economy
. Economy has multiple meanings. Look up the
definition of the word Economy and select the definition that most fits Thoreau
s
meaninginthischapter.Pleasecopythedefinitiondownandputitinquotationmarks.
Economy:
the management of the resources of a community, country, etc.,
especiallywithaviewtoitsproductivity.

WhereIlivedandwhatIlivedfor
1. Reread the sentence that begins
I wanted to live deep...
on page 74. Why is this
sentencesolong?
Toclarify whyhewanted totrulyenjoy lifefor himselfnot foradollarbillthatwill
leadhometothegrave.
2. Thoreau repeats the word simplify throughout the chapter. What is the effect of
repeatingthisconcept?
The effect of repetition, in this case repeating simplify, is to reinforce the
messageofthebook.
3. Onpage 75,Thoreauadvisesto
keepyouraccountsonyourthumbnail.
Explain this
metaphoranddiscussThoreau
spurposeinusingit.Howcanitapplyintoday
ssociety?
What Thoreau means here always keep your involvements, commitments,
agendaclosebysothatyoucanalwaysreferbacktostayprioritized.
4. What inventions, new in Thoreau
s day, does he question the value of? What
inventions,newinyourday,wouldyouquestionthevalueof?
In Thoreau's dayhequestionedtheinventionof thetelegraphandtherailroad.In
present day I question the invention of the thought of luxuries, such as houses
with 5 or more bedrooms, etc for a single individual. I could see a large family
living in such a large house but not a single individual or a couple of people.
What isthe pointor needto havemore than you canuseorneed?Whyisliving
in a mansionagoal of themajority? Why is having too muchofeverythingseen
assuccess?

Reading
1. Thoreau opensthis chapterwith a claim aboutwhat lasts.Restate the argumenthe
makesinyourownwords.
Thoreau states thejoy of materialisticthings and money onlyprovide shortterm
happiness andsoon we
re onto the next. But whatwill getyouto placesthatwill
trulymakeyouhappyisknowledgeandknowingyourtrueself.
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

2. On page 82 and 83, Thoreau discusses the

mother tongue
and the
father tongue.

What distinctions does he make between the two? What attitude does this convey?
Explain.
Theway Thoreauportrays themother tongue is less respectable than the father
tongue. The mother tongue is the stereotype of mother
s loving and the father
tongueisasternandhardtoread.
3. The first full paragraph on page 83 (beginning with
How much...
) contains several
wordsinitalics.WhymightThoreauhavechosentoitalicizethosewordsinparticular?
Thoreau may have italicizedcertainwordsthroughout the book to emphasizeto
readers that those words are ones to pay attention to and contribute greatly to
themessage.
4. At thebottomof page83,Thoreau writes about Alexanderthe IIIandhowhecarried
around a copy of the IIIiad. He then remarks how the
written word...is at once more
intimatewithusandmoreuniversal.
Explainwhathemeantbythisparadox.
Words no matter what language are universal. Everyone can understand them,
but everyone interpretsthem differentlyand carries different messages from the
piecethattheycarrywiththem.
5. Thoreau says,
Most men havelearnedtoread toserveapaltryconvenience,asthey
have learned to cipher in order to keep account and not be cheated in trade...
What
argumentishemakinghere?Whatattitudedoesthisconvey?
The argument he makes here is that majority of men are capable to perform
intensive work and are acknowledged, but others who are intellectual aren't as
recognized. This may conveydesperation for acknowledgment andinsecurity of
thoselikeThoreau.
6. How does Thoreau feel about reading? Select 5 key phrases or sentences from
throughout thechapter (cite page numbers), thatbestillustrate hisbelief.Doyouagree
ordisagreewithhisperspective?Explain!
Reading is a must for Thoreau. I agree with him, it
s a crucial way to build
knowledge, and can do powerful things and allows words to be conveyed in
manydifferentwaystodiversereaders.
1.
It may be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually
breathedfromallhumanlips
(83).
2. Moreover,withwisdomweshallleanliberality
(88).
3. It issomethingat oncemore intimate withusandmoreuniversalthananyother
workofart
(83).
4. Booksmustbereadasdeliberatelyandreservedlyastheywerewritten
(82).
5.
Awrittenwordsisthechoicestofrelics
(83).


WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

Solitude
1. Before you read this chapter, describe what you associate with the word
solitude.

Doesithavepositiveornegativeconnotationsforyou?Explain.
I associate the word
solitude
withthepunishmentsystemusedinjail,wherethey
send inmates to solitary consignment. I would define solitude as the state of
beingaloneorconfined.
2. Thoreau opensthischapterusingwordsthatweoftenassociatewith foodtodescribe
the evening environment around him. For example, he says the evening is
delicious

and that it is such a pleasant evening, in fact, that

the whole body...imbibes delight
througheverypore
(104).WhatisThoreau
spurposeinmakingthesecomparisons?
Thoreau
s purpose for using words associated with food to engage readers.
People can better understand something if theycan associate with it. Ifreaders
canassociatewiththatthey
rereadinghispointwillcomeacrossbetter.
3. On page 105, at the end of the paragraph that is a continuation from page 104,
Thoreauusesthewords
dark,

black,
and
night
repeatedly.Why?
Toemphasizethesenseoflonelinessthedarknesscreates.
4. WhatdoesThoreaumeanwhenhesays,
Wearefor themostpartmorelonelywhen
wegoabroadamongmenthanwhenwestayinourchambers
?(109).
Being among others does not necessarily mean you have company. You truly
havecompanywhenyoucanconnectintellectuallywithanotherorevenyourself.
5.Inthelastparagraphonpage109,beginningwith
Societyiscommonlytoocheap,

Thoreau
s tone shifts. What is his tone in this section and why/when does his
attitudechange?Identifyspecificwordsandphrasesthatdenotethischange.
Thoreau shifts into a more impatient or annoyed tone. He believes society
s
conversations are becoming ingenuine, unliving. On page 109 he states,
We
meetatveryshortintervals...Wemeetatmealsthreetimesaday,andgiveeach
other a newtasteofthatoldmustycheesethatweare.Wehavehadto agreeon
a certain set of rules called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent
meetingtolerable...
(109).
6. Thelastfullparagraphonpage110references
anoldsettler
and
anelderlydame.

Find the end not that explains these references. Why would Thoreau include this
paragraph at this point? How does it fit with the overall point he is making in this
chapter?
Thoreau included this in the paragraph because it fits with the overall point of
solitude. Solitude has led the old settler and elderly dame to wisdom and
happiness where one can bealone andthink deeper uponlife
s valuesand how
toprogresswisely.


WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

7. On page 111, Thoreau asks,

Am I not partly leavesand vegetablemould myself?

Explain this metaphor in your own words. Do you agree or disagreewith hisassertion
here?Explainyourperspective.
Themetaphor Thoreauusesheretorepresent thatheiswhatheisandcanonly
use the cards he
s dealt. The fact that he used two things related to the earth
shows howmuchhevaluesandlooksatnatureanditsconnections.Avegetable
mouldis something thattakeshollow form,with decayedplantsandsoilinside.I
interpretation of this metaphor is the exterior of someone can be hard, look a
certain way and take form based on their surroundings, but their inside doesn't
reflect the outside.AleaveI interpretassinglesbeinginlined and fitting inwith
the rest of the leaves on the tree. The leaves slowly onebyone fall off and
venture different paths.I agree becauseI havedifferentbeliefsandvaluesthan
theworldaround,butIhavealsoadaptedtotheworldaroundme.
8. Thefirstquestion ofthis section askedaboutyour take on the idea ofsolitude. Now
that you have read the chapter, describe how Thoreau feels about solitude. What are
yourthoughts?
Thoreau believes solitude can help developwisdomand intelligence. One thing
thatThoreau appreciates about solitudeisthestateofbeingalonewithonlyyour
thoughts.

Visitors
1.
I have had twentyfive or thirtysouls,with their bodies,at onceundermy roof, and
yet we often parted without being aware that we had come very near toone another

(112).Howisthismessageabouthumaninteractionapplicabletoday?
I believe it's relevant to thepresent becausenowadayspeoplearepassive and
are taught to be. We don
t really give ourselves the opportunity to get to know
someone deeper than surface level characteristics and facts. We don't want to
get involved with anything that is not bothering ourselves but maybe bothering
someoneelsebecauseofthefearthatgettinginvolvedmayharmus.
2.
The bullet of your thought must have overcome its lateraland ricochet motion and
fallen into its last andsteadycoursebefore it reaches the ear ofthehearer,elseitmay
plow out again through the side of his head
(112). What figurative device isThoreau
using here? Why is it effective? Why did he choose this specific device to get his
messageacross?
The figurative device used here is personification. Thoreau gives the bullet a
humancharacteristic.Hismessagegetsacrossbydevelopinghowathoughtcan
bestrong,forceful anddeadly like a bullet,butthewaythethoughtisinterpreted
is unknown. People register things differently. The thought that the original
personcanbesuccessfullyorunsuccessfullypresentedandpurchased.
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

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3. Thoreau spendsquite a bit of timedescribingtheCanadian woodchopper.Whatare

some words/phrases that stick out to you in his description of him? How do these
words/phrasesconveyThoreau
sattitudeaboutthewoodchopper?
Thoreau's attitude of the Canadian woodchopper is of high admiration and
respect.
who made his last supper on a woodchuck which his dog caught...

(115).
He was cast in the coarsest mould...gracefully carried... He came along
early, crossingmy beanfield,thoughwithout anxiety or haste toget to hiswork,
suchasYankees exhibit.He wasn't
t agoingto hurthimself.He didn't
tcareifhe
only earned his board. (116). Thoreaudescribes the woodchopper as a happy,
humble, stress free individual. The woodchopper wasn
t obsessed with
superfluous luxuries, but rather did what made him happy and at that was
appreciative.
4. Rereadthe paragraphthatbegins
Restlesscommittedmen
onpage122.Whydoes
Thoreauuse dashes repeatedlyin thisparagraph?Whateffectdoesithave?Howdoes
ithelphimachievehispoint?
The paragraph holds many questions. Thoreau uses the dashes to further
explain, to add his input and ultimately make his point. The dashes also allow
readerstothinkfurtherindepthofthequestionthemselves.
5. The Center for Learning claims 75% of Americans do not know their neighbors.
WouldthisbotherThoreau?Whyorwhynot?
This fact would definitely bother Thoreau because he isallfor people gettingto
know each other deeplyespeciallywhen opportunitiesarepresentedratherthan
toleratingoneanother.

Spring
1. Thoreau spendsa lot oftimedetailing theprecise,small changesthathappentothe
pondsandthelandwhenSpringcomes.Whydoyouthinkhedidthat?
Thoreaukeptdetail of thepond becausehetrulyvalued andappreciated nature
and how hecould keeprecord of Springto prepare him andothers forwhatthe
futuremayhold.
2. Look at thelastparagraph on page240whereThoreauisdescribingSpring.Whatis
the tone (author
s attitude) that Thoreau has toward Spring? Identify key words and
phrasesthatconveyhistone.
As Thoreau is describing Spring you canalmosthearthe excitement.He has a
tone of fascination andthankfulness ofwhatSpringprocesses.
The earthisnot
a mere fragment of dead history...but living property...a living earth...You may
melt your metals and cast them intothe mostbeautiful mouldsyoucantheywill
neverexcitemeliketheformswhichthismoltenearthflowsoutinto
(241).
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

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3.Thoreauusesfigurativelanguage throughoutthischapter.Findanexampleofhisuse
ofafigurativelanguagetechniqueandexplainhowithelpshimmakehispoint.

Walden was dead and is alive again
(243). My interpretation of this phrase is
the dark, cold, and slough ofthe winterseason isthe death of Walden, but the
blooming of fruits brings Walden alive again. Another phrase that also has the
same theme is,
I know of nothing more purgative of winter fumes and
indegestions. It convinces me the Earth is still in her swaddling clothes, and
stretches forth baby fingers on every side. Fresh curls spring from the baldest
brow
(240). These phrases of personification and hyperbole help make
Thoreau
spointofhowSpringisarejuvenatingseasonbecausetheworldaround
can be so dark and depressing but something assmallasSpring canmake all
thedifferenceinahappierlife.
4. Thoreau endsthechapter stating that heleft Walden on September6th, 1847. Why
doyouthink he endedthischapter with that bit ofinformation?Howdoeshisdeparture
fromWaldenconnecttotheideaofSpring?
Tosimply statethat Springwas the last ofhiswritingatWaldenPond.Thoreau
s
theory ofSpring isthetime of theyearwhere lifeis poured back intothepeople
and their foggy eyes of the tortuous winter are cleared. Thoreau
s journey to
WaldenwashisSpringrejuvenating.Hefoundhimselfandhistruths.

Conclusion
1. Look at theparagraphon page 250.Whatishesayinghere?Payparticularattention
totheline,
Theuniverseiswiderthanourviewofit.

Thoreau is saying that our eyes can only see what we come incontact withor
seethrough a screen. We
reonly exposed tothelensofthesurfacebyour eyes,
butthereismoreouttherethanoureyescansee.
2. Robert Frost, the famous poet, wrotethat
tworoadsdiverged intothe woods and I
took the one lesstraveledby and thathadmadeallthedifference.
Connectthisquote
withwhatThoreausaysinthischapteraboutroutinesandthewellwornpath.
Thewornpathsmentionedbybothrepresentsthemanytemptationsoflife.Many
godown the similar roadsbecause they have the endgoal of luxuriesandliving
above their means. Thoreau and Frost both ventured theunworn paths andfor
Thoreau he went and followed the unworn toWaldenPond wherehefoundhis
truths and life values. The message of this chapter and the quote of Frost is:
eventhoughwe live insuch a world and aresurroundedbyfourwallsweshould
notletlifebelimitedtojustthat.
3. Thoreau is fond of using rhetorical questions throughout his writing. Pick one
rhetoricalquestion from this chapter. Writeitdown,explainwhatheissayingwithitand
howithelpshimmakehispoint.
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

Thoreau asks
Why level downward toourdullest perceptionalways, andpraise
thatascommon sense?He issayingthat society doesn't appreciateamanasa
whole, but onlyathirdof hiswit.Foolishness andignoranceisoftenpraisedand
seen as common sense. The things that life offers should be appreciated and
praised,butaren't.
4. Look at thelastparagraph on page261. What does hemeanwhenheendsWalden
by saying,
Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is moredayto dawn.
Thesunisbutamorningstar
?Ishisendingoptimisticorpessimistic?
Optimism. The last paragraph of 261 draws the conclusion that your purpose,
your truths, your passions, or your to do list does not end when the sun goes
down or whenthe sunrises. We oftenplantoomuchforthefuture,likeweknow
what it holds, but we don't know. We should live for the enjoyment thatcomes
withpassion,purpose,truthsortodolists.
5. Look over the chaptertitlesof
Walden
.Whydo youthinkThoreauchosetoorderthe
chapters the way that he did? How does his organization structure helpestablishand
develophisoverallargument?
The organization of the chapters is to create a constant build of the point
Thoreau wants to get across. Each chapter educates and gives perspective to
thereader.

CivilDisobedience
1. On page 267 Thoreau states,
The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men
mainly,butasmachines,with their bodies.They arethestanding army, andthemilitia,
jailers, constables, posse comitatus, etc. In most cases there is no free exercise
whateverof the judgment orofthemoralsensebuttheyputthemselvesonalevelwith
wood and earth and stones and wooden men can perhaps be manufacturedthat will
serve the purpose as well.
What figurative language device do you see here? What
pointisThoreautryingtomake?
The figurative language used here isa metaphor.Thoreau iscomparing mento
machines. The work of men is ordered by a foreseer. Men areunknowinglyare
takingorders andthreatentobe
whipped
iftheynot.Whenonebreaksdownand
cannotberepairedthey
resenttothejunkyard.
2. On page 270 look at the paragraph that starts with
All voting is a sortof gaming...

Look at Thoreau
s use of italics. He italicized certain words like
forthe right

,
doing
,
They

,and

his
.Whydoeshedothat?Howdoesithelphomemakehispoint?
He italicized the specific words forreaders to identify the votersandtheslaves.
This helpshimmakehispointbylesseningtheimportanceofthegroupofvoters.
Totakethe attentionoff,or make less, the votersandmoreonthosewhowould
notbenefitfromthevotes,butrathersuffermore.
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WaldenandCivilDisobediencebyHenryDavidThoreauAssignment

JaleahPrice

3. On page 272 in the second paragraph Thoreau states,

Those who, while they
disapprove of the character and measures of agovernment,yieldto it their allegiance
and support are undoubtedly its most conscientious supporters, and sofrequentlythe
mostseriousobstaclestoreform.
Whatishesayinghereanddoyouagreewithhim?
What Thoreau is sayinghereis those whosomuchoppose and are againstthe
government are actually the government's crucial supporters and are against
governmentchange.
4. At thetop of page273inthefirstparagraph,heusesaseriesofrhetoricalquestions.
Whatisthereasonhedidthat?Howdoesithelpmakehispoint?
The point of the rhetorical questions is for the reader to self reflect. It helps
Thoreau get his point across by allowing readers to think andmaybe look back
ontheirownruninstounjustlaws.
5. On page 275, he states,
Castyourwhole vote, not a stripofpapermerely, butyou
whole influence...If a thousandmen werenotto pay their taxbills this year,that would
not be a violent andbloody measure,asitwould be topay them, and enable the state
to commitviolenceand shed innocent blood. This is, infact,thedefinitionofpeaceable
revolution,ifanysuchispossible.
Whatishesayinghere?

Thoreau is saying that the votes men casted never merely affected them, but
insteadtheslaves.Notpayingtaxeswouldcreateaseverefight.Therewouldbe
nobloodshedofthestringpullers,butthepuppets(slaves).
6. Explain how this quote from question 5 connects to an event in history or to
somethingthathashappenedinoursocietytoday.
I would say it relates to the various incidents happening today with Black lives
being taken away. Many whohave protestedandraisedtheirvoicesfortheir lost
love ones and their people have shown immense bravery. They'
ve risked their
livesandsadlymanywhohavedonesuchalsolefttheworkincoldblood.
7. On page 276 in the middle of the page, Thoreau states,
Absolutely speaking, the
more money, the less virtue for money comes between a man and his object, and
obtainsthem forhim anditwas certainlynogreat virtue toobtain it.
Thoreaugoeson
to explain his point further in the paragraph. What reasons does he have for his
viewpoint?
What I decipher from this is once men has reached the top their focus and
genuineness that they had as poorhumble men are lost and their hunger for
luxuriesgrowdangerous.
8.Thoreauendedupinjail.Why?Doyoubelievehewenttojailforagoodreason?
Thoreauwent tojail for not paying hispolltaxes. Hedid this tosupportabolition
of slavery. I agree because he did notjusttalk totalkhetookaction in whathe
believed and went after those, the government, that supported such an
outrageousthing.
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