Try this: https://kahoot.it/challenge/0767247
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Tuesday
Remember that you are writing an analysis essay. Here is an example of a "rough" draft from 2014.
http://alsaplanguageclass.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-01-12T17:49:00-08:00&max-results=7&start=17&by-date=false
http://alsaplanguageclass.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-01-12T17:49:00-08:00&max-results=7&start=17&by-date=false
Saturday, 25 November 2017
Monday
ESSAY QUESTION:
As describe in Walden what is Thoreau's assessment of American
Culture (what is wrong with it)? Using specific evidence from the text
discuss and outline his argument. Then respond to it. Do you agree or
disagree with his insights?
This issue should cover the entire book - not just "Economy" - meaning you should trace his argument chapter - by - chapter also (think Structure), and use specific evidence from various section of the text. Note, this essays needs to be at least five pages. It can be longer.
NOTE- this is due of FRIDAY. You will have most of the week to work on it in class.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year (Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure in which pairs of chapters present thematic counterpoints to each other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs. "Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living, however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
NOTE- this is due of FRIDAY. You will have most of the week to work on it in class.
As far as structure goes, think about the following the cycle of a year (Summer - Spring), and find parallels (Pond in Summer vs Pond in Winter). These parallels will have interrelated ideas or a return or expansion on an ideal. Further think about the dialectical structure in which pairs of chapters present thematic counterpoints to each other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs. "Visitors").
You should also look at the Thoreau's continue assessment of American or Human culture. It is in all chapters - through, it is more subtle in most (examples will be shown below).
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living, however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
Think about particular themes of the book.
Solitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
Chapter 12: Brute Neighbors
Poet and Hermit (both might be Thoreau): Shall I go to Heaven or a-fishing?
Battle between the spiritual naturals of man and animal. The poet wants to go fishing (to survive) but gets lost in the beauty of nature. The Hermit wants to meditate but is more practical about how to go about fishing (where to find worms etc).
Then, there is a transition to "ANIMALS". Who are the brutes in this chapter?
There is a famous "War of the Ants" scene in this chapter. Thoreau discusses how this war has been recorded by many writers (hyperbole) and how this war has been going on since the beginning of time. Thoreau is unsure of what they are fighting about, but the war is compared to classical literature (bringing in the human aspect), and it is a war between Ant Races. This is a way for Thoreau to discuss WAR in general, but it is also a subtle allusion to the Mexican-American War.
Chapter 13: House Warming
Fall. You should be thinking about the cycle of life. Thoreau prepares for Winter, building a chimney, plastering his cabin (self-reliance). The Pond freezes and Thoreau is able to look through the ice itself and see the bottom of the pond (Think Pond as the Eye of the World here).
Chapter 14: Former Inhabitants and Winter Neighbors
Remember chapters contrast with the previous chapter.
"For human society, I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods" (246).
"...pranks of a demon not distinctly named in old mythology, who has acted a prominent and astounding part in our New England lief and deserves...to have his story told."
Like "Brute Neighbors" Thoreau alludes to problems in humans. He receives few visitors in winter, but the woods are filled with ghosts of former inhabitants and he tells some of their stories. Micah related this to Chief Seattle and how the past is always with use.
Note, the demon he speaks of is Rum. Think about "Civil Disobedience". Rum was made in New England from molasses shipped from the West Indies. This rum was then sent to West Africa to purchase slaves for the West Indies. So even abolitionists in New England profited off the slave trade.
Many of the former inhabitants that Thoreau mentions are either former or run-away slaves, or alcoholics of some sort. What's the connection?
Chapter 15: Winter Animals
Walking on the frozen pond. Listening to and visiting animals (contrast with previous chapter). There is a great story here about the Hunter who "lost his dog but found a man". Think about Thoreau's "pure" definition of man. The Hunter keeps asking Thoreau, while asking about his dog, "What are you doing here?" This seems to be an important point or idea? The hunter (remember Thoreau's discussion of hunting) finds Thoreau - the hermit, the poet...
Chapter 16: The Pond in Winter
You really need to connect this with the chapter "Ponds" or the pond in summer. There is one of the greatest ice cutting scenes in all of literature. Thoreau describes the ice in different colors - emerald (think the importance here), blue. The ice is apparently transported all over. Thoreau talks about being able to look into the pond and see his soul, and then at then end of the chapter connects (through some strange imagination) Walden pond with rivers/waters all over the world. All people drink from his "well" and all water is connected. He connects Ganges, Atlantis, the Persian Gulf - and the past, present and future in water.
Really consider the spiritual nature of water here.
Chapter 17 Spring
Rebirth.
"And so the seasons went rolling on into summer, as one rambles into higher and higher grass."
Note, man-nature-God are all connected, so how do you make sense of the quote?
"I finally left Walden September 6th, 1847." (Near the end of summer).
Chapter 18 Conclusion - which is the conclusion of the book. Think about how he wraps up his themes and returns to the beginning?
Self-Reliance
Materialism
Life, Consciousness and Existence
The interconnection of all things
Society and class structure
Visions of America
Technology/Modernization
How to live one’s life
Work vs. Enjoying Life
Liberation from traditional economic systemsSolitude
Self-Improvement
Practical and Formal Education
Nature as Eternal Guide and Teacher
Chapter 12: Brute Neighbors
Poet and Hermit (both might be Thoreau): Shall I go to Heaven or a-fishing?
Battle between the spiritual naturals of man and animal. The poet wants to go fishing (to survive) but gets lost in the beauty of nature. The Hermit wants to meditate but is more practical about how to go about fishing (where to find worms etc).
Then, there is a transition to "ANIMALS". Who are the brutes in this chapter?
There is a famous "War of the Ants" scene in this chapter. Thoreau discusses how this war has been recorded by many writers (hyperbole) and how this war has been going on since the beginning of time. Thoreau is unsure of what they are fighting about, but the war is compared to classical literature (bringing in the human aspect), and it is a war between Ant Races. This is a way for Thoreau to discuss WAR in general, but it is also a subtle allusion to the Mexican-American War.
Chapter 13: House Warming
Fall. You should be thinking about the cycle of life. Thoreau prepares for Winter, building a chimney, plastering his cabin (self-reliance). The Pond freezes and Thoreau is able to look through the ice itself and see the bottom of the pond (Think Pond as the Eye of the World here).
Chapter 14: Former Inhabitants and Winter Neighbors
Remember chapters contrast with the previous chapter.
"For human society, I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods" (246).
"...pranks of a demon not distinctly named in old mythology, who has acted a prominent and astounding part in our New England lief and deserves...to have his story told."
Like "Brute Neighbors" Thoreau alludes to problems in humans. He receives few visitors in winter, but the woods are filled with ghosts of former inhabitants and he tells some of their stories. Micah related this to Chief Seattle and how the past is always with use.
Note, the demon he speaks of is Rum. Think about "Civil Disobedience". Rum was made in New England from molasses shipped from the West Indies. This rum was then sent to West Africa to purchase slaves for the West Indies. So even abolitionists in New England profited off the slave trade.
Many of the former inhabitants that Thoreau mentions are either former or run-away slaves, or alcoholics of some sort. What's the connection?
Chapter 15: Winter Animals
Walking on the frozen pond. Listening to and visiting animals (contrast with previous chapter). There is a great story here about the Hunter who "lost his dog but found a man". Think about Thoreau's "pure" definition of man. The Hunter keeps asking Thoreau, while asking about his dog, "What are you doing here?" This seems to be an important point or idea? The hunter (remember Thoreau's discussion of hunting) finds Thoreau - the hermit, the poet...
Chapter 16: The Pond in Winter
You really need to connect this with the chapter "Ponds" or the pond in summer. There is one of the greatest ice cutting scenes in all of literature. Thoreau describes the ice in different colors - emerald (think the importance here), blue. The ice is apparently transported all over. Thoreau talks about being able to look into the pond and see his soul, and then at then end of the chapter connects (through some strange imagination) Walden pond with rivers/waters all over the world. All people drink from his "well" and all water is connected. He connects Ganges, Atlantis, the Persian Gulf - and the past, present and future in water.
Really consider the spiritual nature of water here.
Chapter 17 Spring
Rebirth.
"And so the seasons went rolling on into summer, as one rambles into higher and higher grass."
Note, man-nature-God are all connected, so how do you make sense of the quote?
"I finally left Walden September 6th, 1847." (Near the end of summer).
Chapter 18 Conclusion - which is the conclusion of the book. Think about how he wraps up his themes and returns to the beginning?
Friday, 17 November 2017
Friday
Today we will finish, "The Destruction of Culture"and then you'll have time to work on your dialectical journals.
Remember, you need to have the finished Walden and your dialectical journals by the end of the Thanksgiving Break.
Also make sure if you are missing assignments that you get them finished and posted.
Remember, you need to have the finished Walden and your dialectical journals by the end of the Thanksgiving Break.
Also make sure if you are missing assignments that you get them finished and posted.
Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Wednesday
Today, we spend 15 minutes to write a precis on "Chief Seatte's Speech", and then we'll discuss your answers to "Civil Disobedience" and finally read "The Destruction of Culture".
If we have any time left, you can work on you dialectical journals.
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Tuesday
Today, we are going to go over your multiple choice questions and your "Pond" answers.
Then we will look at Chief Seattle's speech - go here and "The Destruction of Culture".
Homework - page 956 (in The Language of Composition) questions #1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10.
Remember by Friday you should be at page 228 and by the time you return from Thanksgiving Break you should have finished the book and posted all your dialectical journals.
Then we will look at Chief Seattle's speech - go here and "The Destruction of Culture".
Homework - page 956 (in The Language of Composition) questions #1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10.
Remember by Friday you should be at page 228 and by the time you return from Thanksgiving Break you should have finished the book and posted all your dialectical journals.
Monday, 13 November 2017
Monday
Today we are going to talk about the chapter entitled, "Ponds".
First - go here
What unifies the structure of Walden has been much debated. Two of the most frequently noted structural devices are the seasonal structure (one year from summer to spring) and a dialectical structure in which pairs of chapters present thematic counterpoints to each other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs. "Visitors").
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living, however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
CHAPTER 9
"Ponds" - Thoreau sees something spiritual in ponds and water. Most of the chapter holds an idyllic tone and he describes the unity of nature, self, and divinity. The pond, among other things, is called "God's Drop". Note - "Ponds" also comes between the chapters "Village" which recounts his sojourns to the village of Concord - where he is locked up (he reports on the incessant gossip which numbs the soul, and compares going to the village to running the gauntlet), and the chapter entitled "Baker's Farm" where he talks about his neighbor John Field who works himself to exhaustion to pay for his "rustic hut" and feed his family. The question - why this juxaposition?
Quotes from the chapter to discuss:
"Once in a while we sat together on the pond, he at one end of the boat, and I at the other; but not many words passed between us, for he had grown deaf in his later years, but he occasionally hummed psalm, which harmonized well enough with my philosophy." (169)
"It was very queer, especially in dark nights, when your thoughts had wandered to vast and cosmogonal themes in other spheres, to feel this faint jerk, which came to interrupt your dreams and link you to Nature again. It seemed as if I might next cast my line, upward into the air, as well as downward into this element which was scarcely more dense. Thus I caught two fishes as it were with one hook." (170)
Also on 170 there is a description of Walden" "It is a clear and deep green well, half a mile long and a mile and three quarters in circumference...a perennial sping in the midst of pine and oak woods."
"Lying between the earth and the heavens, it partakes of the color of both" (171)
"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." (180)
In what ways are the following qualities of Walden Pond symbolic of human qualities for which Thoreau thinks we should strive?
HW: Do the multiple choice questions on Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience".
First - go here
What unifies the structure of Walden has been much debated. Two of the most frequently noted structural devices are the seasonal structure (one year from summer to spring) and a dialectical structure in which pairs of chapters present thematic counterpoints to each other (e.g. "Reading" vs. "Sounds," "Solitude" vs. "Visitors").
Bill McKibben's focus on Thoreau's practical advice for living, however, calls our attention to another structure in which the long opening chapter, "Economy," provides a diagnosis of what is wrong with American life: materialism. The body of the book then presents a cure for the disease of materialism: striving for purity and simplicity as exemplified by Thoreau's own experience and by the symbolic purity of Walden Pond. The final chapter presents Thoreau's optimistic prognosis that each individual reader has the potential to vastly improve his or her life by shifting priorities.
CHAPTER 9
"Ponds" - Thoreau sees something spiritual in ponds and water. Most of the chapter holds an idyllic tone and he describes the unity of nature, self, and divinity. The pond, among other things, is called "God's Drop". Note - "Ponds" also comes between the chapters "Village" which recounts his sojourns to the village of Concord - where he is locked up (he reports on the incessant gossip which numbs the soul, and compares going to the village to running the gauntlet), and the chapter entitled "Baker's Farm" where he talks about his neighbor John Field who works himself to exhaustion to pay for his "rustic hut" and feed his family. The question - why this juxaposition?
Quotes from the chapter to discuss:
"Once in a while we sat together on the pond, he at one end of the boat, and I at the other; but not many words passed between us, for he had grown deaf in his later years, but he occasionally hummed psalm, which harmonized well enough with my philosophy." (169)
"It was very queer, especially in dark nights, when your thoughts had wandered to vast and cosmogonal themes in other spheres, to feel this faint jerk, which came to interrupt your dreams and link you to Nature again. It seemed as if I might next cast my line, upward into the air, as well as downward into this element which was scarcely more dense. Thus I caught two fishes as it were with one hook." (170)
Also on 170 there is a description of Walden" "It is a clear and deep green well, half a mile long and a mile and three quarters in circumference...a perennial sping in the midst of pine and oak woods."
"Lying between the earth and the heavens, it partakes of the color of both" (171)
"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." (180)
This is one of the most symbol-laden chapters in Walden; it presents the pond as having human character. Thoreau introduces the symbolic mode at the end of his opening to the chapter, as he talks about fishing at night, when, he says, "I caught two fishes as it were with one hook", a literal fish and a "symbolic" fish.In groups on by yourself answer the following:
In what ways are the following qualities of Walden Pond symbolic of human qualities for which Thoreau thinks we should strive?
- Its depth and the purity of its water
- Its colors, blue and green, and its position between land and sky
- Its role as "earth's eye"
- The pond as a mirror
HW: Do the multiple choice questions on Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience".
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