Walden
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- What does Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden take its name from?
- a pond in Concord, MA
- Where is Walden Pond?
- Concord, Massachusetts
- What kind of Confederacy does Thoreau compare life to?
- a German Confederacy
- Who are the “wild men†that Thoreau refers to in “The Pond in Winter�
- fishermen
- “As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of _____ out of _____ and the realization of the _____ Age.â€
-
1. Cosmos
2. Chaos
3. Golden - What is the “window under my feet†that Thoreau mentions in “The Pond in Winter?â€
- ice
- What is an almshouse?
- a poorhouse
- Whose inner music does Thoreau tell man to listen to?
- his/her own
- Why does Thoreau admire the poor as mentioned in “Conclusion�
- The poor seem to live the most independent lives.
- What is “John or Jonathan†a reference to?
- an average citizen
- How many years does Walden cover? Why?
- Though Thoreau spent 2 years at Walden, he condensed his experiences into 1 seasonal cycle in order to simplify the novel and underscore the cyclical nature of the seasons.
- When did Thoreau begin to live near Walden?
- July 4, 1845 (Independence Day)
- Describe Thoreau’s Walden dwelling.
- Thoreau lived in a small, simple wooden hut.
- Why did Thoreau go to the woods, and how did he want to live there?
- Thoreau states that he went to the woods to live deliberately and to simplify his life.
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Thoreau states that he wanted to live deep and suck out all the what of life?
A. fish
B. bones
C. spirit
D. marrow - D. marrow
- Thoreau advocates ______, in which one limits his/her affairs to two or three, instead of thousands.
- simplicity
- What does Thoreau mean by a “Spartan simplicity†of life? Who are the Spartans?
- Thoreau means that one should live a uncluttered, deliberately simple life. The Spartans were citizens of an ancient Greek state known for their warlike demeanor and rigorous training regimens.
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True/False
Nature neither asks questions of man nor answers any of Man’s questions. - True
- Thoreau claims that the fishermen he sees in winter are as wise in nature as the citizen is in the _____.
- artificial
- Why does Thoreau end “The Pond in Winter†with a description of the food chain, as the fish eat the bait and are in turn eaten by the fisherman?
- This description emphasizes the “cycle of life,†as all organisms in this chain are dependant on each other for survival. Such interdependence also supports the Transcendentalist theory of interconnectedness.
- What is this onomatopoeia describing? “—olit, olit, olit, — chip, chip, chip, che char — che wiss, wiss wiss.â€
- a singing bird in springtime
- After its winter “deathâ€, Thoreau says that it is as if Walden is _____ at springtime.
- reborn
- Why does Thoreau leave the woods?
- Thoreau felt that he had already made a “beaten path†in the forest, and that he can’t spare any more of his life for Walden. He claims that he must now seek other experiences in life.
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Thoreau claims that as a man simplifies his live, the laws of the universe become _____ complex.
A. more
B. less - B. less
- The concept of a “different drummer†supports which Transcendentalist idea(s)?
- individuality, nonconformity
- What does Thoreau say people must do, no matter how poor or “mean†their lives are?
- Everyone must accept their lives as they are and try to find contentment.
- “Superfluous wealth can buy _____ only.â€
- superfluities
- To what does Thoreau compare the “buried†possibility of something beautiful in life?
- Thoreau compares this to a bug’s egg that had been laid in a tree that was then made into in a table. 60 years later, a beautiful bug hatched from the egg, surprising a family that was eating supper.
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Thoreau ends “Conclusion†with “The sun is but a _____.â€
A. morning star
B. evening star
C. solar eclipse
D. black hole - A. morning star
- Name one animal that Thoreau observes while at Walden.
- goose, duck, fish, etc.