what was henry david thoreau book walden about course hero

First published in 1854, it details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond

, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts.

Full Answer

What is Walden by Henry David Thoreau?

Walden (/ˈwɔːldən/; first published as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is a book by transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.

What is the book by Henry David Thoreau called?

This article is about the book by Henry David Thoreau. For other uses, see Walden (disambiguation). Walden ( / ˈwɔːldən /; first published in 1854 as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau.

How does Thoreau describe Walden Pond in the winter?

He also describes a fox hunt that passes by. The Pond in Winter: Thoreau describes Walden Pond as it appears during the winter. He says he has sounded its depths and located an underground outlet. Then, he recounts how 100 laborers came to cut great blocks of ice from the pond to be shipped to the Carolinas .

What did Whittier say about Walden by Thoreau?

Poet John Greenleaf Whittier criticized what he perceived as the message in Walden that man should lower himself to the level of a woodchuck and walk on four legs. He said: "Thoreau's Walden is a capital reading, but very wicked and heathenish ... After all, for me, I prefer walking on two legs".

What is Walden the book about?

1-Sentence-Summary: Walden details Henry David Thoreau's two-year stay in a self-built cabin by a lake in the woods, sharing what he learned about solitude, nature, work, thinking and fulfillment during his break from modern city life.

What is Thoreau's ultimate message in Walden?

Thoreau emphasizes the individual's need to maintain independence. Independence of thought requires self-reliance and some degree of separation from others. Significantly, he moves into his house at Walden Pond on July 4, 1845 — more than a literal Independence Day.

What is Thoreau's main message or main idea?

In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau's basic premise is that a higher law than civil law demands the obedience of the individual. Human law and government are subordinate. In cases where the two are at odds with one another, the individual must follow his conscience and, if necessary, disregard human law.

What was Henry David Thoreau book Walden about quizlet?

Walden , the record of Thoreas life at the pond, a mixture of philosophy, naturalism, and spiritual autobiography.

What is the main point of Walden?

His central motivation in going to Walden is to figure out what kind of life he should be living (what he calls his attempt to "live deliberately"), and in large part that attempt comes down to determining what kinds of work he should be pursuing.

Which statement best supports the main idea of Walden?

Which statement best supports the main idea of Walden? People live more fulfilling lives when they live close to nature.

What does the last paragraph of Walden mean?

The last paragraph is about John Field, by comparison with Thoreau "a poor man, born to be poor . . . not to rise in this world" — a man impoverished spiritually as well as materially.

What is Thoreau's purpose for writing where I lived and what I lived for?

Thoreau's purpose in the text is to convince readers on what an ideal life is. As mentioned before, Thoreau believes that life must be simple in order to enjoy.

Brief Plot Summary

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the plot summary of Henry David Thoreau's essay collection Walden.

Summary

In the spring of 1845, Henry David Thoreau builds himself a small cabin on a plot of land belonging to his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson permits Thoreau to use the property in return for improving the land by building on it and planting crops or trees.

What is Walden by Thoreau about?

The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings.

Why did Thoreau go to Walden?

He thought of it as an experiment in " home economics ". Although Thoreau went to Walden to escape what he considered "over-civilization", and in search of the "raw" and "savage delight" of the wilderness, he also spent considerable amounts of his time reading and writing.

What chapter does Thoreau discuss Walden Pond?

Walden Pond, discussed extensively in chapter The Ponds. The Ponds: In autumn, Thoreau discusses the countryside and writes down his observations about the geography of Walden Pond and its neighbors: Flint's Pond (or Sandy Pond), White Pond, and Goose Pond.

How long did Thoreau spend at Walden Pond?

Part memoir and part spiritual quest, Walden opens with the announcement that Thoreau spent two years at Walden Pond living a simple life without support of any kind. Readers are reminded that at the time of publication, Thoreau is back to living among the civilized again.

Why was Thoreau detained?

On one of his journeys into Concord, Thoreau is detained and jailed for his refusal to pay a poll tax to the "state that buys and sells men, women, and children, like cattle at the door of its senate-house". Walden Pond, discussed extensively in chapter The Ponds.

What is the movie Walden about?

Jonas Mekas ' 1968 film Walden is loosely inspired by the book. Jean Craighead George 's My Side of the Mountain trilogy (1959) draws heavily from themes expressed in Walden. Protagonist Sam Gribley is nicknamed "Thoreau" by an English teacher he befriends.

What was Thoreau's first book?

Thoreau used his time at Walden Pond (July 4, 1845 – September 6, 1847) to write his first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849). The experience later inspired Walden, in which Thoreau compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development.