Themes
Of the themes which do you think is the most prominent? Explain.
Answers include but are not limited to:
- Nature
- Self Reliance
- Ignorance is Bliss
- Simplicity
“The ice in the pond at length begins to be honey-combed, and I can set my heel in it as I walk” (Spring 212)
(a) This shows what major device?
(b) What words indicate this device
(a) Imagery
(b) "honey-combed"; "set my heel in it as I walk"
Why did Thoreau move to the woods?
He wanted to isolate himself so that he could live a simplistic life.
What is the theme in this quote?
“I go and come with a strange liberty in Nature, a part of herself”
What is transcendentalism?
(Also accept: nature, simplicity, self reliance)
Why does Thoreau personify nature?
What is to communicate how nature provides for him?
What is to show companionship?
What beliefs did Thoreau have that embody Transcendentalism?
What is the inherent goodness of people and nature?
What is individualism, self-reliance, or anti-materialism?
Thoreau uses nature as a way to:
What is:
- replenish the soul
- maintain simplicity
- escape from the monotony of everyday life
- reconnect oneself to where they came from
More answers will vary
“The life in us is like the water in the river”
The type of device used for this quote is a) ___
and compares b) ___ and ___:
What is:
a) simile
b) life in us, water in the river
Thoreau's travels impacted his writing in these ways.
Hint (How did the setting of Walden pond influence his writing?)
What is:
- His writing was based on what he observed during this journey (ex. Pond in Winter, Spring)
- His writing was based on what he realized during the journey (ex. ideas of simplicity, isolation, society)
More Answers will vary.
Thoreau uses ignorance is bliss/people are born good to:
What is to convey his idea that the world around him corrupts people's natural state.
"Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises?"
This quote uses a)__________
He uses this device to b)___________
a) What is a rhetorical question?
b) What is to get people to question their original beliefs?
His ideas changed from a)___________ to b)___________ after 5-6 years at Walden Pond
a) what is believing that getting away from the world completely was the best solution
b) believing you have to just give up a few things to be happy.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."
This quote has themes of a)___ and b)____.
c) Another popular theme of Thoreau's that is NOT present in this quote is ___.
a) and b). What is Individuality, Societal Nonconformity, Self-Reliance, etc.?
c). Nature, Ignorance and Bliss/People are Born Good, Societal Corruption, etc.?
“Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.”
Thoreau uses a a)_____(rhetorical device), to
compare b)_____ with c) _____.
a) What is a metaphor?
b) What is time?
c) What is a stream for fishing?
Thoreau's mentor (Ralph Waldo Emerson) had a great impact on him in this way.
Answers will vary.
ex.
-What is: he owned Walden Pond, the place where Thoreau did his writing?
- What is: They shared similar ideals in nature, and helped further each other's careers?