Henry David Thoreau1817-1862

Henry David Thoreau was a famous naturalist and writer

of the 19th century. He lived in Concord,

Massachusetts.

He is most famous for his book Walden, published in

1854. Walden is a philosophical memoir about living

alone in a cabin in the woods. He lived in the woods as

an experiment in simplifying his life.

Thoreau is still influential today, especially to the

environmentalist movement and to nature writers.

An old photo of your professor posing with a

Thoreau impersonator at the spot where

Thoreau’s cabin stood. (Some people really get

into their Thoreau fandom.)

A replica of Thoreau’s cabin and

a statue of Thoreau walking towards the pond.

Walden Pond

Walden Pond

The Lyceum Movement

The Lyceum Movement happened in the years leading

up to the Civil War. “Lyceum” is an old word for “school.”

Across the country, groups of people formed local

lyceum associations to sponsor adult education events

and entertainment. It was like having live TEDTalks in

your hometown.

(Interested? You can watch some TEDTalks about

nature here: http://www.ted.com/topics/nature )

“Walking”

“Walking” was the lecture Thoreau gave most frequently

at various lyceum events. He wrote it in 1851, after he’d

finished writing Walden.

At the top of his handwritten copy of his lecture, Thoreau

wrote “I regard this as a sort of introduction to all I may

write hereafter.”

“Walking” sums up his philosophy of life.

Did you read “Walking”? What did you think?

In “Walking,” Thoreau uses an

extended metaphor about

crusades to the holy land. The

original crusades were

religious wars of the middle

ages in which European

Christians fought to gain

control of Jerusalem (“the

Holy Land”). Pilgrims were

people making a spiritual

journey (pilgrimage) to a

sacred spot. How does

Thoreau use the idea of a

holy land in “Walking”?

Crusades to the Holy Land

Crusading Knights

Manifest Destiny“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way,” painted by Emanuel

Leutze. This painting is a mural in the Capitol building in Washington

DC.

Manifest Destiny is the idea that the United States

is/was just naturally destined to expand westward

across North America to the Pacific Ocean. How

does the idea of Manifest Destiny relate to

“Walking”?

Would you call Thoreau’s essay patriotic? Why or

why not?

Speaking for NatureThoreau says he wants to speak for Nature rather than Culture.

He asks, “Where is the literature that gives expression to

Nature?”

Thoreau values what he calls “wild” literature over “tame”

literature.

Thoreau wants people to learn a “tawny grammar” not taught in

schools.

Can you think of any books or films that accomplish what

Thoreau asks for here? Do you know any books or films that

speak for nature, for the wild, in a “tawny grammar”? Is it even

possible for humans to write or film such a thing?

Are humans wild or

tame?Thoreau quotes the Vishnu Purana (an important Hindu

scripture): “That is knowledge which is for our liberation.”

Thoreau says, “Above all, we cannot afford not to live in the

present” if we want to be free. He condemns laws that upheld

slavery. He was an advocate of literal freedom, not just

philosophical freedom.

Do your studies at NCC provide knowledge for your liberation?

Do you think you are free?

Are you a saunterer?

Is your neighborhood walkable? The idea of neighborhood

walkability considers whether residents can do most of their

errands on foot rather than being dependent on a car. Walkability

is often considered in conjunction with access to public

transportation.

You can check your neighborhood’s WalkScore at the WalkScore

website: http://www.walkscore.com (Just ignore the real estate

ads; the walkability information is still good.)

How does your neighborhood’s WalkScore affect your life? Do

these effects connect to any of Thoreau’s concerns in “Walking”?

How much do you walk? Are you a saunterer?