Thoreau's essay Walden discusses a variety of topics: from newspapers, to the mail service, and man's tendency to conform.
It is important that as we read, we attempt to identify and interpret a writer's TONE. (Remember: tone is the attitude/feeling a writer has towards a topic/person).
In your response, select a 1-2 sentence quote and discuss Thoreau's tone.
To get full credit you must properly cite the quote as shown below.
"Time is but a stream I go a-fishin' in" (Thoreau 258).
Sahiba Bansal
ReplyDelete"Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest" (Thoreau 253). It's obvious that Thoreau feels very strongly about independence, living in the moment, and just simply enjoying your present time. As he states, our lives are frittered away by detail; I couldn't agree with him anymore. Everyone is so caught up with technology, fitting in with everyone else, and trying to be the 'popular' crowd, that no one really pays attention to their surroundings. Thoreau feels like people should drop their distractions and take a look around. Take time to observe what people are doing, what they're wearing, or what that annoying noise is coming from behind them. He seems to try and state these topics very firmly, yet handles it in a mature way. He wants people to be aware of what's going on and simplify their lives, rather then forcefully telling his readers things they don't want to hear. Thoreau's strongly believed opinions not only come across as compelling, but rather surprising.
Sahiba- Try to refrain from the use of "obvious" in critical writing. It implies that anyone can see it-- but really, most literature needs to be interpreted and analyzed.
DeleteGood explanation of the quote- but I'm not sure you discuss tone. What word would you use to label/describe Thoreau's feelings? Is he disgusted, angry, disappointed, confused? Try to label what attitude he conveys.
Thoreau's feelings weren't angry nor disapponited, I think he was trying to aim for persausive. Because he is all about indepedence and being on your own, he tries to make you realize that maybe you should try being independent.
Delete"We are determined to be starved before we are hungry"(Thoreau 253). Thoreau uses this metaphor as an example of how people rush through things and don't enjoy them or get enjoyment out of them. He feels negatively about this as he sees no need to rush through life. Life can be enjoyed and you will get much more out of it. I really do agree with him on this, as people tend to hurry through life and don't take time to "smell the roses", or enjoy the little things. I can specifically relate to the food metaphor, as my parents say I eat way to quickly, and they wonder if I even taste anything. I also find it hard not to hurry through life, as there are many things in the future that look much more promising than my life right now. But I always feel guilty about it, as I know how fast life goes already and I want to enjoy what I can while I can.While I struggle with this, I will continue to try to not do what Thoreau says everyone does far too much.
ReplyDeleteBilly- be sure to proofread your responses for spelling errors. While you explain the quote and apply it to your own life, you don't address tone.
DeleteHow would you describe Thoreau's feelings or attitude? Would you say he is optimistic, angry, cautious?
Be sure to address the prompt at hand.
Thoreau's tone about the rushing and hurrying through life is he feels it is unnecessary. His tone is confused about why people would want to hurry through life when life is so short.
DeleteI did not find any spelling errors.
"Way to quickly"- should be too.
Deletebruh
Deletehello billy
Delete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253).
ReplyDeleteWith the use of this quote, Thoreau establishes his dislike through a curious tone towards living life so quickly and frantically that people who follow such a lifestyle end up failing to appreciate the smaller things. He questions why we have to be filled with anxiety for the future and regret from the past rather than enjoying the moment, implying that we will end up old and wonder how our lives could have gone. Thoreau doesn't write this condescendingly or angrily, but instead to legitimately question the lifestyle decisions people choose to make and to get them to realize the consequences. That is Thoreau's purpose for writing; to spread his ideas, to speak his thoughts, and to show people that there is more than one way to live.
Alex- this is excellent. Wonderful writing style.
Delete“… the post-office. I think that there are very few important communications made through it” (Thoreau 254). Thoreau obviously didn’t find the post- office to his liking. He finds that good communication doesn’t not come from it, he probably enjoys actual conversation more. I think this is comparable to social media and all, more ways to communicate, less true communication. This is something that is a real annoyance that I myself must agree with. The things on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not true communication. That’s why most people who really want to talk, actually talk. Social media does not, and will never provide this. And that frustration that someone may have with all the useless stuff on the internet, is most likely how Thoreau feels. Like the real conversations are never written.
ReplyDeleteAngelica- Try to avoid using "obvious" in your writing. It suggests that the passage doesn't need to be analyzed, when it really does.
DeleteAnd while you do explain the quote, you don't mention his tone. How would you describe Thoreau's attitude? Is he angry, dismissive, curious, optimistic? Try to label the attitude he conveys.
Matt Sutton
ReplyDelete"Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than is ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest"(Thoreau 253). Thoreau makes it clear that simplicity is a quality that he values. He believes we should not be caught up in small aspects of life, but instead look towards the "big picture" so to say. I totally agree with this. I feel that not following Thoreau's advice to not get caught up in detail is a main reason for failing quizzes and tests. People sometimes focus so much on what exactly is going to be on the test, when they should really be thinking generally. Thoreau's main purpose of writing seems to be to teach people his ways, and give people an idea of how to live more naturally.
Matt- while you do explain the quote clearly, you don't address Thoreau's tone. Be sure to discuss: how does Thoreau feel about details? Does his word choice convey that he is angry, optimistic, confused? Be sure to label his attitude.
Delete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253). Through this quote, Thoreau expresses how he feels that people are always in a rush. Rather than enjoying their life, Thoreau feels they are wasting their life away. People find the excitement out of life when they are happy and take their time. When their is more enjoyment in your life, life is more satisfying and worth living.Thoreau wrote this to question why people feel the need to rush and not take their time. Life is too short to rush it away and not get to do everything you wanted to. People should be able to look back on their lives and have no regrets. I agree with Thoreau, we shouldn't hurry and waste precious time.
ReplyDeleteNatalie- Same as Matt (above) and several others. Good quote, good explanation, but you don't deal adequately with the question of tone. Be sure to stay on prompt.
Delete“Time is but the stream I go fishing in. I drink at it: but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is” (Thoreau, 255). Time cannot be stopped and chances are Thoreau compares a stream to that because you can never truly stop a stream. When Thoreau says I drink at the stream, I am not quite sure what he’s trying to say but I think he is trying to say that he embraces life and allows life to be part of him; with no additives. The sandy bottom and shallow water stand for how the end of life is always a clear reminder to him and not to waste life because the bottom is very close. Thoreau’s tone is very pessimistic in a way, because of the shallow stream but at the same time it is very mature. The feeling of this line is to be embracive.
ReplyDeleteCourtney (The Poet) Mattson
Courtney- Some good comments about tone. Perhaps you could extend that more. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "embracive". Be sure to proofread your posts :)
Delete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253).
ReplyDeleteThoreau doesn't like the fact that everybody is always rushing around. He feels that we should take our time in life because there is no reason to rush through something to create more spare time for later. Thoreau would rather take his time doing simple tasks so that he can really think about what he's doing in that moment instead of getting distracted by other tasks that need to be done later on. By saying that "we are determined to starve before we are hungry," Thoreau is saying that we are already thinking of how we are going to be starving in the future even if we aren't hungry in the present moment. Thoreau's overall message in this quote is to live in the moment because you should enjoy every minute of the present instead of always being concerned about the future.
Jess- You pick a good quote and explain it well, but don't address the tone. Be sure to stay on prompt. See Natalie/Matt for similar concerns.
Delete"I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains" (Thoreau 255). From this quote, it is easy to see how Thoreau looks at the world. He believes that the best way to live life is to live in the moment and not hide from the world out of fear. I believe his tone sounds pretty confident, because he truly believes in what he writes. He also wants to teach his readers to look at the life the way he does.
ReplyDeleteGenna- good start, good quote. Would you also say that Thoreau is courageous or bold? He wants to fully live life? How else could we describe his attitude? Dauntless or fearless? Focus more on his feelings, and less on explaining the quote.
Delete"...that if one advances confidentially in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success"(Thoreau 255). Thoreau means that if man follows his dreams and goes after what he wants in life, he will meet success. His tone is that he does not like the idea of people conforming just to fit in. He wants people to be different and who they really are on the inside. He encourages people to choose their own paths. People should not be ashamed of what they want to do in life just because it might not be something normal, but Thoreau states that you should go after your dreams no matter what. He then goes on to say in the end of the story that if man were to lead a simplistic life, then your whole outlook on life will change. Life will be less complex, and you would not have to worry about the rushed pace of life.
ReplyDeleteJared- good quote, good explanation. However, I'm not sure you fully address the tone. What is Thoreau's attitude here? Is he optimistic, angry, confused, overwhelmed? Try to use adjectives to clearly label the attitude he presents.
Delete"Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes and lump the rest" (Thoreau 253). The message that Thoreau is trying to reach across to the reader is that people worry about all of the little gritty details and for get about everything else that is more important in the world. People also worry about things like whether or not someone will like the clothes you are wearing, what people think about you, and when they will get their phone upgraded. People just need to be themselves and not worry about every little detail. If people took the time to relax and look at the big picture of things, then they will not be stressed out all the time. Thoreau's writing seems to teach people about the simplicity of life and that it is much better when you live with only the things you need.
ReplyDeleteMatt- good explanation of the quote, but you don't address the tone. What is his attitude towards details? Is he angry, confused, hopeful? Use adjective to describe the feeling he conveys.
Delete"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is" (Thoreau 255). In this quote Thoreau is saying how short life is. He says as you get older you can start to see the end of your lifetime. I think he feels a little depressed because he started to realize how short life actually is. He wants everyone to live their life simply and slowly. He doesn't like how people do things fast, he likes when people enjoy life.
ReplyDeleteMaz- I like how you mention he might feel depressed! Good stab at tone. What makes you think he feels that way? Is it possible he instead/also feels motivated or hopeful about his life? Good start.
Delete"Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches today to save nine tomorrow." (Thoreau 254).
ReplyDeleteIt almost sounds like Thoreau has a viewpoint which indicates that he is very naive or slightly ignorant about the world. It's like a famous saying from someone whom shall remain nameless: 'spoken like a true man who has never paid taxes'. He's basically saying that the idea of preparing for something or getting something out of the way early is silly and that you should live in the moment. In my humble opinion, I think that this is a very naive and childish way of thinking about the world. That's how I interpreted Thoreau's tone in Walden.
Brendan- some good ideas here but....tone is more his attitude or feelings. Do he feel naïve or childish, or is that just how you would describe him? See the difference?
DeletePerhaps you could instead say his tone is very relaxed, or mellow, or non-ambitious. Maybe even content?
"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?" (Thoreau 235). Thoreau thinks that people are constantly looking into the future, rushing around, and worrying about what if going to happen next. He feels that people need to start living in the present. Thoreau also sees life as a gift, and that we shouldn't waste it. We need to live life to the fullest like he did, and enjoy it. Taking into consideration all of the things our society worries about, it makes it impossible to do so. Thoreau questions society a lot like this, he almost seems disappointed in the way we live our lives. He thinks life should be simple, calm, and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteJillian- you start to address the tone when you say he is disappointed and he "questions society". That is good. Try to focus more on the attitude he conveys and less on explaining the quote.
Delete"I did not wish to take the cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the Moonlight amid the mountains" (Thoreau 255). This quote describes Thoreau's ambition towards his ongoing adventures in life. Thoreau is not afraid to reside from the "cabin passage" and go on a more challenging path of life in order to achieve his dreams of achieving sufficiency through non-superficial things in life. I feel that Thoreau was confident towards succeeding in living the meaningful life he wished, allowing him to be courageous to live in the woods and leave for another adventure. Therefore, "Walden" genuinely shows Thoreau as a man characterized by hope and faith.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne- well done! You use great adjectives to describe how he feels: ambitious, unafraid, courageous, hopeful. All good.
Delete"I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born"(Thoreau 255). Thoreau's tone is one of remorse in this sentence. He is remorseful because the adult mindset always questions things and wants to find out how things work. Babies are not like this, they live their life as it goes with few questions. Formulating a lot of questions in your mind can b stressful if you do not know all of the answers to them. This can prohibit someone from living according to Transcendentalist philosophy which is to live simple and worry-free. The adult mindset hindered Thoreau from achieving this for a while which gave him remorse to adopting this mindset
ReplyDeleteClem- do you think he is remorseful, or rather that he is insightful? Does he miss the childlike innocence he once had? Good work.
Delete"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them...." (Thoreau 255) In this quote from "Walden", Thoreau cleverly uses castles in the air as a metaphor for ideas. The way that he speaks of ideas as if they are at the same level as clouds gives the impression that he holds them in very high regard and believes that they should not just simply exist, but rather be treasured. The second sentence in the quote refers to “foundations” for the castles, which essentially shows that Thoreau is so confident in his endorsement of the value that ideas have that he believes that if possible, they should become realities. As shown by the obvious support of the subject of the quote, it is clear that Thoreau’s tone on the subject of making realities out of your ideas being worth the time and effort is positive and he is definitely an advocate for the cause.
ReplyDeleteKelly- some good ideas, but a bit wordy. I'm not sure what you mean by "endorsement of the values that ideas have". Whoa- that's a mouthful!
DeleteI do like when you say he is positive and confident. Try to simplify your writing for the sake of clarity. Write it how you would say it.
" I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances in confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours" (Thoreau 255). As readers, we can tell that the author, Thoreau has a lot of passion and feeling towards this subject. Basically he is saying that if you stick to your goals, and pursue your passions and interests, then eventually they will come through, and you would succeed. And as man succeeds, many things society start to change. Politics, and liberal laws will begin to establish. Thoreau pushes this point across to his readers because with that feeling of confidence, anything can happen.
ReplyDeleteJenna- good quote and good explanation. However, you don't clearly address tone. What is Thoreau's attitude here? Would you say he is confident, optimistic, angry? Use adjectives to label the emotion he presents.
Delete"We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253). Thoreau uses this quote to symbolize that humans have a tendency to rush everything in life and do not live their life up to its full potential. However, Thoreau is not like this, he is very simple and likes the take his time in life so he can enjoy everything. He does not worry nor does he rush, he lets life takes him. Instead of dwelling on the past or rushing into the future, he just relaxes and lives the easygoing, mellow life.
ReplyDeleteSydney- You seem to explain the quote more than discuss its tone. It seems like at the end you start to address his attitude when you say "mellow" and "relaxed". It would be more clear to use these adjectives to describe Thoreau's attitude.
Delete"We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253). Thoreau is trying to indicate that life itself is too precious to be rushed. We tend to worry about all of the "big" noticeable things in life when in reality, it's the little things that count. I myself have made the mistake of doing this in Disney World. I was too worried about seeing and experiencing everything in Epcot in one day that I didn't take the time to really appreciate all of the small details it had to offer. I think Thoreau is trying to say that life should be lived day by day, you don't have to necessarily worry so much about the future because time will pass by and you might regret not living it to the full potential.
ReplyDeleteHannah- good explanation of your quote, however you don't mention the tone. What is Thoreau's attitude? Is he angry, optimistic? Describe how he seems to feel in this passage.
DeleteDylan Cellini
ReplyDelete"In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness"(Thoreau 255).
Thoreau's tone is very confident and is sure of what he is doing. It seems that he has no doubt in his beliefs and even wants to give others insight on his ideal way of living life. His tone however is not enforcing or trying to persuade you to live the way he thinks life should be lived.
Very good.
DeleteJoshua Wilson
ReplyDelete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? we are determined to be starved before we are hungry. men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches today to save nine tomorrow"(Thoreau 254). In this quote I think Thoreau has a tone that is very exasperated and annoyed. its as though he has seen so many people do this that hes so sick of hearing it. he almost sounds angry with this topic, that he needs to describe it in such great detail.
Josh- be sure to proofread for correct punctuation. Where in the quote does he seem angry? Is he perhaps just helpful- trying to give advice?
DeleteLaura Hunter
ReplyDelete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253) I think that this quote really explains what Walden was trying to say. The tone of his writing was very passionate and motivational. He was trying to convince the readers that life is meant to be simple and not wasted doing things that are not worth your time. This quote clearly says that we should not live in a hurry and enjoy the time that we have.
Laura- you explain the quote more than you really discuss tone. Where is this sentence is he motivational and how? Discuss further.
Delete"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them..." (Thoreau, 255)
ReplyDeleteThoreau repeatedly refers to the idea of proactiveness in , "Walden". He urges us to consecrate our floating castle by putting a foundation under it. He speaks of this idea previously by saying ," If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours". Thoreau feels that he must express this idea due to the fact that many in life face obstacles but fear them, consequently avoiding them and missing out on the chance that things may work out. There is a certain excitement in Thoreau's tone, as if he discovered or uncovered an ancient secret. He reiterates many times in different forms to capture our purpose, dispose of distractions, and seize the day.
Joe- Interesting, but could use more textual support. Where do you see this excitement? What word/phrase? Be specific.
Delete"(we) would forsake all and follow that sound, not mainly to save property from flame, but, if we will confess the truth, much more to see it burn" (Thoreau 254). Thoreau sounds pretty resigned to the fact of that's the way humanity is. We have a burning curiosity and stick our noses where they don't belong yet seldom use that information to help. We idly sit by as people crumble and are fascinated with the process yet do nothing to preserve them and I think this greatly sickens Thoreau.
ReplyDeleteMorgan- excellent work here. Very observant.
Delete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry. Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches and save nine" (Thoreau 253) Thoreau feels that all people are always so hasty and greedy, and that it is pointless to do so. So when he says "...they take a thousand and save nine," he is talking about societies impatience and how we always want as much available to us and take it as quickly as possible. I think Thoreau hates when people are so quick to lose patience, and thinks that people should be conservative with their resources. He also seems to be angered at how eager we are to be wasteful with what we have.
ReplyDeleteDenis- do you think he is truly angry, or just disappointed? Try to identify the anger in the quote selected.
Delete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253). In this quote Thoreau expresses how he feels about the way that people seems to just let their life pass by and don't value it to be significance. This was especially the case during his time when many people didn't care about what happens to them with their life as long as they would end up in heaven. Even in today's society people seem to just view things for what it really is instead of appreciating it. Thoreau in this quote also emphasis that you should slowly examine your life instead of letting it be rushed. In a way, he wants a person to live life to fullest with every small detail count. Anyways his overall tone seems to be that he is aggravated and yet has a feeling of shame or guilt that people don't use life's opportunity to their full extent.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that he is aggravated, but I'm not sure I see the guilt-- perhaps he is saddened by other people's actions?
Delete"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry" (Thoreau 253).
ReplyDeleteI find Thoreau's writing compelling because of the tone that he uses. With the quote above, I understood that Thoreau was attempting to get readers to be more relaxed. But at the same time there is a sense of urgency in his writing. He tries convincing readers that life is too short to not enjoy the things we do because you the hast that we do it all in. Thoreau wanted us to slow down and do things with motivation and be passionate about all that we did.
Carolyn- this was posted after the start of class on 9/13. Did you email me about this?
ReplyDelete