美国文学 问题回答walden

Teacher’s question:

1.There are many concepts of binary oppositions in “Walden”, for example, like civilized

Concord and wild Walden Pond, can you find more?

Hub Peaceful

Luxurious Simple

Developing quickly Motionless Relatively

Open Close

Complex Pure

Society Individual

2.Why did Thoreau want to be a chanticleer(雄鸡) to wake people up?

a.In the mid nineteenth century, American is in the transition from agricultural society into

industry society. Material is the only pursuit of human. In order to get more wealth, people exploit land, cut trees and do anything they can to get more money. Environment is getting worse and worse and human are in danger as well.

b.Thoreau is a responsible writer and has strong justice for society. He wants to make man go

back to their kind instinct.

c.Thoreau is a transcendentalist. He worships spirit and against material.

Study Group’s questions:

G1. Why Thoreau chooses Walden Pond to be the title?

Walden Pond is the setting of the story. Everything in the book is happened there. Walden

also represents nature, the place where one can improve his mind or spirit.

G2. What information can we get from the title where I lived, and what I lived for?

a.The place where the story happens.

b.Why the writer chooses the place to be a setting of this story.

c. C. To explain the reason why he wants to live alone in the woods. Page 116 “ I went to

the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I cam to die, discover that

I had not lived.” “I want to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”

G4. What’s the theme of this essay?

a.Spirit is over material

b.Everyman owns a spiritual kingdom in which he is the king.

c.Man should go back into nature and be in harmony with nature.

d.Live simply.

e.Follow your heart

G5.& can you understand Thoreau’s delight in his new building project at Walden?

a.Spirit is superior to material.

b.Live simply is a happy thing

c.Nature is beautiful; living in harmony with nature is luckily.

It is not only means he felt happy for his building. What is more important is that he felt joyful for he already found a way to communicate with god, that is to live here in Walden and he really enjoyed it from his inner heart.

G6. What’s the subject matter of Walden Pond?

We should pursue inspirit delight instead of material. Living simply is better for us. Move Away from the hubbub world and follow your own heart.