The Transcendentalists

370

notable quote“The mass of men lead livesof quiet desperation.”

fyiDid you know that Henry David Thoreau . . . • worked off and on as

a pencil maker in his family’s pencil factory?

• kept a journal that when published filled 20 volumes?

• pared down his expenses to 27 cents a week, which he earned by working only six weeks a year?

For more on Henry David Thoreau, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Henry David Thoreau (thE-rIP) advocatedsimple, mindful living and rejected alifestyle dedicated to the pursuit of wealth.Thoreau spent much of his life writingand observing nature, devoting only aminimum of time to earning a wage. Hepublished just two books, both of whichsold very poorly in his own lifetime. Fewof his contemporaries would have judgedhim much of a success. In the yearssince his death, however, his reputationhas grown tremendously. Today, heis regarded as a writer of uncommonvision and remembered as one of thefirst environmentalists.

Independent Spirit Thoreau was bornand raised in Concord, Massachusetts,and attended Harvard University. Aftergraduating, he returned to Concord toteach school. Though some of Thoreau’s

neighbors viewed him as eccentric, hewas a careful observer and a deep thinker.Taking to heart the ideas of his friendRalph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau tried tolive by his own values, often doing oddjobs that would earn him just enoughmoney to meet his own modest needs.

Defiant Nonconformist Thoreau’s lifewas full of examples of his nonconformityto society’s norms. As a Harvard student,he was required to wear a black coat butsported a green one instead. In his firstyear of teaching, he refused to punish hisstudents physically, a harsh but commonpractice of the time, and resigned hispost. In 1845, he conducted his famousexperiment, living simply and frugally in asmall cabin on the shores of Walden Pond.In 1846, he was arrested and spent a nightin jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, an actof protest against the U.S. government’swar with Mexico and its support of slavery.This exercise of conscience over law laterbecame known as civil disobedience.

Influential Thinker At the time ofThoreau’s death from tuberculosis atage 44, he was viewed as an unsuccessfulnature writer. Today, however, he isknown as the father of American naturewriting and an important political thinker.His observations about the natural worldand the value of the simple life, as well ashis promotion of nonviolent protest, havehelped bring about great societal change.He has provided inspiration to many,including conservationist John Muir andcivil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

from Waldenfrom Civil DisobedienceEssays by Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau1817–1862

SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDSLiterary AnalysisBenchmark LA.1112.2.2.2 Use information from the text to answer questions or to state the main idea or provide relevant details.Benchmark LA.1112.2.2.3 Organize information to show understanding or relationships among facts, ideas, and events. . . .

FL_L11PE-u02s32-brWalden.indd 370 1/30/08 7:48:42 AM

walden / civil disobedience 371

literary analysis: essayAn essay is a work of nonfiction that usually deals with a single main subject. Though essays can be formal or informal, they are often loosely structured and contain the personal views of the writer. To analyze an essay, pay careful attention to

• the writer’s tone, or attitude toward his or her subject• figurative language that makes abstract concepts more

understandable and emphasizes ideas• anecdotes, or short accounts of personal incidents• imagery that creates vivid impressions for the reader

As you read, consider how these elements illuminate Thoreau’s ideas and give readers a glimpse into his personality.

Review: Transcendentalism

reading skill: evaluate ideasWhen you evaluate a writer’s ideas, you examine them carefully and then make judgments about their value. Before you can judge a writer’s ideas, however, you have to identify and understand them. Summarizing can help. As you read Walden, use a chart like the one shown to briefly restate Thoreau’s philosophical ideas in your own words. As you tackle “Civil Disobedience,” summarize the author’s main political beliefs. After you summarize each idea, note your reaction to it.

Thoreau’s Ideas and Beliefs

My Reactions

Walden

“Civil Disobedience”

vocabulary in contextThoreau uses the following words to present his theories about simple, principled living. To see how many you know, choose the word that is closest in meaning to each numbered term.

word list

abject impetuous pervadecongenial misgiving transgressdeliberately perturbation

1. err 4. wretched 7. impulsive 2. disturbance 5. friendly 8. thoughtfully 3. doubt 6. permeate

Explore the Key Idea

Do you chart your owncourse?

KEY IDEA “Cranks,” “crackpots,” “oddballs”—society is quick to apply a negative label to people outside the mainstream. Although Thoreau was probably never called an “oddball,” he was certainly regarded as an eccentric. Nonconformity has never been an easy choice, as people often condemn nonconformists without bothering to find out why they embrace a different set of values. Nevertheless, history has shown that many nonconformists, like Thoreau, are often simply ahead of their time.

DISCUSS With a small group of classmates, create a list of famous nonconformists. How did the individuals you listed depart from the norms of their time? Were they punished for their actions? Were they able to win others to their point of view? Discuss these questions with your group.

FL_L11PE-u02s32-brWalden.indd 371 1/30/08 7:48:53 AM

Focus and Motivate

Selection Resources

* Resources for Differentiation † Also in Spanish ‡ In Haitian Creole and Vietnamese

objectivesLiterary Analysis• explore the key idea of nonconformity• analyze essays• read essays and a magazine articleReading• evaluate ideasVocabulary• build vocabulary for reading and writing• apply knowledge of the prefixes ab- and per-

(also an EL language objective)Grammar and Writing• use interrogative sentences to ask rhetorical

questions• use writing to analyze literature

SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDSLA.1112.1.6.7, LA.1112.2.2.2, LA.1112.2.2.3, LA.1112.3.3.1

about the authorEmphasize the importance of Thoreau’s friend-ship with Emerson. Emerson urged Thoreau to keep a journal, and he published Thoreau’s work in the transcendentalist magazine The Dial. Emerson also owned the land on which Thoreau built his cabin.

using the notable uoteDiscuss what students think Henry David Thoreau means by “lives of quiet desperation.” Possible answer: Thoreau means a way of life that people find hopelessly frustrating but suffer through instead of trying to improve.

RESOURCE MANAGER UNIT 2Plan and Teach pp. 139–146Literary AnalysisSummary pp. 147†*, 148‡*,

149†*, 150‡*Essay pp. 151, 152†*Question Support pp. 159*, 160*ReadingEvaluate Ideas pp. 153, 154†*Reading Check p. 158

VocabularyStudy p. 155*Practice p. 156Strategy p. 157Grammar and WritingAsk Rhetorical Questions p. 161AssessmentSelection Tests A, B/C

pp. 163*, 165* Test Generator CD

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKITDifferentiated Instruction

pp. 31–38* Scaffolding Instruction

pp. 43–46* Graphic Organizers/StrategiesDefinition Mapping • Open Mind • Word Questioning • Venn Diagram

TechnologyLiterature, Vocabulary,and Writing Centers at ClassZone.com

WriteSmart CDAudio Anthology CD*

The Transcendentalists

370

notable quote“The mass of men lead livesof quiet desperation.”

fyiDid you know that Henry David Thoreau . . . • worked off and on as

a pencil maker in his family’s pencil factory?

• kept a journal that when published filled 20 volumes?

• pared down his expenses to 27 cents a week, which he earned by working only six weeks a year?

For more on Henry David Thoreau, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Henry David Thoreau (thE-rIP) advocatedsimple, mindful living and rejected alifestyle dedicated to the pursuit of wealth.Thoreau spent much of his life writingand observing nature, devoting only aminimum of time to earning a wage. Hepublished just two books, both of whichsold very poorly in his own lifetime. Fewof his contemporaries would have judgedhim much of a success. In the yearssince his death, however, his reputationhas grown tremendously. Today, heis regarded as a writer of uncommonvision and remembered as one of thefirst environmentalists.

Independent Spirit Thoreau was bornand raised in Concord, Massachusetts,and attended Harvard University. Aftergraduating, he returned to Concord toteach school. Though some of Thoreau’s

neighbors viewed him as eccentric, hewas a careful observer and a deep thinker.Taking to heart the ideas of his friendRalph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau tried tolive by his own values, often doing oddjobs that would earn him just enoughmoney to meet his own modest needs.

Defiant Nonconformist Thoreau’s lifewas full of examples of his nonconformityto society’s norms. As a Harvard student,he was required to wear a black coat butsported a green one instead. In his firstyear of teaching, he refused to punish hisstudents physically, a harsh but commonpractice of the time, and resigned hispost. In 1845, he conducted his famousexperiment, living simply and frugally in asmall cabin on the shores of Walden Pond.In 1846, he was arrested and spent a nightin jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, an actof protest against the U.S. government’swar with Mexico and its support of slavery.This exercise of conscience over law laterbecame known as civil disobedience.

Influential Thinker At the time ofThoreau’s death from tuberculosis atage 44, he was viewed as an unsuccessfulnature writer. Today, however, he isknown as the father of American naturewriting and an important political thinker.His observations about the natural worldand the value of the simple life, as well ashis promotion of nonviolent protest, havehelped bring about great societal change.He has provided inspiration to many,including conservationist John Muir andcivil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

from Waldenfrom Civil DisobedienceEssays by Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau1817–1862

SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDSLiterary AnalysisBenchmark LA.1112.2.2.2 Use information from the text to answer questions or to state the main idea or provide relevant details.Benchmark LA.1112.2.2.3 Organize information to show understanding or relationships among facts, ideas, and events. . . .

FL_L11PE-u02s32-brWalden.indd 370 1/30/08 7:48:42 AM

walden / civil disobedience 371

literary analysis: essayAn essay is a work of nonfiction that usually deals with a single main subject. Though essays can be formal or informal, they are often loosely structured and contain the personal views of the writer. To analyze an essay, pay careful attention to

• the writer’s tone, or attitude toward his or her subject• figurative language that makes abstract concepts more

understandable and emphasizes ideas• anecdotes, or short accounts of personal incidents• imagery that creates vivid impressions for the reader

As you read, consider how these elements illuminate Thoreau’s ideas and give readers a glimpse into his personality.

Review: Transcendentalism

reading skill: evaluate ideasWhen you evaluate a writer’s ideas, you examine them carefully and then make judgments about their value. Before you can judge a writer’s ideas, however, you have to identify and understand them. Summarizing can help. As you read Walden, use a chart like the one shown to briefly restate Thoreau’s philosophical ideas in your own words. As you tackle “Civil Disobedience,” summarize the author’s main political beliefs. After you summarize each idea, note your reaction to it.

Thoreau’s Ideas and Beliefs

My Reactions

Walden

“Civil Disobedience”

vocabulary in contextThoreau uses the following words to present his theories about simple, principled living. To see how many you know, choose the word that is closest in meaning to each numbered term.

word list

abject impetuous pervadecongenial misgiving transgressdeliberately perturbation

1. err 4. wretched 7. impulsive 2. disturbance 5. friendly 8. thoughtfully 3. doubt 6. permeate

Explore the Key Idea

Do you chart your owncourse?

KEY IDEA “Cranks,” “crackpots,” “oddballs”—society is quick to apply a negative label to people outside the mainstream. Although Thoreau was probably never called an “oddball,” he was certainly regarded as an eccentric. Nonconformity has never been an easy choice, as people often condemn nonconformists without bothering to find out why they embrace a different set of values. Nevertheless, history has shown that many nonconformists, like Thoreau, are often simply ahead of their time.

DISCUSS With a small group of classmates, create a list of famous nonconformists. How did the individuals you listed depart from the norms of their time? Were they punished for their actions? Were they able to win others to their point of view? Discuss these questions with your group.

FL_L11PE-u02s32-brWalden.indd 371 1/30/08 7:48:53 AMV O C A B U L A R Y

Teach

Do you chart your own COURSE?Ask the question, making sure that students understand the figure of speech. As students read the KEY IDEA , call on volunteers to suggest examples of nonconformity in tastes, opinions, and so on. Use responses to prompt the DISCUSS activity, and invite groups to share the lists that they create.

essayShare this example with students:

The silvery pond was a mirror, reflecting the trees that leaned over the water, as if dipping their boughs into the sky.

Discuss the ideas that the figurative lan-guage in this image might evoke. Possible answer: The figurative language might evoke the almost magical beauty of a natural scene and, therefore, a deep respect for nature.CHECK UNDERSTANDING Ask students how the imagery might change if the author wanted to convey an angry tone.

L I T E R A R Y A N A L Y S I S

evaluate ideasHave students summarize Defiant Non-conformist in the Thoreau biography and then express a reaction to it. Possible answer: As a student and then a teacher, Thoreau refused to live by rules with which he disagreed. He lived simply at Walden Pond, and he briefly went to jail for refusing to pay a tax he felt was wrong. Reactions will vary.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterEvaluate Ideas p. 153 (for student use

while reading the selections)

R E A D I N G S K I L L

vocabulary in contextDIAGNOSE WORD KNOWLEDGE To deter-mine preteaching needs, have all students complete Vocabulary in Context. Answers: 1. transgress, 2. perturbation, 3. misgiving, 4. abject, 5. congenial, 6. pervade, 7. impetuous, 8. deliberatelyPRETEACH VOCABULARY Preteach vocabulary with this copy master. Read each item aloud.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Study p. 155

MORE VOCABULARY SUPPORTFor additional activities and guidelines, see

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKITScaffolding Vocabulary Instruction

pp. 43–46

Vocabulary Center at ClassZone.com

standards focus

walden / civil disobedience 371