Social Sensitivity
Thoreau considered himself a reformer, and he genuinely wanted to change human lives for the better. He was distressed by the poverty he saw in […]
Month: January 2009
Topics for Discussion
1. Why do you think the essay “Economy” is by far the longest chapter in Walden? 2. What does Thoreau hope to achieve at Walden […]
Ideas for Reports and Papers
1. Seven centuries before Thoreau, a Japanese philosopher, Kamo no Chomei, carried out an experiment similar to Thoreau’s by living in a cabin in the […]
Related Titles
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, like Walden, mixes observations of natural phenomena with discussions of their symbolic significance. The Maine Woods and […]
About the Author
Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828, at Nantes, an industrial town on the Loire River in western France. His father, Pierre Verne, was […]
Overview
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea begins with a mystery. For over a year, ocean-going vessels have reported running into a floating island or a […]
Themes and Characters
The main Characters in this novel are Captain Nemo, Professor Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil. Nemo (which is Latin for “nobody”) is an enigma. His […]
Literary Qualities
Verne often works scientific description into the plot, as when Nemo and Aronnax use their knowledge of the tides and the moon to free the […]
Social Sensitivity
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in many ways anticipated the submarine warfare that was developed in World War I and refined during World War […]