Historical Perspective
A The Napoleonic Wars In 1789 the French Revolution swept through France, marking one of the true turning points in Western civilization. In part, this […]
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Compare and Contrast
1805: America is still developing an identity after winning its independence from England in 1783. A second war against England will be fought from 1812-1814. […]
About the Author
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1817. His grandfather, Jean, a French Huguenot, had come to Boston in 1773, taken […]
Themes and Characters
Since Walden is, on one hand, a sort of spiritual autobiography, Thoreau himself is its central character. The narrator of Walden resembles Thoreau in many […]
Overview and Setting
Overview In Walden Thoreau records both his experiment in self-sufficient natural living and his ideas about nature, human society, and the proper way for people […]
Literary Qualities
Unlike his mentor, Emerson, Thoreau has a sense of organic form, and as a result Walden-in contrast to many of Emerson’s essays-is more than a […]
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 […]
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 […]