Introduction to Walden and Last Child in the Woods

Introduction to Walden and Last Child in the Woods

Comparing Main Ideas in Walden and Last Child in the Woods

In the 19th century, Henry David Thoreau espoused the view that divinity was found in nature. The contemporary writer Richard Louv believes that humanity’s essential connection to nature has been lost. As you read, consider what each author believes people gain from interacting with nature.

Open Ended

Think of a positive experience and a negative experience you have had in a natural setting. Why were these experiences memorable?

Multiple Choice

What do you do when you objectively summarize a text?

• tell everything you read

• give your opinion of the text

• compare the text to something else

• restate the central ideas in your own words to tell someone the main points

Analyzing Author's Craft

Author’s craft refers to how an author expresses his or her ideas. Author’s craft can make ideas more compelling and make a text more engaging. Two aspects of author’s craft are literary devices and figures of speech.

Literary Devices

Language structures that produce a special effect or convey additional meaning to a text

Literary Devices to Look for in Walden and Last Child in the Woods

• Rhetorical question A question that requires no reply

• Repetition To repeat a sound, word, or phrase for emphasis or unity

• Irony A contrast between appearances and reality

• Verbal irony A contrast between what is said and what is meant

Multiple Choice

What's an example of verbal irony?

• Chanting, "You're an awesome athlete!" to an Olympian

• Saying, "Good job!" to someone who just rear ended a car

• When the sun is shining and the birds are singing, you say, "Nice weather we're having, right?"

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

Which Question is Rhetorical?

• Is this supposed to be some kind of a joke?

• Do you want to be a big failure for the rest of your life?

• Do you want me to punch you in the face?

• All the above

Figures of Speech (AKA Figurative Language)

Language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meaning of the words used

Figures of Speech to look for in Walden and Last Child in the Woods

• Simile A comparison between two things, using like or as

• Metaphor A direct comparison that does not use like or as

• Hyperbole An exaggeration of the truth for emphasis or humorous effect

• Personification To give human traits to objects, animals, or ideas

Multiple Choice

When the pitcher finished nine innings, he was hungry enough to eat a horse.

• Metaphor
• Hyperbole
• Oxymoron
• Idiom

Multiple Choice

She’s as tiny as a mouse.

• Alliteration
• Hyperbole
• Oxymoron
• Simile

Multiple Choice

A train is a dragon that roars through the dark.

• Hyperbole
• Metaphor
• Simile
• Personificati

Multiple Choice

The west wind dances down the road.

• Personification
• Hyperbole
• Idiom
• Simile

As you read the texts, notice how each writer employs elements of author’s craft to help readers understand the ideas he wants to communicate. Think about how these elements shape your perception of ideas.

Key Vocabulary

Words to know as you're reading Walden and Last Child in the Woods

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for abstraction.

• fact

• idea

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for codify.

• order

• allow

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for configuration.

• formation

• option

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for perturbation.

• destructon

• disturbance

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for polarity.

• convergence

• difference

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for remunerative.

• paying

• unpaid

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for superflous.

• essential

• extra

Multiple Choice

Choose the best synonym for unfathomed.

• constrained

• vast

Background for reading Walden

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) of Concord, Massachusetts, was a transcendentalist like his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau decided to become a nature poet. In 1845 he began his two-year experiment living in a cabin that he built in the woods near Walden Pond on property owned by Emerson. 

As you Read Walden:

As you read, note observations about “modern” life and the connection between humans and nature. You will compare these ideas with those of Richard Louv in the selection from Last Child in the Woods.