bills. They were manifestly thieves, and I had not much respect for them; but the squirrels, though at first shy, went to work as if they were taking what was their own.
The Jays were interesting to him because what they stole was hard for them to consume versus the squirrels who took their food like it was theirs to begin with.
n the twilight and the night the rabbits came regularly and made a hearty meal. All day long the red squirrels came and went, and afforded me much entertainment by thei
Thoreau does this to learn more about the animals that inhabit the area and is curious to learn more about them. He sees the beauty in all living creatures.
His usual note was this demoniac laughter, yet somewhat like that of a water-fowl; but occasionally, when he had balked me most successfully and come up a long way off, he uttered a long-drawn unearthly howl, probably more like that of a wolf than any bird; as when a beast puts his muzzle to the ground and deliberately
This is significant because Thoreau notices the noise of the bird and how it changes from a balking noise to the howl.
had risen. At rumor of his arrival all the Mill-dam sportsmen are on the alert, in gigs and onfoot, two by two and three by three, with patent rifles and conical balls and spy-glasses
This is a great depiction of when the hunters come into the woods and disturb the peace. Notice later in the paragraph how the surrounding animals act when the hunters are around and then when Thoreau paddles out onto Walden Pond. They seem to enjoy his company and not think of him as a threat.
urned. It is a surprising and memorable, as well as valuable experience, to be lost in the woo
I find this very true that being lost in the woods is a very exciting experience because you are exploring and finding new things that you wouldn't have seen before.
in the darkest night. Sometimes, after coming home thus late in a dark and muggy night, when my feet felt the path which my eyes could not see, dreaming and absent-minded all the way, until I was aroused by having to raise my hand to lift the latch, I have not been able to recall a single step of my walk, and I have thought that perhaps my body would find its way home if its master should forsake it, as the hand finds its way to the mouth w
The action of walking home for him is done by muscle memory because he is accustomed to where his true home is in the woods. The way he describes his walk shows he is lost deep in his thoughts and when he uses the comparison of eating and finding the latch on a door it is shown how self reliant he is on his body to guide him.
I felt proud to know that the liberties of Massachusetts and of our fatherland were in such safe keeping; and as I turned to my hoeing again I was filled with an inexpressible confidence, and pursued my labor cheerfully with a calm
This passage depicts that he is very proud of his homeland and has lots of patriotism. He knows he will be kept safe while he is hoeing his beans and that he trusts in his future and the freedoms that were gifted to him.
As I drew a still fresher soil about the rows with my hoe, I disturbed the ashes of unchronicled nations who in primeval years lived under these heavens, and their small implements of war and hunting were brought to the light
Thoreau references an older era or generation before him that lived in a simpler time. It is symbolic of him hoeing the rows because the ancestors before him farmed the same land. He is preserving agricultural heritage. Modern light is also symbolic of the industrial revolution and automation taking over.
of invisible bolts. Every path but
We all have our own paths in life and you should trust your path in life and that it is going to work out.
gine.) Men are advertised that at a certain hour and minute these bolts will be shot toward particular points of thecompass; yet it interferes with no man’s business, and the children go to school on the
How men have a one track mind and that is being shown through children going to school.
ubled with ennui. Follow your genius closely enough, and it will not fail to show you a fresh
Listen to yourself and do what you feel is right.
The day advanced as if to light some work of mine; it was morning, and lo, now it is evening, andnothing memorable is accom
He lives day to day not worrying about what he has to do or accomplish.
There were times when I could not afford to sacrifice the bloom of the present moment to any work, whether of the head
This signifies he's carefree and he doesn't like structure or order. He would rather enjoy his time doing things he enjoys. Hard work is not a priority for him
uty. I also have in my mind that seemingly wealthy, but most terribly impoverished class of all, who have accumulated dross, but know not how to use it, or get rid of it, and thus have forged their own golden or silver
The wealthy are trapped by superficial items and have en-caved themselves in a luxurious lifestyle that only leads to more false satisfaction. A materialistic generation.
than which none has been p
Even though they are poor, they are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves through natural riches. They are humble for what they have.
ls, are cultivated only till they have perfected their root, and often cut down at top for this purpose, so that most would not know them in
Not giving them the chance to show their hard work. Cutting them down before they even have the chance to show their true colors.They are so wrapped up in their own self, they become oblivious to their surroundings which makes them entitled.
I sometimes wonder that we can be so frivolous, I may almost say, as to attend to the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery, there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both north and
Even though people participated in intentional slavery, we are all enslaved in some way to something in this world.
EconomyWhen I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.......Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by th
Men are too focused working on the superficial aspects of life, they surpass the simple things in life that could give them greater pleasures.