Assignment.
• PART A: Ten Vocabulary words. As you read the text above select 10 vocabulary words (minimum). You select the words new to you, or words used in a way new to you. List each word and then a definition that fits the usage of the word. Look up the definition in an academic dictionary (such as Oxford or Miriam Webster's New Collegiate, but not Google.) Then write the definition IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Select as many vocabulary words as needed to fill up the requirement of 10.
• PART B: Answer the following questions. Do NOT retype the question.
1. In your own words explain Thoreau's meaning when he says that " . . . most men aredesperate."
2. In your own words, explain why old age does not necessarily lead to wisdom.
3. "The summer, in some climates, makes possible to man a sort of Elysian life." <--In your own words, explain what Thoreau means in this sentence. Be sure to explain what the word "Elysian" refers to.
4. According to Thoreau, what do most people really need?
5. Explain Thoreau's thoughts on luxuries.
6. A basket-selling Indian makes some kind of mistake. In your own words explain the Indian's mistake. [Hint: the passage is hilighted in this color.]
7. Thoreau says ". . . Finding that my fellow-citizens were not likely to offer me any room in the court house, or any curacy or living anywhere else, but I must shift for myself, I turned my face more exclusively than ever to the woods, where I was better known."? Explain this passage as best you can, in your own words.
8. There is a long passage about good business habits. Outline in your own words all the habits vital to successful business enterprise. [Hint: the paragraphs are highlighted in this color.]
9. Here is one of Thoreau's most sublime statements, ". . . The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of the others?" What kind of life is Thoreau criticizing? Try to put his thoughts into your own words. Convince me that you really understand what he is saying in this passage. Take as much space as necessary.
10. Explain how he manages his time: ie., how much time does he spend earning money for his expenses?
11. Outline what Thoreau thinks we really ought to be doing, as individuals but also as a civilization, in place of what most of us typically do all the time.
12. What kinds of knowledge should we explore?