Walden and Gessner

I would like for you to think about the chapter on Solitude that we read in Walden (the Thoreau reading), as well as the Gessner piece. Thoreau discussed many ideas, from what the use of society is to the nature of loneliness and consciousness. In addition, Gessner builds off of this and speculates on things that Thoreau might be in favor of, such as “culling” humans from nature (while a somewhat terrifying idea, it also makes sense in terms of the current conversations surrounding people’s use of nature and how, absent people, nature might flourish). In fact, Gessner himself states, “I find a lot from Thoreau that I feel I can put to use in these dire times, yet I wouldn’t want to shelter in place with the man himself,” which is a possibly fair, but certainly humorous opinion to have. What I would like for you to do is think about these two pieces and provide three ideas that are directly from them, and then discuss what you find helpful about them (if you disagree with an idea, you can discuss that as well). Remember the moment we are coming at this from, both in terms of current society and year, and where Thoreau was trying to come at it from, and what America might have been like then. What do you think is beneficial that Thoreau can teach us today, or what ideas do you gravitate towards that Gessner builds upon?

Begin by introducing yourself to the class–you can offer a few ideas on what you enjoy doing in your spare time, what type of readings you enjoy, or what you hope to accomplish in the future through your school work (anything that is appropriate). Next, provide 3 ideas and direct quoted lines from the readings, then provide your reasonings as to why (and try to keep the idea of nature at the forefront). In addition, please remember to be thoughtful, helpful, and respectful in your responses to others. We are all here to learn, and open-ended questions like this help us communicate with each other, see other’s ideas, and learn from various perspectives.