Vocabulary for
Henry David Thoreau
with Sniffy the Hamster, resident wordsmith

for Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

Fitchburg (a city)    

Sniffy Says: So you want to know where Henry hiked to, eh? Well, first you have to know where you are. I don't where you are, but I'm in the universe, in a galaxy called the Milky Way, in a solar system with a planet that has lots of water and bunch of pesky cats —that's earth. I live in the Western Hemisphere in North America in the United States in Southern California near the Pacific Ocean. Now Fitchburg is all the way across the United States in Massachusetts which is next to the Atlantic Ocean. The map you see is Massachusetts and there's Fitchburg, which today has a population of 39,000 people and approximately 8,438 hamsters and way too many cats.

Emerson (Ralph Waldo Emerson)    

Sniffy Says: Ralph Waldo Emerson was a famous American writer, just like Henry David Thoreau. Ralphy, that's what I like to call him, and Henry were friends and they both wrote essays—short writings, or at least shorter than a book, that try to make a point, try to make you think or convince you of something. Here, I'll write a very short essay to convince you of something very important.

Twitching Noses are the Best
by Sniffy the hamster

It's much better to have a twitching nose than one that just sits on your face like piece of stone. Twitching noses stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Humans can't twitch their noses which is why they buy hamsters. They're so jealous they have to have a twitching nose in their home even if it isn't theirs. To twitch or not to twitch? To twitch, of course!

mill    

Sniffy Says: Have you ever had bread? I don't mean that stuff you buy in the store. No, no, no! First, you go down to the mill—you do know what a mill is, right? Well, see, you have to get flour to make bread, but flour has to be made at the mill. The mill is the place where they grind the grain, usually wheat, to make the flour. Back in Henry's day they had mills that worked by water power. This big wheel used a stream or a river to turn the millstone inside a building—hey! Millstone! Like Millstone Education. I always thought that was a weird name. Do you think Mr. Draeger wants to turn you into flour?

tangle    

Sniffy Says: A tangle has a mind of its own. You can find a tangle very easily. Just go look at a rope in a drawer, or look at a dog leash that you haven't carefully wound up, or look at kite string that you've just thrown into your closet or look at the way some of you tie your shoes. Those big balls of knots that you can't get undone—I've seen them on garden hoses and extension cords—are tangles. If you have long hair and have tried to comb it after someone has messed it all up—you might have a tangle, a place the comb or brush can't get through. Hamsters don't get tangles—that's why we're special!

for Henry Climbs a Mountain

taxes    

Sniffy Says: You probably didn't know this but Hamsters have a government: United Hamsters of America. We also have a president, Grand Hamster Furry Feet, and lots of agencies to make sure the tunnel traffic lights all work, that tunnels are built and maintained and that domesticated hamsters, like myself, have access to the news through newspapers, television and the internet. Unfortunately, having this big government means hamsters have to pay taxes. Our money is made up of sunflower seeds (in the shell), peanuts (in the shell) and walnuts (in the shell). Ten sunflower seeds equal one peanut and ten peanuts equal one walnut. We call our money, seeds, for short. Under Mr. Draeger's house (don't tell him) is one of the biggest hamster malls in California. It's a great place, they have an amusement park with a roller coaster, hamster theatres (I just saw "The Hamster King") and lots and lots of stores: hamster clothing, hamster bookstores and great restaurants. The fried carrot at the Rodent Wheel is excellent. For everything we buy we have to pay a 20% tax. I just bought a new DVD player for 250 seeds and I had to pay 50 seeds in taxes. 5 peanuts! My new Ford Hamster cost 6,000 seeds and the tax was 1,200 seeds. 12 walnuts! But that's what keeps UHA running, plus Grand Hamster Furry Feet has a private jet—it's even got a gold wheel inside. Man, I'm running for president.

slaves (p. 44)    

Sniffy Says: I want to be serious about this one because slavery is a dark chapter in the history of the United States and in the history of the world. A slave is someone who is owned by someone else. Just as you go out to buy a dog or a cat, there used to be time in the U. S. when white people could go out and buy black people, then make them work for them for no pay. Often they mistreated them and sometimes killed them. To be a slave meant that you were not free, it meant that someone else had control over your life and you had to do what they said no matter what it was. Henry David Thoreau hated slavery and spoke out against it. He once said, "A government which deliberately enacts injustice, and persists in it, will at length ever become the laughing-stock of the world." Slavery officially ended in the U. S. in 1865 only 140 years ago.

hummingbird (p. 45)    

Sniffy Says: Okay, I know you know what a hummingbird is, but just for fun I thought I'd give you some of Sniffy's Fun Facts about hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are some of the smallest birds on the planet. Even the largest hummingbirds weigh less than one ounce. That's so light you would hardly know you were holding anything. The bee hummingbird weighs 1/10th of one ounce. That means ten bee hummingbirds would only weigh one ounce. In order for a hummingbird to fly it has to flap its wings very fast, some hummingbirds flap their wings 78 times every second. Say "one-thousand-and-one." I'll wait. [pause]. Did you say it? A hummingbird just flapped its wings 78 times. Boy, I wonder if I flapped my legs that fast if I'd fly? Let me try. I'm moving them as fast as I can—wait—wait—I think I'm rising off the floor—yes—I'm slowly lifting up off the floor—oh, no I guess not, I just can't see my feet on the ground because of my round little belly. Bye-bye!

for Henry Works

comfrey    

Sniffy Says: Comfrey is a herb (that's a plant) that has been used since 400 B.C. The common comfrey was used to heal sores, burns, broken bones and to stop heavy bleeding. I used it last week. I was walking through the house late one night and I saw this ugly, intruding hamster. Quick as flash of lightening I charged him—and at the exact same time he charged me. I opened by mouth and screamed and he opened his mouth and screamed at the exact same time. WHAM!!!! My nose was bleeding all over the place, so was his. When I wiped my nose, he wiped his. It was a mirror. Mr. Draeger had leaned a mirror against the wall. I stuffed comfrey up my nose for a week to stop the bleeding.

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On-Line Dictionaries

The Free Dictionary: This is now my favorite on-line dictionary (the box above links to this dictionary). Not only does it provide you with audios to pronounce the word, but it also gives you examples of the word used in context. They also have a "References in classic literature" section which provides entire sentences from classic literature in which the word is used. Also includes a thesaurus, encyclopedia and more.

Answers.com: This is not just a dictionary, but it has a dictionary and the reason I list it is because the dictionary has an audio pronunciation feature which is very helpful when one comes across words that are difficult to pronounce or have never been seen before. Access is free.

The Dictionary of Difficult Words: Good resource for those words that your dictionary doesn't have or that other on-line dictionaries do not have.

A Latin Dictionary: This is great resource for Latin. There is even a downloadable version for your computer that will do both Latin/English and English/Latin.

Dictionary.com Free Access. You can purchase additional features.

Merriam-Webster Free Access.

WordSmyth A children's dictionary is also available. This dictionary requires registration. Free Access.

Oxford English Dictionary The best English dictionary in the world! This dictionary requires paid subscription. $29.95 per month or $295.00 per year.