This Literature Unit Is:

"Walking"
by Henry David Thoreau

Introduction

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer and naturalist. He lived for two years at Walden Pond in a small cabin that he built and he tells of his experiences there in Walden, his most famous book. He also wrote essays that, along with his book, greatly influenced American thought. His essay, "Civil Disobedience", influenced both Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Walking" is an essay about Nature, about the importance of "Wildness." It was influential in the National Park's movement and conservation, but it more than this too. It is a philosopical statement about how to live life in the present, how to acquire knowledge that is useful and when to shun knowledge in favour of ignorance.

Edition I Use: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays / Dover Thrift
ISBN #: 0-486-27563-9 / $1.50 / 90 pages
Buy this edition at Amazon.com
This essay is available on-line here.

Unit Sections: