1. Lacey Popkin

Courtney Kaelin

Gina Boccia

Sentence:  “I think that the richest vein is somewhere hereabouts; so by the divining—rod and thin rising vapors, I judge; and where I will began to mine.”

Response:  This sentence is an excerpt from his book Walden where he isolates himself in the woods of an unfamiliar place he is trying to get away from a normal state of life.  Thoreau believes by doing this he will find what he is looking for whether it is the purpose of life or personal riches.  Another way to look at it would be, mining to find the meaning of something, for example what his life really stands for.  We all agree that he is searching for something, for the meaning of something.  It seems like he is judging himself, almost as if he is confused about himself.  We can relate to this sentence by coming to college, by putting our self in a totally different situation with new experiences and life challenges.  Almost as if we are trying to find ourselves and what our purpose in life is. 

2.October 14, 2009
Lauren Mough
Alisha Walters
Leann Mathews

Thoreau:
 “If I should only give a few pulls at the parish bell-rope, as for a fire, that is, without setting the bell, there is hardly a man on his farm in the outskirts of Concord, notwithstanding that press of engagements which was his excuse so many times this morning, nor a boy, nor a woman, I might almost say, but would forsake all and follow that sound, not mainly to save property from the flames, but, if we will confess the truth, much more to see it burn, since burn it must, and we, be it known, did not set on fire—or to see it put out, and have a hand in it, if that is done as handsomely; yes, even if it were the parish church itself.”
If a lazy man was to hear the fire alarms being set off, he’d travel to the scene but would not set out the fire or give a helping hand; simply watch the fire as it burn anything, no matter the importance.

Experiences:
We thought of numerous times where we walked down the hallways and someone drops their books or anything important. So many people just zoom on by without a care in the world or any sense of remorse. Hardly anyone will lend a helping hand; they stand and watch or ignore it even happened all together.
Holding the door for others is common courtesy. Those in wheel chairs or with other handicaps need more help than others. But walking behind someone and they don’t even make an attempt to hold the door is just rude. How hard is it to hold the door for two seconds till someone else grabs it?
Walking on sidewalks and sharing them is another example. Some people don’t share or don’t even move over causing you to walk in the grass or wait for them to pass. Turning their body or waiting one second isn’t the biggest challenge. They’re just being inconsiderate and lazy.
Litterers are another group of lazy people. Some actually attempt to throw their trash away, but miss the trash can. After that they just leave it there for someone else to pick up. Others don’t even bother to take their garbage to the trash. Where they stand is where they drop their trash.
A dangerous example is when us students are venturing to class and trying to cross the street, where the crosswalk is especially, cars don’t stop. Pedestrians have the right-away; cars and drivers think they have authority though. They get impatient as a cluster of students cross the street to try and get to class. Cars just fly on by and expect the pedestrians to halt to them.

3. In the Henry David Thoreau writing one sentance stood out and it uses a couple examples of semicolons, "Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary but eat one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other thing in porportion." His use of semi colons helps to expand his ideas of living life in a more simple way. Our group thought of an example to go with the idea of having a more simple life, around Christmas time it seems that everyone gets so caught up in decorating and shopping that it seems like we tend to lose what the true meaning of Christmas is.

Similar to Thoreau's writings, Sarah Vowell uses puncuation to emphasize her writing. In her short story, "Shooting Dad" she writes, "When my father dies, take a wild guess what he wants done with his ashes. Here's a hint: it requires a cannon." Her use of a colon in this sentance creates a sense of humor about a subject that most people could find no humor in. She also uses dashes to emphasize her writing. "My twin sister, Amy and I were six years old-six- when Dad decided that it was high time we learned how to shoot." We feel that the dashes in this sentance reinforce how young she was when she first learned to shoot.

4. Abby Sicheri

Lindsey Yelenic

Devon Hensel

October 14, 2009

                In Thoreau’s Where I Lived, and What I Lived For he describes how individuals waste time and wait for events to just happen.  Thoreau contradicts all the things that we as humans believe that we do right.  When in reality we go on with our lives ignoring what we know is truly right to what is easier and follows the set norms.  He also states how materialism is a negative aspect individuals approach and that with all the substance in the world is bound to be wasted.

                Comparing Thoreau and Vowell both use different styles of writing.  Thoreau’s style was more opinionated and he combined more sentences together by using semicolons.  He did not have a strict guideline in his writing, he jumped from topic to topic.  Whereas Vowell had a consist style of sentences and writing.  She uses dashes to insert a certain comment or pick out an important part in the sentence.

                As a group we personally each decided that Vowell’s piece was much easier to comprehend than Thoreau’s.  After rereading Thoreau’s piece several times we did see examples we could personally relate to, but understanding what the words were saying became frustrating. 

5. Tony Schneider
Courtney Mali
Ryan Anders

    We found this sentence of Thoreau's to be interesting,"I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation,unless it was quite necessary."(Thoreau 424) It seems to mean that if he was going to live a meaningless life than he should not live life at all. He wants to do everything in life that makes it worth living for but everything that unnecessary is not worth the time.
   "Every few years a new lot is laid down and run over,so that, if some have the pleasure of riding on a rail, other have the misfortune to be ridden upon." (426) Someone who has a good idea can be taken over a few years later by someone else finds a better way to do the same thing. So that their idea becomes obsolete.

6.Marissa Guy, Brandyn Holtzinger, Wesley Campbell

October 14, 2007

While talking about Henry Thoreau’s essay, “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, we discussed the concept of how some people live without truly living. People tend to rush through life without stopping to look at what is around them. “Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.” There are some people who take advantage of our resources, while there are people who are not as privileged; there are some who eat five meals a day, while others may not eat one. If more people would simplify their lives, and cut back on unnecessary luxuries, more people would end up living their lives with more appreciation.

7. The essay by Vowell was about a father and daughter that were trying to understand each other and get along. It goes from when she was growing up, going against everything her dad did, to when she was older and trying to be a better daughter. By the end of the essay, they were able to bond. It was funny because it took a trip into the woods to shoot a homemade canon to bring them together. She used many dashes throughout the essay. This made it easier to read because it gave more emphasis to important parts. The essay by Thoreau was about him going into the woods to figure out what was essential and necessary for him to live. He wanted to learn what life had to teach him. He wanted people to realize what the important things in life were and to not get caught up in our society’s greed for bigger and better material goods. Thoreau was confusing and harder to read because of the way that he writes. It is different than most writing styles. He used more semicolons, which made his sentences longer and harder to read.

8.10-14-09
casey zyniewicz
rachel o'keefe
brittany Kline
lesley shaver

In the essay “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, by Henry David Thoreau he very frequently used semicolons to add his own thoughts and meaning into the essay. He used them to get others to relate better to what he had to say. He basically wanted to tell his listeners that he was determined to get everything he could out of life. He preferred the simple life. He wanted everyone to slow down and not live life in such a hurry. Everyone falls into the same routine as they grow older and doesn’t really think into things. He looks at everything different than others do. Many people don’t think about what they see but he stops and gives greater thought and meaning to everything he sees and experiences, even if it’s as simple as a stream. Children live life more happily than men because as you grow older money and other things are more important but as a child you are naïve and everything is new and exciting.
He used many commas throughout his writing to list and give examples of what he was referring to. He believes that our life is already laid out for us and we all have something we are here for. Our lives and plans just seem to change depending on how we travel the path that was given to us. As far as simplifying your life he felt that you shouldn’t make your life easier on yourself by tackling on a few tasks at one time rather than many, as some people seem to do.

9.Jenna Loughlin
Nicole rybar
Victoria Taylor
“Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”
Henry David Thoreau
“The universe constantly and obediently answers to our conceptions; whether we travel fast or slow, the track is laid out for us. (249)”
“God himself culminates in the present moment, and will never be more divine in the lapse of all ages. (249)”
In this short paragraph we read, Thoreau states the beauty and sublime of the world. He also explains how we can let our guard down and stop being in such a hurry all the time. When we do this we realize the beauty that surrounds us in life. Our fears and pleasures don’t bother us or distract us anymore once we open our eyes to the world. He gives examples of how the world is so beautiful and peaceful by referring to God and man. He talks about how before man came to this world, earth was true and inspiring. He then speaks of the complex idea that God himself, lives in the present. He essentially gives the idea that we are all living in the present constantly. In this specific quote Thoreau talks about fait, and how it doesn’t matter what we do because life will go on. He is basically saying that whatever is meant to happen will happen, no matter which road we choose to travel on.

10.

Thoreau:

People rush through life and do not see what’s important in life. People try to find the easy path than try and overcome obstacles that life puts in their way. Learn to decide for yourself and make the connection with life and the best way to live your life. Don’t cower in your house but rather experience what’s outside your comfort zone and enjoy every new experience you encounter.

“Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.”He uses the semicolons to multiple examples in one complete sentence and to give a point on living a less greedy life.

“I think that the richest vein is somewhere hereabouts; so by the divining – rod and thin rising vapors, I judge; and here I will begin to mine”. He says this in terms of talking about one’s heart and that we shouldn’t live our lives fast paced but realize the beauty around us.

“Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life”? He expresses here the main idea of his essay that the world moves too fast for us to see what is important in our short lives.

11.

Kelly Randza                                                                                                                                                       10/14/09

Dan Hoffer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Freewriting

Renee Gordon

Thoreau and Vowell

                In “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” by Henry Thoreau we found several quotes using semicolons to help with description. Our first quotation is found on page 425 “Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.” This specific quote is used more for listing his ideas, and making sure he is displaying a clear message. He encourages his readers to simplify and reduce their everyday lives. He uses dishes and meals as examples to convey an easier and simplified lifestyle. A second quotation that is found on page 425 that includes semicolons is, “Men think that it is essential that the Nation have commerce, and export ice, and talk through a telegraph, and ride thirty miles an hour, without a doubt, whether they do or not; but whether we should live like baboons or like men, is a little uncertain.” The semi colon is used for a different purpose in this quote. Thoreau uses the semicolon to separate his two arguments. Before the semi colon he presents the idea that all men strive for what is complex or new, which is one side of the argument. After the semicolon he argues that we should not live as animals or as men but somewhere in the middle.

                The essay by Sarah Vowell, “Shooting Dad”, is a drastic contrast to Thoreau’s writing style. Another difference our group found is that Vowell uses colons more than Thoreau uses semicolons. One example of this is, “Here’s a hint: It requires a cannon.” Here Vowell uses the colon to bring humor to her writing. It also adds to her voice which is very strong throughout the piece. 

12. Ryan Krause

Devin Matzinger

Diyana Milligan

                Henry Thoreau’s “Where I lived, and What I Lived For”, is about Thoreau’s dislike for the pace in which the worlds was going and decided to get away and live in the woods, where there was no electricity, mostly no civilization. Thoreau thought that we as people live life on the “fast lane” and think we should slow down, so we can enjoy life more. One of Thoreau’s ways of using semicolons’ is when he wants to explain a subject or sentence more in detail. For example “Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.” (Page 425)

                Sarah Vowell’s “Shooting Dad”, is about a girl and a father who did not get along, they had different viewpoints on almost everything. Sarah’s dad was a hunter and made guns, Sarah was an artist and hated guns. As Sarah got older she knew she had to spend more time with her father, as they did they grew closer and she understood why he made guns, she realized they are both the same person. Vowell uses the colon to describe her point, for example, “Guns were everywhere: the so-called pretty ones like the circa 1850 muzzle loader hanging on the wall.” (Page 434)

13. Alex, Alex, and Rachel

Freewrite 10/14/09

                The essay by Thoreau was an excerpt from Walden.  Thoreau wasn’t really a pure person in the woods; he had people bring him supplies as he needed them.   He claimed that he was alone and lived on his own in the woods.  We had to re-read his paragraphs in order to understand them.  Thoreau was a transcendentalist, and never used short, simple words.  All his sentences were really long, and his words were sophisticated even to the most educated scholars.  His primary goal was to get in touch with nature, but he truly wasn’t because people brought him supplies to keep him alive.  If he was fully invested into it, then he wouldn’t let anyone know where he was.  He claims that no one had any part in his writing of “Walden.”  All of his writing made absolutely no sense, and nothing connected inside of his writing.  His intentions were to be one with nature, but as you can tell, he failed because of the influence of the outside world.  His long sentences can be around 8 to 9 lines long and they are very boring to read because they go on and on without any change in tone.  It is like listening to a lecture in a very monotone voice as your speaker.  The sentence, “I did not wish to live that was not life, living is so dead; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary” is one of his semi colon sentences and it totally contradicts what he was talking about in the paragraph.  We interpret this as, he wants to change but he doesn’t feel like it. Vowell initially failed to see the artist appeal of her father’s trait.  A gun was in no way satisfying to Vowell.  Beyond being an instrument of destruction, firearms had no place in her world.  Although she recognized her Dad as a driven and talented enthusiast, she failed to appreciate the appeal that firearms process.  On the other hand, music inspired Vowell.  Working as a DJ at a local radio station, she was aware of the inherent power of music.  Good music can promote different emotions, thoughts and actions by the listener.  A gun can be used for pleasure, or it can be used as a tool or servant of death.

14. Whitney Cornell
Shelby Craig
Zach Archer
October 14, 2009
Free Writing

We thought that the essay by Henry David Thoreau was basically about his views on the world. He thinks as if he is better than everyone else. He’s very isolated in his own world so he doesn’t have to deal with how vein everyone is. For example, he only received two letters in his whole life, because he didn’t like the post office. He never wanted to be bothered by the outside world because he thought it was too petty. He talks about how news is mostly gossip and he despises it. He thinks everyone is shallow. He doesn’t want to conform to anything. We agree with him on some of his views on life. Life isn’t all about gossiping and there’s more to a person than what meets the eye. He said, “I do not wish to be any more busy with my hands than is necessary. My head is my hands and feet.” This shows that Thoreau is a very intellectual person and spends a lot of his time thinking.

Thoreau thinks that people spend too much time rushing around that they forget about the important things in life. People need to go back to nature and experience life’s simple pleasures. We agree with this because today people focus too much on material items, forgetting to enjoy what life itself has to offer.

15. Amanda James and Penny Dean
“Time is but the stream I go afishing in.”… I chose this paragraph to rewrite in my own words.
I feel that this paragraph means time is something Thoreau knows he has and he often thinks he has a lot of time, but then he thinks about the long run and realizes we don’t have that much time at all. He uses his time well. He uses his head to live life, he thinks about things.
I can relate to this paragraph to my own life when I think of my senior year of high school. I think the year will take so long, but then I realize it will be over before I know it. I realize it is the last year of high school I have and I have to manage my time well. I learn to cherish each event because it is the last time it will occur. I will have my last soccer game, football game, homecoming, prom and other fun activities.
I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. I use my time, but as I’m using my time up I realize how little time I have left.
Penny Dean
“Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails.”

16. Melinda Tipton
Riana Jones
Chris McCarrick

The first passage that we chose was, “Still we live meanly, like ants; though the fable tells us that we were long ago changed into men; like pygmies we fight with cranes; it is error upon error, and clout upon clout, and our best virtue for its occasion a superfluous and evitable wretchedness.” (Page 425, Paragraph 2). To us, this passage is saying that even though we’ve evolved into intelligent beings, we still have flaws and make plenty of mistakes. It also says that even our best intentions can have a dark outcome. If we compared the 19th century to the present day, we would find that people are still a lot alike in the way that they made mistakes back then and are still making mistakes now.
The second passage we chose was, “Let us rise early and fast, or breakfast, gently and without perturbation; let company come and let company go, let the bells ring and the children cry – determined to make a day of it.” (Page 429, Paragraph 2). We believe Thoreau is saying that people should live life to its fullest and don’t take any part of the day for granted. Even if something unfortunate happens throughout the day, brush it off and don’t worry about it. You only have one life to live, so make sure you make the most of it.

17. October 14, 2009

Free writing

Arthur Weitzel, Justin Geary, Taniesha Wilson

                In the first paragraph all he wants to do is escape from the world and simplify his life. He thought that his way of thinking was better than everyone else’s way of thinking. He wants discover life by himself without outside interference. The main reason he goes on this outing was to enjoy god and glorify him forever. We connected to this paragraph because all of us have had a time when we wanted to get away from the world with our friends and family and simplify our lives, be able to relax, and enjoy nature.

                We agree with his thinking when it comes to media and things that we think and make important that really are not.  Also when he says, “Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?” We can identify with this because everyone goes through life to fast and does not enjoy the little things along the way. He also discusses the media and says how it is all gossip and a waste and how if you read about one man who was shot in the streets you don’t have to read about another one. He thinks that the media is overly repetitive and certain stories get more attention than they deserve.

18.   Lynsey Bodek

Allison Hower

Jesse Begany

                After reading the first paragraph of Thoreau’s piece, I was confused.  I tried to interpret it as well as I could and I came up with the following.  He seems to be the kind of person that really wants to get the joys out of life.  He wanted to move to the woods to see things the way that God made them.  He wanted to understand how everything really was and wanted to know his thoughts on how it was to be interpreted.  This reminds me of when I did really well on a test, so I was willing to show anyone who didn’t understand the material that I knew it and could show them how everything was.  I think this doesn’t relate to today’s times because I feel like people don’t care about things that they should and they are more materialistic instead of looking at the goodness of people.

In the second paragraph on page 229 this paragraph relates more too this time period than the first paragraph we wrote about did; it basically is explaining to enjoy the little things life like the company of others and not so materialistic, and basically he implies the people need to slow down and enjoy not letting things pass them by. A lot of times people today get too involved in their activities and daily life to enjoy things. 

“I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” To us this quote means you shouldn’t let your problems become numerous and tackle them as soon as possible.  And if you have that many problems, deal with them a few at a time.

                “Time is but the stream I go afishing in. I don t drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is.” I took this sentence to mean that life is precious and too short and he used the metaphor to show how short life is because he can always see the bottom of the stream; which represents the “end”.

“I’m not saying who was the Democrat or who was the Republican-my father or I- but I will tell you that I have never described to Guns and Ammo, that I did not plaster the family vehicle with National Rifle Association stickers, and that hunter’s orange was never my favorite color.”

19. Morgan Difenderfer
Mike Bowser

Thoreau : Where I Lived, and What I Lived For
Thoreau in the first sentence explains his reasoning for moving himself out into the woods. His intention is to find inner fulfillment and a meaning to his life. He brings up the issue of simplifying his life and removing social constraints. He separates each of his subjects or different opinions into different paragraphs. First paragraph was most understandable and reader today can connect to the most. In the first paragraph he talks about his want and desire to simplify life and to remove all that life has to offer. Reader gets a sense of fear, his fear of the complications of life and which is ironic because his philosophical thoughts about life are complex in many ways. He wanted to choose where he lived, how he lived his life and did not want to be constrained by any sense of time, overall he wanted a choice. He wanted to reduce life to its simplest meaning, understand it not only for himself but for others then share it with the world. Also brings up how he feels that man’s view on God should be simplified and whether man is here for God’s purpose or another.

20. We shouldn’t spend all of our time thinking about all the small things. Worrying about tiny things that don’t matter. We should live with some risk and enjoyment. I don’t think people give enough consideration to the whole “look at the big picture” idea. That’s what he is really talking about. Details truly mean nothing but the process by which we get a big picture in the end.
Everyone can learn something from him. I wish I hadn’t learned this the hard way. but everyone has to. I cant remember specifically but when I was little I had to discover that the small things in life cant be overlooked but cant be blown out of proportion either.
Ryan Cunningham
“If we do not get our sleepers, and forge rails, and devote days and nights to the work, but go to tinkering upon our lives to improve them, who will build railroads?
“But if we stay at home and mind our business, who will want railroads?”
I think Thoreau is trying to say, instead of trying to fiddle with other people and their lives we should be more interested in making our lives better. Instead of trying to build meaningless social connections with every person in the world we spend our important time trying to figure out ourselves and our own needs. And if we do so we won’t find it necessary to interfere with other peoples lives.

21. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.”
An idea that we can relate to from Thoreau is when he talked about simplifying. He explained that it was not necessary to eat three meals a day, and if it was possible to eat one. This relates to our lives today because of global warming, the shortage of oil and other natural resources that we must conserve. He also gives the idea of not having hundred dishes but only needing five.

“ I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.”
When he talks about let your affairs are two or three and not a hundred or a thousand. This relates to our lives today because of the media and how everyone’s business is exposed and everyone else.

“Guns: Not For ME. Luckily, both my parents grew up in exasperating households where children were considered puppets and/or slaves.
This use of the semi-colon is an example of getting right to the point. Instead of using semi-colon to connect longer sentences and make them one. She uses it to get a single idea across.

We believe that the fact that we can relate these ideas to today’s culture helps us understand the readings easier.

22.Matt, Caleb, Marjolein

Thoreau and Vowell Discussion

10/14/09

            “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.”

The meaning of this sentence is that Thoreau wants to get back to basics. He doesn’t want to be distracted by daily problems.  He wants to deal with whatever life throws at him, whether good or bad. 

            “Men think that it is essential that the nation have commerce and export ice, and talk through a telegraph, and write 30 miles an hour, without a doubt, whether they do or not; but whether we should live like baboons or men, is a little uncertain.”

Society thinks that we should be advanced technologically and have the best of the best whereas Thoreau thinks that we should live with what we have.  Thoreau is more focused on how to live rather than what we live with.

            “Time is but the stream I go afishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away but eternity remains.”

While Thoreau is living his life he comes to realize that society takes life for granted.  He thinks that you shouldn’t worry about what your future is going to be but more about living in the moment. In the end, everyone winds up the same.