The central question of this class is asking “What does it mean to be human?” We’ve read Walden, a book greatly composed of humanity and social commentary. Reading some of the poems written by Egyptians thousands of years ago, we discovered that they weren’t much different then how we are today. One of the most pertinent books we’ve read is Sapiens, a book solely based upon what makes us different from other animals.
Over the summer, I needed to read Walden, a book about Henry David Thoreau and his 4 year retreat into the wilderness, where he lived in a cabin next to Walden Pond. Firstly, I’d like to talk about Thoreau’s writing. I implore you to look up “Walden Chapter 1” and read just a couple paragraphs. Isn’t it so easy to get lost in his words and forget what he’s even talking about? Now imagine that for approximately 200 pages. While I appreciate the book, it’s really hard to like it. You can see my reflections for certain chapters below.
After reading Walden during the summer, our first major assignment was to write and act out our very own Walden skits. A lot of the skits were really funny, and my group ended up titling our skit “Carpool Karaoke with Thoreau.” If you are unfamiliar, James Corden hosts a show where he takes celebrities and drives around while singing pop songs. It’s as good as it sounds. We ended up using many pop songs and changing the words to fit with Walden Pond and Henry David Thoreau.