Reading and Sounds

Start with reading

Begin with a mind map on the reading chapter. One map presents Thoreau’s view of reading as a pursuit of truth and connects reading well with spiritual greatness. It also describes books as the wealth of civilization. Use these branches to identify the ideas the map’s creator considers important.

Another reading map contrasts lasting ideas with material things that do not last. Look at how the two maps express that contrast. You can follow each branch and put its point into your own words before moving on.

Move on to sounds

Next, explore a map on the sounds chapter. One describes being alert and open to nature, while another connects reading with seeing and listening. The map called Sounds describes a calm natural day and the idea that life itself has become the amusement.

Compare those branches with a map that discusses the train. It presents the train as a symbol of a move away from a simple, natural life toward an industrial, monotonous one. Notice how the maps use different details to present ideas from the chapter.

Connect the maps

Reading and Sounds is one section of the Walden unit in Literature. The maps give you different starting points within that section: some focus on reading and lasting ideas, while others focus on attention to nature or the train. Comparing them can help you see how a creator has organized each idea.

There are no quizzes on this page, so use the maps together as a study sequence. Follow a reading map first, then a sounds map, and return to individual branches when you want to compare their points. Choose a map and trace its branches as you study.