Walden Mind Mapping Notes (Ibrahim Al-Nassir)

Walden Mind Mapping Notes (Ibrahim Al-Nassir)

1. Chapter 1

   • Chapter 2
     • Chapter 3
       • Chapter 4
       • Thoreau takes this chapter to establish his level of credibility to the reader by explaining what works he has and has not studied, and also giving a bit of insight on what type of readings he would wish to study.
         • Thoreau makes comparisons between a normal reader and a poet to say that an average reader does not know how to read something in the same way, and simply won't get the same value out of it.
         • Thoreau also explains how knowing classical languages can be extremely helpful when it comes to reading comprehension and getting full value out of classical readings.
         • Thoreau is of the belief that writing, the literary form of language, is generally superior to speaking. He also says that to read easy books is to vegetate and that it is valueless. This is one of the worst statements from him, and he even calls out romance stories. Horrid.
         • Thoreau seeks to meet like-minded people. Sadly, not everyone is crazy.
     • Thoreau describes his search for a place to practice his philosophies throughout this chapter, in a sense. He goes out searching to buy property from people, but does not plan to buy any. He thinks that their hands are burnt by the possession of something they did not make themselves.
       • Thoreau actually ends up living in the cabin that, like his boat, he built himself. To him, his first true possession. He believes it is the ultimate simplicity, a place where he can ignore time.
       • The cabin where Thoreau ultimately sets up is not actually very far from Concord. The way he describes it, however, is that it is the furthest he needs to get to be away from society.
       • Here we find out how Thoreau ended up where he was in chapter 1
   • The entirety of the first chapter is mainly used to introduce why Thoreau has decided to live by Walden pond and what his reasons are.
     • Thoreau essentially seeks to answer what the pure necessities for life are so that he can tell people. Thoreau also wishes to push his beliefs and philosophies to their limits.
       • Thoreau's beliefs range from him thinking that man in society is akin to slavery all the way to ideas like how nature and preservation are the best way to go. He's definitely a transcendentalist of sorts.
         • Thoreau prefers a life of simplicity and seems to belittle anyone who disagrees. This, along with him saying that old people don't have wisdom, proves that he is a man of definite arrogance.
     • Thoreau also goes off on an unnecessary tangent about why he uses first person. He wants to sound so high and mighty for it.
     • Thoreau tells us that he has been living in a cabin, which he built, in a forest by Walden pond

2. Chapter 5

   • Chapter 6
     • Chapter 7
       • Chapter 8

3. Chapter 9

   • Chapter 10
     • Chapter 11
       • Chapter 12

4. Chapter 13

   • Chapter 14
     • Chapter 15
       • Chapter 16
         • Chapter 17
           • Chapter 18