LIT 2000 PLNU Response to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Book Paper
Humanities
Your first paper assignment is to write a response to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. This paper serves as the midterm grade. Lawrence Buell wrote of Thoreau, “He is one of the few American writers to have become canonized as both a popular hero and a hero of high culture” (Buell, 24). Consider why you think this book has been so important in the American imagination and how it has formed our understanding of our relationship to people and to nature. You may write a personal response to Thoreau’s ideas in his account of two years (condensed into one) spent in a small cabin in the woods, or you can connect an idea or issue he explores to a contemporary issue you have been thinking about. You may also analyze one of the themes that he addresses by showing how he supports his ideas. Another option is do some research on Thoreau and his time and analyze one of his ideas in relation to the context in which he is writing.
Your paper should be at least 4 full pages in MLA format, 12 Point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins, double spaced. Consult at least one additional source and include it and your edition of Walden in your Works Cited page. You do not need a title page, but you do need a heading and a TITLE, which should be located on the first page; the heading should be in the upper left hand corner, your last name and a page number should be in the upper right hand corner of each page, and your title (which is not the same as the work you are analyzing) should be centered above your first paragraph. Your introduction should include the name and author of your text and a well-crafted thesis that indicates the focus of your paper.
Please do not forget to include the title and the works cited page.
