Walden Moo Introduction

Before entering the MOO, here is a rough guideline of what you will be seeing, experiencing, and completing along the way.

You will begin the site by exploring various photographs and drawing of Walden-both past and present. Included will be pictures of the lake, the replicated cottage, the paths through the woods, etc. As you are reading through the passages, you can see just what inspired Thoreau.

You will also be creating you own haven online. You will be entering a site where you will have to survive as Thoreau did during this time. This will include building shelter, planting and/or catching food, and figuring out how you will spend your time. It will be a survival program where you have to actually put in the work to make it; if you are unable to find adequate food or building sufficient shelter, the program would kill you off.

Along the "path" will be links that help explain the philosophy that Transcendentalists identified with to aid you in understanding his mindset for living alone in the woods for two years. Included in this reading will be an essay titled Pooh of Walden Pond. This great and insightful piece will be killing three birds in one stone since you will read The Dao of Pooh later in the semester, and this will be a great introduction. It also covers the basic thoughts in Walden and summarizes the corresponding philosophy.

At the end of your reading, you will connect to a link to learn how to write in a format similar to Thoreau's. It's not that you have to emulate this perfectly, but rather to have a place to begin, and then you can follow with your own words. To complete this assignment, you will venture into the wilderness on your own. This can be back to the Linear Path, or to your own personal Walden, and once here you would write a few pages of your own reflections by really placing yourself into the surroundings and the moment. This assignment won’t be turned in until the end of the unit, so you would have several chances to do this if you want. Although this portion isn't virtually interactive, it's allowing you to become interactive with your surrounding environment, and hopefully giving you appreciation for both the nature you’re in as well as Walden.