Word: thoreau
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Wooden posts mark the ground where, in 1945, historian Roland Robbins discovered the remains of Thoreau's home. Nearby is a sign describing the cabin's appearance and its fate after Thoreau left Walden. The building was dismantled before 1850; its roof was put on a pigsty...
...glance around is usually enough for tourists, particularly those whose minds are on their vehicles. Most go no further than the cairn next to the sign. Beyond, the path narrows, and it is quieter; here is where one can hear the words of Thoreau...
...words is the preservation of Walden. Without Thoreau's legacy, the pond, which is more than a hundred feet deep in parts, would have docks, motorboats, and inflatables. Walden Woods would be a woods only in name; no benefits would be staged to save it from developers...
Words were written at Walden, and they consecrated it. To readers of Thoreau, the sound of these words will always be louder than that of cars on the nearby road or of picknickers crunching potato chips on the beach...
...meantime it is our task to do for our surroundings here in Cambridge what Thoreau did for his. We each need to create a Walden of our own; we need to fit words to places. We need to make clear our thoughts as we walk down JFK to the river, and articulate them to a friend or a journal page...