Thoreau wakes up and goes to get water
which he has to use an axe to dig through a
foot of ice and snow to get to the water
He watches ice fishermen dig through the
ice and start fishing and comments on the
ways other “ruder fishermen” ice fish.
There is a myth that Walden
Pond was bottomless.
He measured that this pond
goes to about 102-107 ft down.
Thoreau disproves
this myth by using a
cod-line and a stone.
100 People come to collect ice
from Walden Pond and were hired
by a New England Farmer.
Some of these people after or while
working took refuge in Thoreau’s home.
These people had
collect about 10
thousand tons of ice
The men had been working
for about 60 days on the lake
before they left.
Less than 25% of the
water gets to its
destination
Thoreau describes the color
of Walden’s water and ice
compared to other more
green tinted water
Thoreau explains the
significance of the
Walden water.
He explains that the water in
Walden is sacred and calls it
the “sacred water of the
Ganges”
Vocab
Dormant - (of an animal) having normal
physical functions suspended or slowed down
for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep.
Concord - agreement or harmony
between people or groups.
Capacious - having a lot of
space inside; roomy.
Promontory - a point of high land that juts
out into a large body of water; a headland.
Aggregate - a whole formed by combining
several (typically disparate) elements.
Subsidence - sinking of the ground
because of underground material
movement—is most often caused by the
removal of water, oil, natural gas, or
mineral resources out of the ground by
pumping, fracking, or mining activities.
Tartarus - the infernal regions of ancient
Greek mythology. The name was originally
used for the deepest region of the world
Sweltering - uncomfortably hot.
Cosmogonal - the study of the origin
and development of the universe or of
a particular system in the universe,
such as the solar system.
Ganges - an Asian river; rises in the Himalayas
and flows east into the Bay of Bengal; a sacred
river of the Hindus.
Chapter 15
Events
Thoreau first explains the the
setting of the winter lake.
He then describes the sounds
of animals during the night
that he listened to.
These animals
include geese,
owls, and foxes.
Thoreau entertains himself by putting out
unripe corn for the animals and watches
them. Animals such as rabbits red
squirrels, and birds come to take the food.
He then describes and a chase between
hounds and a fox in which a hunter kills
the fox and the hounds eventually leave.
A man’s hounds had been lost and were out
hunting for a week. He finds out that the Hounds
had sheltered across a river and would soon return.
Thoreau leaves out potato
parings for the hares that
come to eat them.
Thoreau explains that he could not imagine
a world where there aren't these animals
since they are ancient and vulnerable beings
that are indigenous to these lands
Vocab
Indigenous - Originating or
occurring naturally in a
particular place; native.
Patridge - a short-tailed game bird
with mainly brown plumage,
native to Eurasia.
Esquimaux - a member of the group
of peoples who live in Alaska,
Northern Canada, eastern Siberia, and
other parts of the Arctic. These
peoples now usually call themselves
Inuits or Yupiks, and the term Eskimo
could cause offence.
Lingua - a tongue or an organ
resembling a tongue.
Circumspection - wary and
unwilling to take risks.