As I walk along the stony shore of the pond in my shirt-sleeves, though it is cool as well
as cloudy and windy, and I see nothing
special to attract me, all the elements are
unusually congenial to me. The bullfrogs
trump to usher in the night, and the note
of the whip-poor-will is borne on the
rippling wind from over the water.
Sympathy with the fluttering alder and
poplar leaves almost takes away my
breath; yet, like the lake, my se
serenity is
rippled but not ruffled. These small waves
raised by the evening wind are as remote
from storm as the smooth reflecting
surface.
Consider the natural imagery in this passage.
Thoreau includes the image of the gently rippling
lake to
o describe his sense of serenity and
demonstrate that he feels connected to the
natural world
o show that a storm is coming and explain his
uneasiness about the storm.
o prove that he made the right choice in leaving
society to live in the woods alone.
o imply that the natural world is violent and
unpredictable, despite its gentle appearance,
DONE
Ko