Raising Awareness about Environmental Issues through Walden

In Upper Secondary Education

by
Inger Persson

Humans impact the environment in many ways. The comforts of modern-day life and

excessive consumerism have resulted in climate change, deforestation, water pollution and

poor air quality. Through environmental education, schools can play an important role in

environmental protection. Thus, the aim of this essay is to discuss how to raise awareness

about environmental issues through Walden by Thoreau in upper secondary education. First,

the reason for choosing Thoreau and Walden will be motivated. Then, a lesson plan for

English 6 suggesting which themes and chapters in Walden that can be particularly relevant

for students to read and discuss regarding this topic will be presented.

Raising awareness of environmental issues is in fact considered a fundamental task of the

school. The Swedish National Agency for Education, Skolverket, states in the curriculum for

the upper secondary school that:

Environmental perspectives in education should provide students with insights so that

they can not only contribute to preventing harmful environmental effects, but also
develop a personal approach to overarching, global environmental issues. Education
should illuminate how the functions of society and our ways of living and working can be
best adapted to create a sustainable development (Skolverket, 2013).

Teachers can introduce or reinforce the ecocritical way of thinking in students in all school

subjects. English teachers can for example raise awareness about environmental issues

through English literature. Thoreau is a highly relevant author to choose for this topic because

he is considered to have laid the foundation of modern-day environmentalism as he articulated

a philosophy based on environmental and social responsibility (Center for American Progress,
2011). Thoreau’s Walden urges the reader to reflect on human society and its impact on

nature. The reader may also be inspired to act, to actually do something in order to protect the

environment.

In Walden Thoreau observes and learns from experience. He went to the woods and lived in

a cabin because he wished to live deliberately and see if he could not learn what it had to

teach (Thoreau p.98). Thoreau’s experiences in Walden makes him a precursor of experience-

based learning, which is a well-known model in modern education. One essential component

of experience-based learning is that it involves something meaningful to the students and that

they should be personally engaged. Also, from my own experience as a teacher it has been

obvious that successful education creates a balance between theoretical and practical

knowledge that supports the learning of students.

So, how can English teachers use Walden to promote ecological awareness? The lesson

plan suggested for the English 6 course highlights two themes, “society” and “environment”.

The first lessons focus on the theme “society” and the chapter chosen is “Economy”. It is a

relatively long chapter where Thoreau covers the following topics: business, money, wealth,

trade and the plight of the poor. In this chapter, Thoreau’s purpose is to illustrate the benefits

of a simple lifestyle and he identifies four necessities: food, shelter, clothing and fuel. The

expected learning outcome when studying this chapter is to raise awareness about aspects of

environmental sustainability and how it relates to our human needs. First, the students read

this chapter individually and then, the students discuss the following questions:

1. What are the basic human needs according to Thoreau? Do you agree with him?

2. How does Thoreau use language to make his readers stop and think and/or to

emphasize his ideas?

3. Do all people have the same needs?

4. How do actions of one generation affect future generations?

 Thoreau sometimes makes his point through hyperbole and irony. One example in the

chapter “Economy” is when he notes that he needs very little furniture and he says “Furniture!

Thank God, I can sit and I can stand without the aid of a furniture warehouse.” (Thoreau, p.

72). This quote shows that studying literature in order to discuss important issues differs from

studying scientific publications because fiction allows emotion inducing language and

content. Thoreau’s use of irony makes the reader stop and think what has just been said and a

suitable topic for discussion is whether language is power and if words can change our world.

The following lessons focus on the theme “environment”. The chapters chosen for this

theme are “Sounds” and “Brute neighbors”. In the chapter “Sounds”, Thoreau describes the

importance of being open to nature, of being a seer and a listener. However, he also hears

sounds that remind him of civilization. In “Brute neighbors” Thoreau describes the behavior

of wild animals and insects. After reading these chapters, the students adopt Thoreau’s keen

methods of observation and conduct a field study in a forest or in a park. The students must

conduct the field study unplugged and focus on what they hear, see and smell. The expected

learning outcome for this theme is to acquire awareness about the environment through lived

experiences and observations. The students answer and discuss the following questions:

1. What signs of civilization does Thoreau hear in the chapter “Sounds”? What signs of

civilization did you hear in the field study? Compare!

2. What behavior of animals and insects does Thoreau observe in the chapter “Brute

neighbors”? What behavior of different animals and insects did you observe in the

field study?

Finally, the students write an essay where they can choose their angle of approach to process

their reflections from working with these two themes.

 In conclusion, it is remarkable that Walden, a literary work published in 1854, can be used

in today’s teaching to make visible the interconnectedness between culture and nature.

Through Walden students are given an opportunity to reflect on materialism and consumerism

and its impact on the environment. Finally, the main purpose for choosing Walden to raise

awareness about environmental issues in upper secondary school is that the novel encourages

the reader to observe and experience nature. If we experience and learn to appreciate nature,

we more likely want to do more to protect it.

Works cited

Center for American Progress. (July 13, 2011) “It’ s Easy Being Green: Happy Birthday, Henry David Thoreau”.

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2011/07/13/10013/its-easy-being-green-happy-birthday-

henry-david-thoreau/ (Viewed 2021-06-14)

Skolverket. (2013) Curriculum for the upper secondary school: Gy 11. Stockholm: Skolverket.

Thoreau, Henry David. (1854) Walden, London: Macmillan Collector’s Library