If our class was a sort of Lord of the Rings adventure (and, really, what would be cooler than that?), we have just wandered the pastoral landscapes of the Shire, but we saw how Thoreau could feel a tremor (is this becoming Star Wars too?) of the industrial influences of Sauron creeping in via the railroad.
This is not far-fetched; recall what Treebeard said, "There was a time when Saruman would walk in my woods. But now, he has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment."
So, with Rebecca Harding Davis, we're about to enter the Mines of Moria.
As you read "Life in the Iron Mills," please consider the following questions for our class discussion:
What do we learn about the narrator? What do these details signify? And what effects does the depiction of the narrator have on how the text moves the reader?
The environment: Obviously it's grim, but think about how and what Davis does with this wrecked place? How does it speak to you compared with Emerson and Thoreau's environments in which people live and may seek their soul or spirit?
Contemplate Davis' story in conversation with Thoreau's famous quip: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Please keep these questions close as you pass through Moria, and I'll meet you Monday in Mordor.
What new devilry is this?
ReplyDeleteAnd this was even before I was regaled at the costume party by more LOTR conversation than I've heard in years!
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