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2017 ‫מועד יולי‬ - 41 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, is a classic of American literature. Published in
1854, this slim volume describes the author's experiences during the two-year period he
spent living in a cabin on the shores of Walden Pond. Disgusted by the shallow
materialism of society, Thoreau had decided to retreat to the woods and live off the land.

(5) In Walden, he shares with readers details of his day-to-day life, descriptions of the
magnificent natural surroundings, as well as the tenets of his unconventional personal
philosophy. Thoreau believed that one should live a simple, meaningful life and eschew
the pursuit of material wealth. He also advocated remaining true to one's conscience
and, when necessary, rejecting the norms and expectations of society.

(10) Walden has been studied in depth and analyzed in detail, perhaps because the
philosophy Thoreau espoused and the profoundly spiritual nature of the text speak to
many people's hearts. Readers have also appreciated the author's masterful way with
language. However, parts of Walden are difficult to understand. Scholars, for example,
continue to puzzle over a line from the first chapter, where Thoreau writes: "I long ago

(15) lost a hound, a bay horse, and a turtledove, and am still on their trail." Thoreau owned
neither a dog nor a horse, not to mention a wild pigeon, so what could this sentence
possibly be referring to?

There have been numerous conjectures, all based on the assumption that Thoreau
was speaking in metaphor. It has been pointed out that animal symbols of this kind are

(20) common in classical Chinese works, with which Thoreau was familiar. One possibility
is that the three animals represent, respectively, a former friend of Thoreau's, a brother
of his who had died, and a woman he had once loved. Alternatively, they may stand for
the ideals of truth, goodness, and beauty. When Thoreau was asked what he meant, he
answered briefly, "I suppose we all have our losses." This cryptic answer has itself

(25) given rise to speculation among scholars. Some claim Thoreau was evading the
question, while others maintain that he was referring to the universal experience of loss
itself.

Questions

18. The main purpose of the first paragraph is to discuss -

(1) the career of an American author
(2) the background and content of an American classic
(3) why Thoreau retreated from society
(4) the importance of nature in Thoreau's writing

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬

.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬