Chapter XVII: Spring
6 argumentative units
- 01The Breaking Up of the Ice
He details the process by which the pond's ice breaks up, a gradual honeycombing and melting from both above and below.
- 02The First Signs of Spring
He is on the alert for the first signs of spring, noting the dates the pond opened in various years and recounting a story of the ice suddenly drifting ashore.
- 03The Thawing Sand and Clay
He observes with delight the forms of thawing sand on a railroad cut, which flow like lava and resemble grotesque, architectural foliage.
- 04The Earth Expresses Itself in Leaves
He sees in the flowing sand an anticipation of the vegetable leaf, blood vessels, and even the human form, concluding that the Maker of the earth patented a leaf.
- 05The Infant Year
As the frost leaves the ground, he compares the tender signs of the infant year with the withered vegetation that has withstood the winter.
- 06The First Sparrow of Spring
He hears the first birds of spring, watches the ice crack and melt, and is startled by the honking of geese, passing his first spring night in the woods.