Question

Is thoreau's conception of civil disobedience compatible with democratic government? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

While most people recognize that in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau argues against submission to government policies that individuals deem immoral, few note that he also issues a sharp critique of representative democracy. This lesson focuses on that critique.

The first interactive exercise concentrates on vocabulary building.

The second, recommended for use after you have conducted the close reading, reviews the central points of the textual analysis. You may want to use its first slide to direct whole class discussion in which you ask students to support their answers with evidence from the text. The second slide provides the correct responses with textual support.

The third interactive exercise asks students to write a contrast paragraph, which will require pen and paper. It also encourages vocabulary building and calls upon students to draw an inference. It is most appropriate for individual work.

The America in Class® lesson on individualism in Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” would make an excellent companion piece for this lesson. Emerson shared many of Thoreau’s political views. He distrusted majority rule for the same reasons Thoreau did and held the same views of mass culture. This chart (Emerson–Thoreau Comparison) illustrates the similarities between “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience.” Should you teach the two, you might point out that Thoreau’s idea of the “wise majority” resembles Emerson’s conception of the self-reliant, those few in society who as “guides, redeemers, and benefactors” will rescue democracy.