Introduction
Civil Disobedience : “symbolic or ritualistic violation of the law rather than a rejection of the system as a whole.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/civil-disobedience
In 1849, right after the end of the American-Mexican war, Henry David Thoreau published an essay on “Civil Disobedience” also known as “Resistance to Civil Government”. In this essay, Thoreau exposes his opinion on slavery and standing out from the majority in the case of the government of that time and its laws. His ideas have inspired many famous civil rights activists throughout the years. Here we’ll see how and learn more about this theory.
Task
The task I'm giving you is to write a small text on what Civil Disobedience is to you, using a quote of Henry David Thoreau of your choice.
Here are a few : http://www.sparknotes.com/author/henry-david-thoreau/
Go to Henry David Thoreau Quotes
Process
1) True or false? Visit the following website and tick the right answer. Justify by quoting the article.
Henry David Thoreau is best know for fighting in favor of slavery and being a supporter of the government’s policy. http://www.sparknotes.com/author/henry-david-thoreau/
□ True □ False
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2) What writer and friend of Thoreau is known to have inspired him and introduced him to the philosophy of transcendentalism?
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-David-Thoreau#ref7229
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3) How did Thoreau apply his idea of civil disobedience in his own life? In which occasion? https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-David-Thoreau#ref7231
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4) Name a few people Thoreau has influenced in the civil rights movements?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elrTpoY6AYQ
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5) Read this quote, what is the appropriate way to respond to unjust laws according to Thoreau?
« Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? »
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6) Which of these things is more important to Thoreau ? Being an honest individual who follows its beliefs or being a good citizen?
http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/civildisobedience/summary/
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Evaluation
| Introduction | Process | Choice of resources | Language proficiency | Overall opinion |
|
□ Clear □ Motivational □ Topic well explained |
□ Questions are clear and precise □ Questions are varied □ Links direct to the right page; information is easy to find. |
□ Reliable sources □ Documents are varied (text, video, images, audio) |
□ Good English □ Some mistakes but it is understandable □ I couldn't understand some parts. |
□ It was interesting! □ It was boring ! □ It was fun ! □ It was too hard ! □ It was too easy ! |
Conclusion
Henry David Thoreau, throughout his life, will have inspired many, especially with the question of self-reliance and peaceful manifesting. His works have travelled all around the world and are now studied by millions of young Americans at school. He has shown us a new way to express ourselves without the use of violence or repression.