Civil Disobedience

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about the term “transcendentalism”? What is the basic philosophy surrounding this movement, and which authors are usually associated with it?

Teaching Suggestion: This question links well with study of the antebellum era in U.S. History, as it asks students to examine the transcendentalist movement within its historical context. Transcendentalism is a unique and time-bound American literary and philosophical phenomenon; however, its circle of authors greatly affected both U.S. as well as international authors.

• This overview from Britannica discusses the history of transcendentalism in the United States.
• This study guide collection from SuperSummary provides a brief description of transcendentalism and highlights the major literary works usually associated with this literary movement.

Short Activity

One of the core tenets of transcendentalism was the importance of connecting to nature as a facet of Anti-Materialism and Self-Reliance. In addition to this text, Thoreau wrote Walden, a nonfiction account of his experiment living off the land near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts.

For this activity, you will write a reflection while immersed in your favorite natural location, such as a park, your backyard, or a local green spot. With a notebook and writing utensil, take some time to relax and reflect on your location. Then, for 15 minutes, write about your location: why does this location speak to you? How do you feel in nature? Do you feel connected? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This activity is a free writing prompt that focuses on creative and personal writing in connection with nature. Encourage students to focus on their connections with their outdoor experience rather than focusing on grammar and syntax.

Differentiation Suggestion: While this activity is written as an individual homework assignment, it could also work as in-class personal reflection time for the group. If the class has access to a green space, and if feasible, a portion of the class could be held outside, allowing students to write their reflections while in nature. This would support students who may not have access to a natural environment near their home, as well as supporting an equal experience in terms of time and location.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the essay.

What do you consider to be a nonviolent approach to disobeying the law?

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt links directly with the theme of Fighting Injustice With Passive Resistance. Students may use their own creative examples of nonviolent approaches or reference historical examples. In regard to the latter, students may or may not be aware of the influence Thoreau’s essay had on many civil rights leaders and activists, particularly those of the mid-20th century, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks. (This influence is the focus of the Activity presented later in this Unit titled “Research Project: Thoreau’s Influence on Non-Violent Activism.”)