Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience"

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was born in Concord, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard in 1837, and taught school briefly. He was a transcendentalist essayist, naturalist, editor, lecturer, and social critic. Thoreau championed the role of the individual over mindless conformity and materialism. He and Ralph Waldo Emerson, his mentor and friend, co-edited the magazine The Dial. Among his works are A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers (1849), The Maine Woods (1865), and Cape Cod (1865). On July 4, 1845 Thoreau moved into a cabin on the shores of Walden Pond, on land belonging to Emerson, and lived alone there for two years. His stay and journal keeping there led him to write his most famous book Walden (1854). His most influential essay, "Civil Disobedience" examines the individual's responsibility when faced with an unjust governmental decision. It was first published in 1849 in the journal Aesthetic Papers and has been widely reprinted and anthologized.

CONTENT

1. When did the Mexican war mentioned in this essay take place?
2. What is a "no-government" man?
3. Describe the author's formulation of the relationship between money and virtue.
4. What does Thoreau call for Massachusetts abolitionists to do?
5. How does the author feel about paying his poll tax? What happens to him as a result of his actions?
6. In what ways does the author compare the Bible and the Constitution?
7. How would you describe the author's relationship with the government?

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. In paragraph eleven the author uses a simile to compare voting to something. Complete the comparison and discuss how it fits in with the author's ideas of the American political process.
2. What is Thoreau's argument here? Outline his main points and types of support for each in as much detail as you can.
3. This piece was written in the middle of the 19^th century. Review it looking for words that were difficult for you to understand, due to this time difference. (If the words fain, din, desponding, and vexed were familiar to you upon first reading, you can skip this exercise.) List these words and their meanings. What are some effective ways for you to bridge this gap in time, in this and other similar readings?
4. Explain the use of the quatrain at the end of paragraph four. What information does the verse convey? How could Thoreau have conveyed this information using prose? What would he have lost?
5. Explain how the essay's title functions as an oxymoron, and discuss its effectiveness or ineffectiveness in light of the author's views of his role as a citizen.

1. Recall a time you protested something—a governmental action, a grade on a paper, a parent's dictum—important to you. Describe the situation and your response. How can you relate these things to your reading?
2. You've paid taxes in your life: income tax, sales tax, maybe others. What was your reaction when you saw the deductions from your first paycheck, for instance, or thought you had enough money to buy a toy but really didn't? Did any of these things go through your head when you were reading "Civil Disobedience"?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Compare/contrast Thoreau's view of the role of the individual within government with that presented in either Thomas Jefferson's "The Declaration of Independence" or Niccoló Machiavelli's "The Qualities of a Prince."
2. What are some ways responsible people can protest governmental actions they feel are unjust? Use your reading and your own observations to write an essay with specific examples from both.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Do some research to find out about the life and work of another individual from history who advocated civil disobedience. What did you find out about the historical context in your case? How effective was the protest? How can your historical figure be compared to Thoreau? How is he or she different?

WEB CONNECTION

This is a teacher's guide to Thoreau, covering things like classroom strategies and major themes. As a student, what insights did you gain by taking a look at this writer's work from a teacher's point of view?

LINKS

Biographical

Here is a brief biography of Thoreau from the Ecology Hall of Fame. You'll also find a photo of Thoreau and some links and quotes on this page.

This biography is similar in form to the one above. Can you detect any differences? If you had to choose one to cite for a research paper, which one would you pick? Why? What are some of the ways you can check for accuracy of sources on the WWW?

The Columbia Encyclopedia is the source of this hyperlinked Thoreau biography, which also includes a bibliography.

Bibliographical

The Writing of Henry D. Thoreausite is dedicated to keeping his surviving manuscripts in print. There, you'll find lots of information about his lesser-known work and even a sample of his handwriting.

Ready for some of Thoreau's writing in etext? Click here and you'll find "Civil Disobedience." Do you like working with etext? What advantages does it have over hard copy? Do you find it disadvantageous in any ways?

Still hungry for more etext? This page has links to books including Walden, essays including "Life without Principle," and "Slavery in Massachusetts," and other related links.

Cultural

This is the homepage of the Thoreau Institute, where you can find information about the Walden Woods Project, take a virtual tour, visit a feedback area, and join the society if you so desire.

Thoreau coined the term civil disobedience. Interested in that topic for a research paper? Why don't you take a look at this page about nonviolent civil disobedience from Activism.net?

Has reading Thoreau's work interested you in doing some nature writing of your own? This page of nature writing links will help you on your way. If this were your page, what other authors would you include?