American Romanticism

Henry David Thoreaufrom Resistance to Civil Government

Remember the Romanticists?

Henry David Thoreau was a big deal Romanticist. Specifically, he was a Transcendentalist.

He lived in Concord, MA, from 1817-1862. He was pretty rebellious— like the hippies of the 60’s, he was against the “establishment”.

"Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not

indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind."

— Thoreau

Talk to your team

What do you think about living in this house by yourself for 2 years? Could it be a meaningful experience? Why or why not?

“ I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. ”

 

— Henry David Thoreau, Walden, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For"[

Talk to your team Brainstorm with your team to

remember the ideas of the transcendentalists.

In the back of your composition book, start a new page called “Henry David Thoreau: from Resistance to Civil Government”.

Then write at least four ideas that the Transcendentalists stood for.

Talk to your team

Henry David ThoreauBackground

Before we read a part of his essay, let’s get to know the guy and find out what was important to him.

In the orange book, read pp. 189-190. In your composition book, make a 2-column table.

Title the left side “It says” and write at least 8 notes in the form of numbered phrases in your own words that are facts about Thoreau that are related to Transcendentalists. Title the right side “It means” and write inferences of your own that show how the facts relate to the Transcendentalists’ beliefs.

Tip: You can get some help from the material on pp. 146-148 and the list on page 147.

Talk to your team Although Thoreau was in jail for a night

because he refused to pay taxes, he felt more free, intellectually and spiritually, than those who are imprisoned by conformity. What are your thoughts and ideas about this?

Is there anything you would be willing to refuse to do or pay for with your taxes, even if the government made it mandatory?

Before we read, let’s be clear about what we are setting out to accomplish

Analyze political points of view in a selection of literary works on the topic of civil disobendience

Analyze the way an author’s style, including the use of paradox, achieves specific rhetorical or aesthetic effects

Critique the validity, appeals, and truthfulness of arguments in public documents

Recognize persuasive techniques Utilize these techniques effectively in your

position paper (your research paper)

In this selection, we are going to consider a central American political issue:

To what extent does a citizen have a right, or even a responsibility, to break the country’s laws? This question is especially relevant to us

as Americans, since our country was established through revolution and founded on the principle of the consent of the governed.

Talk to your team

Why would this national historical background make us prone to rebelliousness? How? Why? What else do you think?

Quick vocabulary development moment:

In the back of your composition book, after the work you’ve done so far, write the definitions of some words:

Civil (as in “civil government” and “civil disobedience”) –relating to citizens, citizenship, and the interrelationship of people with their government

Paradox—a statement that expresses the complexity of life by showing how opposing ideas can be both contradictory and true and the same time. A paradox actually reveals a kind of truth.

Recognizing Persuasive TechniquesSpeakers and writers who want to move and audience to

think, feel, or act in a certain way make use of several persuasive techniques:

Logical appeals --consist of facts, examples, and well-reasoned arguments

Ethical appeals —arguments based on widely accepted values or moral standards

Emotional appeals —consist of language and anecdotes that arouse strong feelings

(see page 209 for examples)

Now, let’s read the article.

Read the passage with your team. Take turns reading each sentence.

Complete the activities in the margins together. Be sure everyone understands each

piece before you move on.

Put your heads together and do your best thinking and collaborating.