Tuesday, December 4, 2012

12/4

Warm-up:  What does Thoreau mean when he calls the government a human force (paragraph 39)?  Do you agree with him or not?  Explain.

Classwork:  Thoreau pop quiz, turn in notebooks, start essay on Thoreau/King - write rough draft and finish draft by tomorrow


Argumentative Essay Prompt on King and Thoreau

            King says that he writes to the clergymen because they have shown “genuine good will” and he believes they will consider his “reasonable” response.  Similarly, Thoreau says that he regards the government and his fellow citizens “as not wholly a brute force, partly a human force.”  Like King, Thoreau believes that his relation to these millions of people makes “appeal possible” and that this human group can ultimately be moved and changed.    King’s and Thoreau’s passion for civil disobedience is best expressed when Thoreau says, “For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be:  What is once well done is done forever.” 

Carefully consider the above idea. Then, write a well-developed essay in which you examine the extent to which our American government is a human force that can be changed by civil disobedience, including small acts of defiance.  Use appropriate and convincing evidence and explanation to support your argument.



Homework:  Finish first draft of Thoreau/King essay, work on E-O definitions




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