TOPIC QUESTION: Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” emerged from Thoreau’s disagreement with the state of Massachusetts and what he believed was its complicity in slavery by its support of the Mexican War 1846-48 (and later the affirmative votes of its senators concerning the Fugitive Slave Act). Discuss Thoreau’s arguments against the government and the issue of slavery as set forth in “Civil Disobedience.” Do his arguments concerning individual action against the state still hold for any issues in our society today?
TASKS TO COMPLETE
• use the question above to answer for this assignment. Please remember to copy/paste the question with your response and analysis. You should choose a question that you find interesting and believe you can answer in an engaging manner. You will want to support your response not only with good logic and explanations on your part but also with pertinent passages (short quotations are best) from the texts that pertain to the question you have chosen. Keep your response focused on answering the question; avoid plot summary.
• Your response should be in the form of a typical essay (probably four to six paragraphs), with a short introduction, thesis statement, and supporting paragraphs with a conclusion.
• Your essay should total at least 500 words. Use current MLA format guidelines.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
A sample response paper: 2021 SAMPLE RESPONSE PAPER ENGL 2131
Important tips and a checklist of suggestions for revising your essay: 2021 Revised Response Paper Checklist ENGL 2131
Response paper grading rubric: 2021 Response Paper 2 Rubric (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4)