Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"
Emerson's "Conclusion"
Metaphors
Horton Hears a Who
Random Transcendentalism
100
Thoreau felt like prison was the best place for just men to be. True/False
True! He went himself for not paying his taxes.
100
"Things do not change; we change." What does it mean?
The world stays largely the same, but our perspective and understanding grow and shift.
100
Thoreau uses the metaphors of a “beaten track,” “hearing a different drummer,” and “serving the state as machines.”
How do these metaphors all warn against conformity?
They show how people fall into unthinking habits (“beaten track”), follow society instead of conscience (“machines”), and ignore their own inner voice (“different drummer”). Together, they argue that individuals must resist conformity and live deliberately.
100
What is Horton’s repeated line that shows he follows his conscience?
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
100
What about Steve Jobs might point to him believing in some tenents of Transcendentalism?
He lived very simply...even wearing the same clothes every day.
200
What does Thoreau mean when he says most men "serve the state...as machines"?
They obey without thinking morally; they act mechanically instead of using conscience.
200
What does Thoreau mean when he says a person might "hear a different drummer"?
They live according to their own values instead of conforming to society.
200
What does Thoreau mean when he compares people to “machines” in Civil Disobedience?
That they obey blindly without thinking morally.
200
How is Horton similar to Thoreau’s idea of “hearing a different drummer”?
Horton trusts what he hears and believes even when others mock him.
200
What is an example of how someone keeping silent supports injustice?
Holocaust, genocide, bullying, etc.
300
What are the three options Thoreau gives for responding to unjust laws?
1. Obey them
2. Work to change them
3. Break them immediately
300
What does Thoreau mean when he says, "If you have built castles in the air...now put the foundations under them?"
Dreams are valuable, but they must be pursued by action.
300
What does Thoreau mean when he says the “surface of the earth is soft and impressible… and so with the paths which the mind travels”?
Just as feet wear visible paths into the ground, repeated thoughts and habits wear mental paths into the mind. People easily fall into patterns of conformity.
300
How does Horton refuse to “serve the state as a machine”?
He refuses to obey the majority blindly; he thinks for himself.
300
How did Martin Luther King Jr. follow some of the tenets of Transcendentalism?
Peaceful protest, standing up against the majority, going to jail to prove his point ,etc.
400
Why does Thoreau reference figures like Jesus Christ and Copernicus? 
To show that society often punishes moral truth-tellers before recognizing them as wise.
400
"Only the day dawns to which we are awake." What does this mean? 
Real change or growth only happens when we are aware and conscious; awareness creates possiblity.
400
In Civil Disobedience, why does Thoreau compare obedient citizens to “wood and earth and stones”? 
To suggest they are lifeless and unthinking when they follow the state without conscience.
400
Why does Horton’s refusal to give up the Whos reflect civil disobedience?
He stands against social pressure because he believes protecting them is morally right.
400
Listen to the first minute of this music video. How is this a Transcendentalist song?
Self-authorship
Moral independence
Personal agency
Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.
500
According to Thoreau, what should guide a person more than the law?
Conscience (or inner sense of right and wrong)
500
"Love your life, poor as it is." What does
this mean?
Accept your life as it is and find meaning in it instead of constantly wishing for something different.
500
What does Thoreau mean when he says, “The life in us is like the water in the river”?
Human potential rises and flows like a river; even if it seems dormant, it can surge unexpectedly and bring renewal or transformation.
500
If Thoreau met Horton, what would he likely admire about him?
His independence, moral courage, and willingness to stand alone for what he believes is just.
500
Is the quote, "cultivate poverty like a garden herb" something you put in your senior yearbook quote? Why or why not? 
Answers will vary