Henry David Thoreau - "Civil Disobedience"

29 August 2022
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question
In "Civil Disobedience," what does Thoreau think about right after he wonders if he could have been of service to his community?
answer
the significance of the wall between himself and others
question
Considering "Civil Disobedience," which best describes how Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. both felt about acts of civil disobedience?
answer
They both believed that individuals have the right and the responsibility to protest unjust laws.
question
Which would be the best way of describing the structure of Thoreau's observations in "Civil Disobedience"?
answer
He moves from a consideration of his surroundings to an evaluation of the state as a whole.
question
Read the excerpt from a letter Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote while imprisoned in Birmingham Jail in 1963. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. Based on his behavior in "Civil Disobedience," how would Thoreau most likely feel about King's statement?
answer
NOT. He would believe that King did not understand the nature of political protest.
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Based on evidence of his personality in "Civil Disobedience," what effect would a longer jail stay most likely have had on Thoreau?
answer
It would have hardened his resolve to assert his rights.
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What is Thoreau's first thought upon being imprisoned in "Civil Disobedience"?
answer
He considers the prison a foolish institution.
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Based on Thoreau's beliefs and "Civil Disobedience," he most likely decided not to pay poll tax because
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he disagreed with the idea of it.
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Considering "Civil Disobedience," why did both Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. engage in acts of civil disobedience?
answer
to protest government policies they believed were unjust
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Based on Thoreau's opinion about the Mexican-American War and slavery in the United States, why did he most likely refuse to pay the poll taxes, as described in "Civil Disobedience"?
answer
He disagreed with the government's actions.
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In "Civil Disobedience," what is Thoreau's last thought about the state before he loses respect for it?
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He thinks the state can't tell its friends from its enemies.
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What does "Civil Disobedience" suggest about the public opinion of tax evasion in Thoreau's time?
answer
NOT. Tax evasion was only a moderate crime.
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Which best describes one way in which "Civil Disobedience" impacted people and events later in history?
answer
It fortified the beliefs of those who thought the government acted unfairly.
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Considering "Civil Disobedience," which best describes one similarity between Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr.?
answer
Both felt that people have the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.
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In "Civil Disobedience," what is Thoreau's view of the state at the end of the essay?
answer
He feels sorry for the state for not acting in a sensible way.
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Based on "Civil Disobedience," what statement did Thoreau, like his modern-day successors, hope to make with his imprisonment?
answer
He wanted to suggest that one should be willing to go to great lengths for a belief.