Critically Examining Both Sides of An Issue (Thoreau)

Find texts here: https://sorensenenglish.com/2017/12/22/emerson-thoreau/

1. Read “Civil Disobedience” once silently to yourself. Write down a few thoughts/reactions.
2. Agree or Disagree: We should not follow rules or laws that are unjust. Short answer in WN.
3. In order to better understand and critically analyze a text, we first need to “play the believing game”– or understand what the text is saying— get the point of it— before we can be critical of it.
a) Annotate as necessary as we read together as a class on one side of the essay.
4. Read through the essay again, and with your partner, write 3 statements that support Thoreau. Don’t pretend to agree with him— but find places that you can connect with what he is saying. Consider (just consider, these are helper questions) the following questions:
a) What’s interesting or helpful about this view?
b) In what sense or under what conditions might this idea be true?
c) What does he see that you don’t?
d) What can you agree with?
5. What ideas from Emerson (“Self Reliance”) does Thoreau use?
6. Read through the essay again and with a partner write 3 statements that “doubt” or question what Thoreau is saying. Consider the following questions (don’t have to answer, they’re just helper questions):
a) Does the writer say anything that bothers me?
b) Are any of the writer’s claims unsupported?
c) Does the writer draw any dubious conclusions?
d) Does the writer contradict himself or herself?
e) Do I disagree with any of the writer’s claims or assumptions?
f) Are there any reasons not to trust this writer?
g) Does the writer leave anything out?
7. Divide your paper into 3 sections and answer the following 3 questions:
-BELIEVING: Which claims, if any, did you believe?
-DOUBTING: Which claims, if any, did you doubt?
-TRANSFORMING: What claims could be changed or modified to better represent how you think?
8. At the bottom of your paper: QUICK WRITE: What is your position overall?
9. REFLECTION QUESTION: How did examining both sides of the issue affect your position overall?