How does your prior knowledge help you better understand “Civil Disobedience”? Give specific examples, and discuss parts of the passage that your pre-reading thought process helped you to understand.
Prior knowledge of the Mexican-American War helps explain why Thoreau objected to paying taxes: he believed the war supported slavery and expansion. Knowing about transcendentalism helps me understand his emphasis on individual conscience, moral responsibility, and the idea that people should not blindly obey unjust laws. Knowing that Thoreau responded to the war by refusing to pay the poll tax and spending a night in jail helps clarify the passage’s argument that peaceful resistance can be more moral than cooperating with an unjust government. This pre-reading knowledge helped me understand his claims that government should serve the people and that individuals must act according to what they believe is right.
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