Instruction
One way to characterize both Thoreau and Chopin would be extreme. Neither writer sees any hope of changing social systems through moderate measures. Your assignment for this unit will be to compare one or both these writers to a contemporary social or political problem. Below, I've listed three prompts to help give you some direction, if you need it. You may choose any one of these as a prompt for the assignment if want to, but don't choose more than one. You may also choose to write your comparison according to an issue or concern that you want to address, but whatever you do, BE SURE to quote at least three times from either Thoreau or Chopin (if you deal with both writers in your response, simply make sure you have a total of three quotes between the two of them--you don't need six total, only three).
How would Thoreau view America's political climate today? What issues would he advocate for and what would he suggest doing about them?
How would Chopin imagine Edna in today's society? What kind of person would she be, and how would society respond to her?
Are there still writers who seek to "resist" in the way that Thoreau and/or Chopin seem to? If so, who are they and how do they compare to Thoreau/Chopin? If there aren't writers who do what Thoreau and Chopin did, what do you think has changed? Why is this sort of thinking no longer possible, or why has it become so much less a part of the conversation?