Learning Target: I can use literature as a means of reflecting on my own beliefs and values.

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Bellringer: Transcendentalism is a blanket term to describe an American literary, philosophical and spiritual movement.  What quotes in pages 16-18 (or elsewhere in the text) seem to hint at some of Thoreau's possible attitudes and beliefs concerning spirituality/religion?  Do you see any overlaps with the spirituality and philosophical beliefs of Romanticism?

2)Evaluative Question: On page 18 Thoreau expresses his ideal “government” by saying “There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly”. Is it possible for a state of which Thoreau describes to exist in the modern world? If not, is this impractical world due to human nature or the nature of government. Furthermore, is a government truly a government if it recognizes the individual as a higher power? 

Evaluative Question: The idea that "[common men] cannot spare the protection of the existing government, and they dread the consequences of disobedience to it to their properties and families" illustrates Thoreau's digression that it can be difficult to "live honestly and at the same time comfortably in outward respects" (11). Is it more important to defend your principles or protect your physical well-being and the well-being of your dependents? At what point do the two issues converge?

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Choose several stanzas, and try to make some connections to The Scarlet Letter and Civil Disobedience. 

Is government increasingly encroaching on our privacy, and if so, why?  A look at privacy in the 21st century.