Thoreau’s Relevance Today

In what ways are Thoreau’s messages still relevant today?

What parallels can we see between the problems of Thoreau’s society and our own?

What piece of advice from Thoreau is most applicable to today?

Thoreau PSA

Choose what you feel is the most important piece of advice/observation about society from Walden (could be what we’ve read, or beyond– use as much as you’d like!). An actual quote from the text

Create a Public Service Announcement poster– that is, put Thoreau’s words to paper with creative images, text art, etc. This is meant to be a poster that will capture the attention of people walking by, encourage them to stop and think, to consider the message.

Then, on a separate sheet, compose a 5-7 sentence WELL-WRITTEN paragraph explaining the quote’s meaning and its connection to our world today. This will be GRADED.

Because Henry David Thoreau grappled with so many of the same issues and because his words survive in books, essays, and journals, we modern readers can come to know Thoreau through this connection across time and place. Whether the topic is simplifying our lifestyles and eliminating distractions, or being a non-conformist when it is easier to go with the crowd, Thoreau’s insights still resonate today. To “march to the beat” of one’s own drummer is important now more than ever– it is easier to go along with the crowd, but Thoreau’s words force his readers to examine our own obligations to each other and ourselves and consider what is truly important in our lives.

GRADED:

WRITING and craft– spelling, grammar, punctuation

Textual Evidence/embedding quote(s) in paragraph

Neatness

Creativity

20 point quiz grade