Embedded Files
Trials 2: Civil Disobedience Cary Honig email: caryh@school-one.org
Welcome to the Trials 2 wiki. Hopefully, having an overview of what we will do and roughly when will make the class easier. This also allows me to make the suggested but not required readings available in a context that might make them more attractive. All of the assignments and due dates are available here, so I won't be making any extra copies for you. If you lose something or are absent, just about everything you need (other than the book and the play) are available here, and they're probably available online as well.
Students can take this class for English or history credit. The workload for English and history students is the same in this class. The syllabus linked immediately below provides the details of what we're reading and writing this trimester. Unless you're absent, the main home reading is The Scarlet Letter. If you're absent, you have to make up what we did in class that day. We'll work on the legal cases and the play at least mostly in class. We will read some of the articles along with the cases. Others are optional reading if you're interested in the topics.
Every student even considering this class must read and sign the source policy and abide by it. Failure to do so will lead to no credit in the class. I am not interested in what anyone at wikipedia, Sparknotes or Harvard thinks about this literature. (The legal essays this trimester are based on scenarios created by me, so you won't find any answers online for those.) I am interested in what YOU think. You must think for yourself in this class. If you don't want to do that and perhaps occasionally struggle, don't take the class. You are always welcome to come discuss your ideas with me before writing if you are worried you are off track. I won't tell you what to write or think, but I am happy to ask you questions that might help you to focus or reorient. This is NOT a research class; it is a thinking, reading and writing class. Please respect that and trust that I respect ideas that may be flawed but original far more than ideas that are on more solid ground but that aren't yours. If you want to improve your reading, thinking and writing skills significantly this trimester (or want to earn credit), do not cheat, which is what looking for help online or elsewhere amounts to when I tell you not to do so.
For a guide to proper citation within text and bibliography (works cited), go to
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
Links under the weekly schedule are to note sheets we will use in class as well as to articles that are sometimes recommended but not required to add to your knowledge about what we are discussing in class.
Essays are due every other week and always on Thursdays at class time. I will try to get first drafts back to you on Fridays (or later on Thursdays). Revisions should be done soon after being returned but MUST be completed by the following Thursday unless an earlier date is specified at the end of the trimester. That gives you a full week to write and revise except for the first essay, and even then, you will have a week or most of week from when you sign up for the class and get the assignment. Most essays need revision until I approve them as complete, which means you must address both mechanical and content issues I indicate on your drafts or you will be revising multiple times. You must always hand in the previous draft with my comments along with revisions.
Reading assignments are always due on Tuesdays by class time. You are welcome to read ahead and hand in your work ahead of time. This could lead to a relaxing end of the trimester or more time to work on other things then.
Therefore, you can expect a writing assignment to be due every Thursday (either a draft or a revision) and a reading assignment due every Tuesday until late in the trimester.
Late work slows down the class for everyone, so don't do your work late. This class asks you to do a reading assignment and a writing assignment each week. That's not overwhelming unless you leave them until the night before they're due, and even then, it's doable if not pleasant. You should be spreading your work over much of the week to make it easy. Please don't offer excuses. On the fourth late assignment (and each class day an assignment is late counts as a late assignment), you will receive an extra essay. The first three should cover any excuse you might have or create. Should a student reach an eighth late assignment, s/he will not receive credit in this class regardless of the quality of the work. Should there be a truly valid excuse like a death or serious illness in the family, have your parent contact me beforehand so that we can work out a schedule. Students who don't have the late assignments but who wish to do the extra essay for extra credit on their evaluations may do so.
Students can begin reading To Kill A Mockingbird as soon as they sign up for the class (if not sooner). I will provide copies of the book. I am aware that a few vocabulary words may be difficult, and I will be providing you with the words you will need to know, which you should have handy while reading. The vocabulary is much easier than in The Scarlet Letter. It's a great story, and the vocabulary is good for you.
The first essay is due by Wednesday, November 30 at class time. This is not about To Kill A Mockingbird; it is mainly a thought essay.
This site is up to date for 2022-23.
Week 1: We will review the class rules and begin discussing Civil Disobedience. We will read The Declaration of Independence in class to see how our country began with an act of civil disobedience. If we have time, we will begin reading Henry David Thoreau's famous essay Civil Disobedience after discussing the background in which it was written. Vocabulary will be provided because this was written by one of Hawthorne's friends two years before The Scarlet Letter.
Grammar: Prepositions and ends of sentences
Civil Disobedience Survey 22-23
Declaration of Independence analysis
For a great hourlong discussion among historians Annette Gordon-Reed, David Blight and Akhil Reed Amar about the evolution of understanding of the Declaration's view of equality throughout U.S. history, go to https://constitutioncenter.org/news-debate/americas-town-hall-programs/the-story-of-the-us-constitution-past-and-present
Y/edit?usp=sharing
Did A Fear of Slave Revolts Drive the Declaration of Independence? 16
The Search for a Meaningful Clue to the Mystery of an Enslaved Ancestor 22
1st A speech and religion Barnette case
Colin Kaepernick and the Barnette case 17
Gobitas pledge case plaintiff's obituary 14
This week's essay requires you to review the case of West Virginia v. Barnette, which we discussed last trimester, read the assignment and think. You can talk to me or email me if you need help, but emailing after 6 p.m. on the evening before it's due is unlikely to provoke a timely response. That's why you shouldn't leave homework until the last minute. I will give you a brief summary of the case on the back of your essay assignment when you sign up for the class, but you can also get more information about it on the web. The obituary of one of the plaintiff's in the earlier and similar (except in the outcome) Gobitas case linked below will help you see what these sorts of civilly disobedient people went through. Just be sure to cite any source you use. The essay is due by class time on Wednesday, November 30. Your reading assignment for Monday, December 5 is the first half of Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, which means doing the full worksheet linked right below. There is another one for the second half of Thoreau's essay. Both are linked here, but the second one is due by Monday, December 12.
First Thoreau worksheet due Dec. 5
Thoreau: American Radical and Kitten Rescuer
New Thoreau Biography reviewed 17
For a link to see what Walden Pond looks like and to hear some of Thoreau's writing about it, go to
Week 2: Since everyone is going to hand in the homework on time on Monday, December 5, we can begin discussing Thoreau's essay, which will be central to our analysis and many essays this trimester. As you could last trimester, you can add notes to your homework once i have checked it, and it will then be more helpful on essays.
Grammar: Adverbs
Next week's reading assignment covers the second half of Civil Disobedience, and as usual, it is due next Monday, December 12 by class time. Leave yourself time for the reading and thought. The reading assignments will get longer but easier to read after this week, so it would be a great idea to start reading To Kill A Mockingbird to make later assignments easier. Your revision of essay one is due by class time by Wednesday, December 7 with the draft. See me if you need help with any aspect of the revision. You need to fix everything I discuss or note on your first draft as you should know from last trimester. I will cut people off a lot sooner this trimester if they lag on revisions.
Second Thoreau worksheet due by class on December 12
Week 3.: We will continue to dig into what Thoreau is saying as well as what we think about it this week. We will also go over background for To Kill A Mockingbird, and we will watch an excellent documentary about The Scottsboro Boys case, on which Harper Lee partially based her novel.
Grammar: Parallel Structure
Alabama Pardons ‘Scottsboro Boys 13
Adam Hochschild on The Klan in the 1920s with a chilling connection to 2017
Loss of Innocence in Harper Lee's novels 16
Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman: Review
Better Times Review of Go Set a Watchman
Some Shocked By Atticus in Watchman
Editor of To Kill A Mockingbird
Original Times review of Mockingbird 1960
Harper Lee's Biographer interviewed
Why To Kill A Mockingbird Matters 17
To see Harper Lee's drawings when she was a student studying Shakespeare, go to
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/when-harper-lee-doodled-in-shakespeare-class?utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_031219&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9d0793f92a40469e0809f&user_id=50609444&esrc=&utm_term=TNY_Daily
You will be expected to read chapters 1-6 of To Kill A Mockingbird by Wednesday, January 4 along with your revision of essay 2, for which you have about three weeks from when it was returned. It would show real brilliance to read ahead over vacation and have less to do the rest of the trimester. It would be far from impossible to read the whole book over vacation and get all of your reading homework done. The slackers among you should especially consider this to avoid getting late assignments and the extra essay. Your second essay is due Wednesday, December 14 and is about Civil Disobedience. The better your homework notes, the easier this will be. You will need to quote from Thoreau, so noting page numbers of key ideas as you read will make this easier. It might even be a smart idea to look at this essay assignment before reading Thoreau. See me ahead of time if you need help, but your notes and your brain should be everything you need. You won't use internet sources if you want credit.
Week 4: We will be finishing up our discussion of Civil Disobedience and discussing the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird. If we have time, we may do some preparation for our play after vacation.
Grammar: Proper pronouns for subject and object (me vs. I)
Inherit The Wind background notes
Inherit the Wind vocabulary and notes
Original NYTimes article about Scopes's indictment 1925
Really interesting Atlantic article about how Inherit the Wind diverges from the real Scopes trial
Really interesting New Yorker article about Dayton, TN at the time of the Scopes Trial 1925
Jill Lepore's Clarence Darrow article 2013
Clarence Darrow biography 2011
Times article about Darrow's Leopold and Loeb case
Questioning Evolution in Schools 2017
Eric Foner on Darwin's early reception in US including by Thoreau
To read the NYTimes's original March 28, 1860 review of On The Origin of Species, go to https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1860/03/28/issue.html?zoom=14.5
To see a recent development on the legacy of the Scopes trial in Dayton (the real Hillsborough) and a nice photo of Darrow and Bryan, open Statue of Darrow Added at Site of Scopes Trial 17
This week's reading assignment requires that you read chapters 7-11 of To Kill A Mockingbird by Monday, January 9. I don't suggest leaving this to do in one night. If you do a chapter or two per night, it's very easy. Your second essay's revision is due by class time on Wednesday, January 4 with the draft (and chapters 1-6 of TKAM). See me ahead of time if you need help so that you only have to revise once.
TKAM ch 7 - 11 homework questions
Week 5: I We're going to start reading Inherit The Wind this week. This play is about a teacher who decides to teach evolution in the 1920s despite a state law that prohibited it. We will learn some background before we start, including some key facts about the case upon which the play is based that almost no one knows. I expect that you folks will enjoy this play as much as past students have, which is a great deal. We will choose parts, read it in class, discuss it and take notes as we go. I'm linking to the note sheet here. As with the reading homework sheets and other class notes, good notes will be a huge help when writing essays 3 and 4, which deal with both the book and the play.
Grammar: Split infinitives and other picky usage issues
Essay 3 is due on January 11. It's about Boo Radley.
Your reading this week is chapters 12-17 of To Kill A Mockingbird, which is due on Wednesday, January 18 by class time along with essay 3 revision. Note that this gives you two extra days on the reading, but the revision is due on the usual date. Get help from me before the long weekend! Don't leave it all for Tuesday night! You will need quotations from the novel and parenthetical notes in both body paragraphs. Any essay handed in without sufficient quotations will be deemed late/unacceptable.
TKAM ch 12 - 17. homework questions
Week 6: We should at least get through Act III of Inherit The Wind this week. We will also continue to discuss To Kill A Mockingbird.
Back to the beginning with the first usage sheet but with story
Pay careful attention here. Your reading homework this week is in two attached documents and covers chapters 18-23 of To Kill A Mockingbird. It is due by Monday, January 23. Essay 4s draft will be due this day as well, so don't leave it all until Tuesday night. Luckily, you have a three day weekend, which can be used wisely. This week's essay revision is due by class time on Wednesday January 16. Don't forget to hand in the earlier draft with it.
TKAM chapters 18 - 23 homework questions
Week 7: We may complete Inherit The Wind this week. We will discuss the end of the play and how effective civil disobedience proved here. We will continue discussing To Kill A Mockingbird.
Grammar: Apostrophes
Your reading homework this week is to continue To Kill A Mockingbird, which means chapters 24-27.
It is due Monday, January 30. You will probably want to finish the book, and the questions for the last chapters are available under next week. This week's writing assignment is essay 4, which is due on Wednesday, January 25 and includes both the novel and the play, and you will need to quote from both texts in both body paragraphs.
TKAM chapter 24-27 homework questions
Week 8: We will continue our discussion of the play and To Kill A Mockingbird.
preparation. Grammar: Agreement
This week's writing assignment is to revise essay 4. The revision with the previous draft must be in by class time on Wednesday, Feb. 1 Be sure to get help well ahead of that date if you need it. This week's reading homework is to complete To Kill A Mockingbird. It is due by Monday, February 6 at class time.
TKAM chapters 28 - end homework questions
Week 9: We will finish our work with To Kill a Mockingbird and Inherit the Wind. We will also hopefully get a head start on learning about how a trial works in preparation for our last two weeks of trial
Daniel Berrigan obituary - our trial is loosely based on his actions in the '60s
Grammar: Commas and Adverbial Clauses
The final essay of the trimester is due by Wednesday, February 8 by class time. Do it really carefully, and you'll only have minimal revision left.
Week 10: We continue to learn about how trials work and receive parts for the in-class trial. I can't put the parts on the wiki because I don't want the lawyers to see them, so you should not lose them.
Lawyers will interview the witnesses and plan their strategies. While the interviews are continuing, other students can get help with the final revision.
Grammar: Commas with subordinate conjunctions
Obit of Anti-War Activist David Harris 23
This week's writing assignment is to revise essay 5. The revision with the previous draft must be in by class time on Wednesday, February 15. Be sure to get help well ahead of that date if you need it. You don't want extra revisions at this point of the trimester.
Hopefully, everyone was smart and no one earned an extra essay, but just in case, here's the assignment. Students who owe an extra essay must complete it by Monday, February 11 and revise it completely by Wednesday, February 20 at the latest. There is no give on these dates. It would be smart to get it done well ahead of time.
Week 11: This week will continue our trial preparation work. Students who are not working on revisions or being interviewed can watch the film of To Kill A Mockingbird and/or Inherit the Wind in class. The trial will take place on Wednesday, February 27.
Grammar: Commas with coordinating conjunctions (comma/conjunction rule)
The only work I will consider accepting this week are recent re-revisions, and those must be in by class time on Monday, February 25. If any work isn't completed to my satisfaction by this time, you won't earn credit, so don't even think about leaving work until the last minute or handing in anything substandard at this point.
Week 12: We will assess whether or not our ideas about Civil Disobedience changed during the course of the trimester.
This trimester's history notes should be retained as they will really help you on the history section of the competency exam.
Google Sites
Report abuse