This document provides an agenda and discussion notes for a class on justice and civil disobedience. It introduces an essay assignment responding to a prompt about Marcus Tullius Cicero's "The Defense of Injustice" or Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience." The class will discuss Cicero's rhetorical strategies and biography, as well as questions for critically reading both texts. Students will work in groups to analyze the prompts and develop outlines and theses for their essays. The document provides guidance on developing arguments, finding evidence, and properly formatting references in MLA style.

1. CLASS 13
CLASS 13: EWRT 2

2. AGENDA
New Groups revisited
Review: Thoughts on
Machiavelli or Lao-Tzu
Introduce Essay #3: Justice:
Due Week 8: Friday before
noon.
Discussion: Marcus Tullius Cicero
"The Defense of Injustice"
Bio
Rhetorical Strategies
 Questions for Critical Reading
 QHQs
Suggestions for Reading:
Thoreau

3. STAND IF YOU
ARE NOT IN A
GROUP
I will place you
in a group.
Please do not
just randomly
join a group.

4. ESSAY #3: JUSTICE
 Essay #3 will be in response to either the excerpt
from Cicero, Thoreau, or both.
 Choose your topic from "Suggestions for Writing"
on pages 129-30, prompts 1-9 or on pages 157-58
prompts 1-6. The prompts are also listed on the
website.
It should be a least two pages long but not longer than
three pages (excluding a works cited page).
It should be formatted MLA style.
It is due week 8, Friday at noon.

5. RESPONDING TO A PROMPT: CICERO #3
Clarify what Philus means by the term “wisdom,” which
he introduces in paragraph 18. How do you understand
his use of the term and how appropriate is the word
“wisdom” for the ideas he describes? Would most
people today regard the behavior he sketches out as
an example of wisdom? Is it wisdom for you? What
moral or ethical problems arise from Philus’s concept
of wisdom?

6. TAKE IT APART AND BRIEFLY RESPOND TO
EACH QUESTION
1. Clarify what Philus means by the term
“wisdom,” which he introduces in paragraph 18.
2. How do you understand his use of the term
a. how appropriate is the word “wisdom” for the
ideas he describes?
3. Would most people today regard the behavior
he sketches out as an example of wisdom?
4. Is it wisdom for you?
5. What moral or ethical problems arise from
Philus’s concept of wisdom?

7. THE THESIS: LOOK AT THE BRIEF ANSWERS YOU GAVE TO THE
QUESTIONS. THEN, BEGIN TO WORK THEM INTO A SHORT ANSWER.
YOUR THESIS WILL LIKELY BE A COMBINATION OF ANSWERS TO THE
MOST IMPORTANT OR COMPELLING OF THE QUESTIONS.
1. Clarify what Philus means by the term “wisdom,” which
he introduces in paragraph 18.
a. How do you understand his use of the term
I. how appropriate is the word “wisdom” for the ideas he describes?
2. Would most people today regard the behavior he
sketches out as an example of wisdom?
a. Is it wisdom for you?
3. What moral or ethical problems arise from Philus’s
concept of wisdom?

8. NOT ONLY A THESIS, BUT AN OUTLINE
Now, write a brief directed summary as an introduction, and conclude it
with your thesis.
Expand the answers to your list of questions into an outline.
Find textual support for answers that will come from the text
 Clarify what Philus means by the term “wisdom,” which he introduces in paragraph 18.
 How appropriate is the word “wisdom” for the ideas he describes?
 What moral or ethical problems arise from Philus’s concept of wisdom?
Find examples or support for answers that will come from another source
 Would most people today regard the behavior he sketches out as an example of
wisdom?
Express your opinion where the question asks for it.
 How do you understand his use of the term [wisdom]
 Is it wisdom for you?

9. PUT YOUR EVIDENCE, EXPLANATION, AND ANALYSIS INTO YOUR
OUTLINE
Directed Summary
Thesis
Section 1: Clarify what Philus means by the term
“wisdom,” which he introduces in paragraph 18.
 How do you understand his use of the term?
 how appropriate is the word “wisdom” for the
ideas he describes?
Section 2: Would most people today regard the
behavior he sketches out as an example of
wisdom?
 Is it wisdom for you?
Section 3: What moral or ethical problems arise
from Philus’s concept of wisdom?
Conclusion

11. REVISE, EDIT, FORMAT MLA STYLE, 8TH EDITION,
AND MAKE A WORKS CITED PAGE
Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” 1849. A World of Ideas: Essential
Readings for College Writers, edited by Lee A. Jacobus, 8th Edition,
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010, pp. 173-199.
Author
1
Title of
source
2
Original
publication
date
Containe
r
3
Other
Contributors
4
Version
5Publisher
7
Publication
date
8
Location
9

13. MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) was one of the most
important orators, intellectuals, and philosophers in the Roman
Republic.
He was highly educated and served as Quaestor (a financial
administrator) in Sicily, Aedile (an official) in Rome, and as
Praetor (Lawyer). He was eventually elected Consul in 63.
In 43, when Caesar was murdered, Cicero championed the
Republic. He tried to win over Octavian, but failed. He also gave
his greatest speech, the Philipics, aimed at Marc Antony.
However, this backfired, as the Second Triumvirate was formed,
and Cicero's name was on the list of enemies. He fled Rome, but
he was captured and executed.
Cicero's oration, philosophy, rhetoric, poetry, and letters create a
vast collection of works that are matched by few in the modern
world.

14. IN YOUR GROUPS
Discuss the rhetorical strategies of Cicero.
Discuss the “Questions for Critical Thinking”
on page 129. Find textual support for your
answers!

16. Argument Dialogue
 (Between Philus and Laelius)
Definition/interpretation
 (What is Justice?)
Offers Alternatives
 (perform injustice/not suffer it;
perform and suffer; neither perform
or suffer it)
Evaluation
 (perform injustice and not
suffer it)
Compares
 (Justice to policies of
Rome)
Contrasts
 (Wisdom with Justice)
Analogy
 (virtuous man vs. ruffian)
Counterargument
 (by Laelius at the end to
make his point)
RHETORICAL STRATEGIES

18. WHY DOES LAELIUS CHOOSE PHILUS TO
ARGUE AGAINST JUSTICE?

19. DOES ARGUING AGAINST A POSITIVE
VALUE HELP OUR UNDERSTANDING OF
THAT VALUE’S IMPORTANCE?

20. WHAT IS PHILUS’S REPUTATION AND HOW DOES IT
AFFECT HIS ARGUMENT?

21. HOW DO IDEAS OF JUSTICE DIFFER IN
THE DIFFERENT LANDS PHILUS
MENTIONS?
Q: Why are the varying
interpretations of justice from
one culture to another an
argument against it?

22. ON WHICH SIDE OF THIS ARGUMENT IS CICERO HIMSELF?

23. TO WHAT EXTENT IS PHILUS
A FEMINIST?

24. WHICH OF LAELIUS’S STATEMENTS IN THE FINAL PARAGRAPHS OF THE SELECTION SEEM
WEAKEST TO YOU? WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS?

25. Q: Why is wisdom
compared to justice?
Doesn’t justice require
a certain amount of
wisdom and vice
versa?
Q: Does Cicero believe that
immoral actions are
justified if they are part
of one's culture?
QHQs

26. Q: Philus argues that justice and laws
are created by those who are
occupied in a government,
therefore, can be changed (124).
Can there ever be a law that is
applied to everyone universally
and seen as justice?
Q. Why does Laelius argue for, “one
single, everlasting, immutable law,
which applies to all nations and all
times” (129).

27. Q: In “The Defense of
Injustice,” why does Philus
say he will smear himself in
the dirt? What is his choice
between being “a paragon
of virtue” or “an outrageous
ruffian”
Q: What is the meaning behind
the ruffian versus the good
man scenario?

28. Q: On page 126 when arguing
with Laelius, Philus says that
people can perform injustice
and not suffer it, perform it and
suffer it, and not perform it and
not suffer, but why does he not
say that it is possible to not
perform injustice and still suffer
it?
"Justice may mean obeying the laws, but
which laws should a person
obey?...Laws are not imposed on us by
nature- or by our innate sense of justice.
They are imposed by the fear of being
penalized. In other words, human beings
are not just, by nature, at all" (121)
Q: Do we follow rules because that’s all
we know how to do, or do we follow
rules out of fear?

29. JUSTICE
Suggestions for Critical
Reading
Page 157
• Get into your groups
• Divide up the questions in the “Critical
Reading” section of the Thoreau essay.
• We will reconvene to discuss the
homework

30. Civil Disobedience questions
1. How would you characterize the tone of Thoreau’s address? Is he
chastising his audience? Is he praising it? What opinion do you think he has
of his audience?
2. Explain what Thoreau means when says, “But a government in which the
majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men
understand it” (para.3).
3. How is injustice “part of the necessary friction of the machine of government”
(para. 8)?
4. Why does Thoreau provide us with “the whole history of ‘My Prisons’”?
Describe what being in jail taught Thoreau. Why do you think Thoreau
reacted so strongly to being in a local jail for a single day?
5. Choose an example of Thoreau’s use of irony and comment on its
effectiveness.
6. How might Thoreau view the responsibility of the majority to a minority within
the sphere of government?
7. How clear are Thoreau’s concepts of justice? On what are they based?
8. Thoreau relies on analogy---comparing men with machines, people with
plants, etc. Choose one analogy and explain why you think it is or is not

31. HOMEWORK
 Read A World of
Ideas: Henry David
Thoreau "Civil
Disobedience" (133-
157)
• Post #22 Questions
(TBD) for Critical
Reading: (page 157)
or QHQ Thoreau