The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
In the play, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Thoreau examines several different ways in which individuals interact with society. One of them is individualism. Individualism is the idea that all values people hold, rights they have, and duties to be performed should originate from or within an individual. Of greater importance is the idea that individualism is based on altruism, rather than egoism. Altruism is the performance of acts that are motivated by selflessness, for the benefit of others. Egoistic acts, on the other hand, are acts based on self-interest. If self-interest is based on selfish motives then it is a destructive thing, not positive.
Ball, he is considering giving an apology. Ball was emphatic that the lessons must be taught out of the books proscribed by the School Committee rather than using the teaching method created by Thoreau, called "huckleberrying". Even though he didn't want to compromise, he apologized for the benefit of the students. In this way Thoreau demonstrated individualism. You'd better close both ears and hold your nose though you may have to grow an extra hand to do it. Thoreau claimed that his students have the ache of curiosity which he felt was not "cured" by the text provided. An example of this is the conversation between Thoreau and Deacon Nehemiah Ball, the chairman of the Concord School Committee. Individualism is the idea that a person's actions are determined by the individual and that they should benefit others. Therefore, he felt it was his right and obligation to teach using the methods he thought best for the students. You must not listen to a cricket or smell a flower that has not been approved by the School Committee. In this case, Thoreau demonstrated individualism by acting in a way he felt was going to produce greatest amount for the greatest number of people.
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