Aminority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight. if the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the state will not hesitate which to choose. if a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the state to commit violence and shed innocent blood.
— “civil disobedience,”
henry david thoreau
according to thoreau, how can a minority exercise power?
by following the laws that the majority agree upon
by engaging in violent conflict when necessary
by protesting as a group in a nonviolent way
by ensuring that just people are not imprisoned

Ask yourself all of the following questions before you even consider submitting your essay for grading. if your answer to even one of these questions is no, then you still have some work to do. does my introduction attempt to “hook” the reader? does my essay have a clear and specific thesis statement? does my essay accurately tell my story? does my essay indicate why i’m telling my story? have i described only my own experiences? have i used the first-person point of view (the pronoun “i”) throughout the essay? have i clearly indicated where paragraphs begin and end? does each of my paragraphs support my thesis statement? does my conclusion summarize and give closure to my essay? have i effectively proofread my essay? have i met the length requirement? is my essay formatted according to the instructions?

Read the selection below and answer the question. an open boat by alfred noyes o, what is that whimpering there in the darkness? 

 'let him lie in my arms. he is breathing, i know.
 look. i'll wrap all my hair round his neck' – the sea's rising,
 the boat must be lightened. he's dead. he must go.' 


 see - quick - by that flash, where the bitter foam tosses, 
 the cloud of white faces, in the black open boat, 
 and the wild pleading woman that clasps her dead lover 
 and wraps her loose hair round his breast and his throat.
 'come, lady, he's dead.' - 'no, i feel his heart beating,
 he's living, i know. but he's numbed with the cold. 
 see, i'm wrapping my hair all around him to warm him.' -
- 'no. we can't keep the dead, dear. come, loosen your hold.

 'come. loosen your fingers.' - 'o god, let me keep him! ' -
 o, hide it, black night! let the winds have their way! 
 and there are no voices or ghosts from that darkness, 
 to fret the bare seas at the breaking of day. the rhyme scheme of "an open boat" is abcb abab abba aabc

Context clues can be definitions, examples, synonyms, or antonyms. the word root can give you an idea of the word’s meaning. affixes can you determine the word’s form and meaning. use the drop-down menus to identify the root in each difficult word. automatic: gratify: untenable: