Civil Disobedience

      In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) observed, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” In class, we’ve have seen many historical examples of vigilante justice and racial terror masquerading as mere “disobedience.” Most recently, in response to the Charlottesville march, Benjamin Allen (interim president of Iowa State University), sent a letter to his students stating, “This is terrorism masquerading as free expression. We must not ignore what has happened, nor pretend it does not impact us.” More locally, many students felt compelled to disobey school policy and stage a walkout at SHC to express their support for classmates and families in our community impacted by President Trump’s changes to DACA policies. Yet after discussion and agreement with the administration, students agreed to a more acceptable outlet for “disobedience.” Still, Wilde claims that disobedience is a valuable human trait and that it promotes social progress. Write a short essay that argues your position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. Use appropriate examples from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument