Download Mills / English 1A-14

Supplementary Handout: “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” Erich Fromm
The essay by Erich Fromm is short, but quite complex. It explores some of the big ideas that will inform our
discussion—and your writing—for the first unit, the topic of which is “Obedience to Authority.” If aspects of this essay
are difficult to make sense of, don’t be discouraged. We will unpack Fromm’s argument in class discussion. Use the
reading strategies outlined in the accompanying handout, complete a vocabulary log, and complete the review
questions on p. 406.
Fromm references several figures from mythology and history in order to make his point. Below is preliminary
background on some of them, but you can also do your own research. (A great way to increase your reading
comprehension in general is to get in the habit of Googling names, events, and places you haven’t heard of.) As you’re
reading the essay, try to get a sense of how Fromm uses these mythological and historical figures to make his points.
How do they fit into his argument? What do they have in common?
Adam and Eve: In the book of Genesis, the Bible depicts Adam and Eve being cast out of the paradise of Eden by God
for disobeying him. Specifically, they eat fruit from a tree God has told them not to eat from. According to biblical
tradition, this is the beginning of human suffering.
Prometheus: In Greek mythology, Prometheus created humans from clay and disobeyed Zeus, the king of the Gods.
Zeus forbade humans from having fire, but Prometheus gave it to them anyway. Zeus punished Prometheus with eternal
torture.
Antigone: In Greek mythology, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus. Because her brother was a traitor, he was not
allowed to have a proper burial. Antigone disobeyed this law and gave her brother a proper burial.
Luther: Martin Luther was a 16th century German monk who set off the Protestant Reformation, a movement in
Christianity that took power away from the Pope and priests and conferred it more directly to the Bible.
Eichmann: A Nazi who, under Hitler, carried out the extermination of Jews during WWII. He was sentenced to death
after the war, and, during his trial, he maintained that he was just following orders, and that he therefore hadn’t done
anything wrong.
Supplementary Handout: “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” Erich Fromm
The essay by Erich Fromm is short, but quite complex. It explores some of the big ideas that will inform our
discussion—and your writing—for the first unit, the topic of which is “Obedience to Authority.” If aspects of this essay
are difficult to make sense of, don’t be discouraged. We will unpack Fromm’s argument in class discussion. Use the
reading strategies outlined in the accompanying handout, complete a vocabulary log, and complete the review
questions on p. 406.
Fromm references several figures from mythology and history in order to make his point. Below is preliminary
background on some of them, but you can also do your own research. (A great way to increase your reading
comprehension in general is to get in the habit of Googling names, events, and places you haven’t heard of.) As you’re
reading the essay, try to get a sense of how Fromm uses these mythological and historical figures to make his points.
How do they fit into his argument? What do they have in common?
Adam and Eve: In the book of Genesis, the Bible depicts Adam and Eve being cast out of the paradise of Eden by
God for disobeying him. Specifically, they eat fruit from a tree God has told them not to eat from. According to
biblical tradition, this is the beginning of human suffering.
Prometheus: In Greek mythology, Prometheus created humans from clay and disobeyed Zeus, the king of the
Gods. Zeus forbade humans from having fire, but Prometheus gave it to them anyway. Zeus punished Prometheus
with eternal torture.
Antigone: In Greek mythology, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus. Because her brother was a traitor, he was not
allowed to have a proper burial. Antigone disobeyed this law and gave her brother a proper burial.
Luther: Martin Luther was a 16th century German monk who set off the Protestant Reformation, a movement in
Christianity that took power away from the Pope and priests and conferred it more directly to the Bible.
Eichmann: A Nazi who, under Hitler, carried out the extermination of Jews during WWII. He was sentenced to
death after the war, and, during his trial, he maintained that he was just following orders, and that he therefore
hadn’t done anything wrong.