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The different opinions about civil disobedience
Civil disobedience and civil rights movement
The different opinions about civil disobedience
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Throughout Thoreau’s essay, he expressed his opinions and beliefs on the importance of civil disobedience in a society. He talked about how one must use his or her moral sense, conscience, to decide what is just and unjust. From here, Thoreau urged his readers to take action, to stop the machine from continuing its lifeless duty. His call to action is if a system is prone to corruption, the people must disobey it. This means that personal endangerment may be needed to do what is right. Going against the status quo to uphold justice and ethics is the basic message behind Thoreau’s essay.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the figurehead of a movement that demanded rights for all, no matter the color of their skin. Throughout his time as a civil rights
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activist, King was known to cite Thoreau as an influence. Because Thoreau was known as an influence to King, they shared similar beliefs. In Civil Disobedience and Letter from Birmingham Jail, both men expressed the importance of taking action. They encouraged their readers to make a statement rather than voting on a piece of paper or watching from the sidelines. King and Thoreau were essentially saying that no matter how much someone complained, nothing was going to change unless someone took action. Being known for the peaceful protests, King and other activists inspired others to defend their beliefs. In the 1840’s, Thoreau was also suggesting a peaceful protest of not paying taxes. Both men believed that it was a citizen’s duty to act against unjust laws through action such as peaceful protests. When Thoreau was writing Civil Disobedience, slavery and the Mexican War was in full swing.
Thoreau was against both of these ideas. Believing both were unjust, he took action. Seeing the Mexican War as a way for Southerners to expand slavery, Thoreau decided he would participate in civil disobedience. After not paying his taxes, he was arrested as he was on his way to have his shoes repaired. Only spending a night in jail because someone paid his taxes, Thoreau perspective of his neighbors changed. He decided that when someone pays their taxes, they are pledging their allegiance to a government, just or unjust. This method can be effective if more people were to participate. Considering that some citizens’ tax money funds government organizations, a government would not be able to function without its citizens. For example, law enforcement is funded by tax money. If people were to stop paying, law enforcement could disband allowing crime rates to rise. From there, chaos could break …show more content…
out. In result to participating in civil disobedience, Thoreau had to pay the consequence of going to jail.
Even though he only spent a night there, he noticed life in jail was different than in his community. This is why he talked extensively about his night. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau made the statement that just men should be in prison. In prison, a man can live with dignity among those who have been wrongly prosecuted. He gave the prisoners the benefit of the doubt. For example, Thoreau talked about his roommate, who was accused of burning down a barn, but he suggests the man fell asleep while smoking. Also, while talking to his fellow inmate, he heard stories and gossip that would never leave the jail walls. The prison life was like a separate world from the one Thoreau knew his whole life. Once he was let out, he noticed how his friends and neighbors weren’t really his allies. He described them as summer friends, people who were only friends during the good times. These people would not risk their life or property to do the right thing but rather say a prayer or two in hopes they would be
saved. To accept Thoreau’s argument, the reader must accept the idea that the individual is more powerful than the officials. This belief surrounds the argument that the power lies with the people, not the government. To make a positive change in a society, individuals must make a decision to decide what is right and what is wrong based on their conscience. As more and more individuals make this decision, the number begins to grow. This is what causes activist groups to create movements such as the civil rights movement. Across the nation, numerous students have participated in walkouts to oppose standardized tests. Many believe that standardized tests do not prove the true academic ability of a student. For example, some students may not be able to attend college because they didn’t test well on a standardized test. The idea behind walking out is to urge schools to go to the state government to stop participating in standardized testing. Not everyone who participates in civil disobedience is doing it to better humanity but for personal gain. For example, terrorist groups are participating in civil disobedience. The goal for the majority of terrorist groups is to overthrow an “unjust” government and to push personal beliefs on the country’s citizens. Terrorists often resort to violence to accomplish their goals such as beheading. The motivation for terrorism is far beyond morals or conscience. The true motivation for many terrorists is domination or fear. Terrorism is immoral and a dangerous civil disobedience.
Henry David Thoreau was a poet, social philosopher, and educator in the early to mid- 1800s (Hampton). He graduated from Harvard University in 1837 and, upon his return to his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts, befriended Ralph Waldo Emerson, also a philosopher and poet (Hampton, “Ralph Waldo Emerson”). Emerson was also the leader of the Transcendentalist movement which was based on the idea that people should lead by example -- social reform begins with the individual, not the government -- and that the movement should be peaceful (Woodlief, Ruehl). Thoreau agreed with this approach until the United States invaded Mexico in May, 1846 (Brown, Witherell). Opposed to slavery, Thoreau saw the invasion of Mexico as an attempt by the government to extend slavery westward. In his essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” published in 1849 with the original title, “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau protests against the government and states that is a man’s duty to rise up against the government when the government commits a wrong (Thoreau). In his writings, Thoreau uses the three rhetorical approaches of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in his attempts to persuade his readers to his point of view (Heinrichs).
Thoreau conveys many points in his writing and a large recurring one is the state of society. As stated before, he believed that people are too focused on physical gain and modernization which leads them into desperation. He adds on to this belief later in the book asking that above all else whether it be money or fame he be given honesty (Thoreau 246). To Thoreau, the truth is more important than anything measurable in status. Thoreau believes that a minimalist lifestyle is a good lifestyle, similar to Mccandless. He speaks of how it is good that he can put all of his belonging in one pile in his yard because it removes the clutter from his life (Thoreau 85). He also says that his best quality in life is to want very little, because it keeps himself true to himself and keeps him from distraction. Thoreau also believes that every man should be one in himself not oppressed by the government. He says that everyone should be able to be themselves whether is is in accord with the government or not (Thoreau 240). He is essentially saying that the government should not be a part of people's life decisions only to maintain the
“All machines have their friction―and possibly this does enough good to counterbalance the evil… But when the friction comes to have its machine… I say, let us not have such a machine any longer” (Thoreau 8). In Henry David Thoreau’s essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” the author compares government to a machine, and its friction to inequity. He believes that when injustice overcomes a nation, it is time for that nation’s government to end. Thoreau is ashamed of his government, and says that civil disobedience can fight the system that is bringing his country down. Alas, his philosophy is defective: he does not identify the benefits of organized government, and fails to recognize the danger of a country without it. When looked into, Thoreau’s contempt for the government does not justify his argument against organized democracy.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights leaders to ever live. Through his empowering speeches, he made a huge impact on the world for the equality of all races. Throughout King’s life, he showed everyone how he believed equality should be acquired. With his peaceful protests and amazing speeches, he influenced people both during his time and after he passed. Many believe that King’s work in the Civil Rights Movement was the final push that America needed to finally respect people no matter their skin color.
To conclude, Thoreau believed that people should be ruled by conscience and that people should fight against injustice through non-violence according to “Civil Disobedience.” Besides, he believed that we should simplify our lives and take some time to learn our essence in the nature. Moreover, he deemed that tradition and money were unimportant as he demonstrated in his book, Walden. I suggested that people should learn from Thoreau to live deliberately and spend more time to go to the nature instead of watching television, playing computer games, and among other things, such that we could discover who we were and be endeavored to build foundations on our dreams.
In my first analysis of Thoreau's essay, one of my strengths was being able to identify Thoreau's use of logos, or reasoning. In this instance, Thoreau draws from an example of a popular scholar, Paley, who argues: "'So long as the established government cannot be resisted or changed without public inconveniency, it is the will of God'" (Thoreau). In my analysis, I acknowledged Thoreau's citing of this quote and then demonstrated how he flipped Paley's argument. He reasons with the audience that doing the right thing, though sometimes unpleasant, will yield greater rewards in the long run.
In Thoreau’s view, he felt that the government was insufficient. He didn’t need the laws to be just, he used his conscious and morality. He was compelled to do what morally was right, rather than it being based on government issued laws such as the complacent society there is today. People seem to care about justice, yet are immoral. This was the message Thoreau was trying to get across.
In conclusion, by temporarily removing himself from society and thrusting himself into nature, we are better able to understand how Thoreau conveys his attitude towards life. He believes that in order to enjoy it one must free himself or herself from the high-tempo nature of society, live life more simplistically, and experience the reality that is hidden by all the things that are irrelevant in our
He didn 't believe that the world should stop work and live off the land, on the contrary, he believed, “The human dignity, wild life force and freedom were preserved within such a working process. Thoreau believed that labor was not only the activity that could bring material profits, but also a play which make man complete and developed simultaneously” (Ma 384). Thoreau 's work was experiencing nature and living transcendentally in order to share the quality of life that nature provides. We see Thoreau in many aspects of today 's society whether it 's Lisa from The Simpsons, a means of transportation, or political protests, they all follow a Thoreauvian idea of looking at the bigger picture and seeing what really matters. This way of thinking was created because one man decided that society was too mainstream and he moved off to the edge of town and reflected; people these days that do that are referred to as “hipsters” but the influence had to come from somewhere, and that was Henry David Thoreau. A closer reading of Thoreau 's works can put a new perspective on a common thing and provide a new outlook on life. Thoreau was not one to preach rather do something about it, not for the money or the fame but because of his “love of life— reverence for all the life in the
From these three men, we can learn the significance of detaching ourselves from the social norm and instead, fight for our values in a non-violent way, in order to make a change in our government’s corrupt and unjust laws. In “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau articulates the importance he places on resistance against a powerful, controlling government. He opens his essay with a reference to the quote, “‘That government is best which governs not at all,’” and shares the motto, “‘That government is best which governs least’” (Civil).... ...
Thoreau was against the The Mexican American War and the act of Slavery in our society and was very skeptical towards the U.S government regarding these issues. The U.S government did more to harm the citizens of America more than it did to protect them and Thoreau realized that and was not afraid to speak his mind.. The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free” Thoreau is saying that don't just wait for change to come, make the change happen. He stand for what is right regardless of the consequences, therefore, he wanted the citizens of America to be bold enough to do the same.
In Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," he uses a hyperbole to support his belief that "one person can make a change," an idea still relevant today. Thoreau uses many forms of literary techniques such as multiple hyperbole, emotional appeals, and paradoxes. Thoreau uses these to sustain his ideas on civil disobedience. He believes if you believe in something, and support something you should do whatever it takes to help the cause. Many people in today's society believe to just go with the flow, rather than living like Thoreau has, and supporting his own beliefs no matter what the consequence. Henry David Thoreau had a lot of personal authority, he was all about his own independence. Many different people believed in being a non-conformist, and Thoreau was one of them, and he very well showed how much he supported it. Thoreau was not the only nonconformist, they're many people who followed his beliefs and they refused to be bound by anybody, or anything they did not support. Other non-conformists were Gandhi, Galileo, Malcom X and many more.
Thoreau’s night in jail proves that the powerful voice of one can change seemingly unalterable situations without violence. An evening others have discussed, contemplated, and criticized, it was the means for Thoreau to begin his political battle against the war in Mexico. Specifically, Thoreau refuses to pay his taxes. Believing that the funding for the Mexican war will be reduced due to his actions, Thoreau is taking a stand against the government. To him, simply helping to pay for a gun is a crime if the gun is used to kill, but the felony is made hundred times worse if the victim is innocent. Thoreau believes that the Mexicans are innocent, so when Sam Staples, his friend and tax collector says, “…But the government gets persnickety about taxes when we got a war goin’,” he just retorts, “I will not pay one copper penny to an unjust government,” (Lawrence and Lee 60). This proves that Henry feels so strongly aga...
Thoreau further shows how he cannot support his own ideas when he says that he spent two years “alone, in the woods,”(Economy pg. 7, 1st sentence). He did not spend two years “alone” and a great period of the time which he was there was not “in the woods.” In fact, he had as many as thirty guests at a time (Visitors pg. 97 last line). He tries to show how he had few visitors in the winter saying, “…no visitor ventured near my house for a week or a fortnight at a time,” (Winter Visitors pg.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a philosopher and writer who is well known for his criticism of the American government during the time. During Thoreau’s life, there were two major issues being debated in the United States: slavery and the Mexican-American War. Both issues greatly influenced his essay, as he actually practiced civil disobedience in his own life by refusing to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican War. He states that the government should be based on conscience and that citizens should refuse to follow the law and has the duty not to participate and stay as a member of an unjust institution like the government. I argue that the notion of individualism and skepticism toward government is essential in the basis of many important reform movements in the modern society.