Rhetorical Analysis On Civil Disobedience

Throughout the essay "Civil Disobedience" by Henry Thoreau, Thoreau gives multiple examples of how the government serves itself and not the individuals living in the country. The ethics of the country are poor, which is weakening the relationship in between the individuals and the state. The government exercises its power to get benefits themselves and the people don't exercise size their power to speak out. Henry Thoreau points out multiple flaws in society and gives his idea of a better government. The state needs to appreciate the individual more, they also need to govern less. Nothing will change though unless individuals act upon their principles.
Thoreau makes his opinion of the government very clear in the first paragraph. "That government is best which governs least." He finds that some of the decisions that the government has made have been to benefit themselves and not the people, such as the Mexican war. The government is a small group of people compared to the rest of the

country, and they make all the decisions, but they can decide things a majority of the country may not agree on. Thoreau does believe a government is needed to keep order in the country, but more freedom needs to be allowed in it to strengthen the relationship between the Individual and state.
Thoreau makes his point about the relationship between the American government and its citizens clear by giving examples of what the people have accomplished.

Thoreau says that the government is like a wooden gun to people. A wooden gun is useless against a real gun. The people don't get to benefit from the government, but the government benefits from the people. Thoreau also says "the government does not keep our country free, it does not settle the west, it does not educate." The people do all of this. More is done in this country by the people than the government, and the government is the one making a majority of the decisions. Thoreau believes the government is like a big machine that causes friction, instead of working against friction, it creates friction. Instead of the government working against crime and oppression, they make organized crime and oppression. They only want what brings the most profit to themselves and don't care about what it costs the people of the

country.
Thoreau's idea of a better government requires change, but the government can't make all of the changes itself. In order for there to be change, individuals must act based on their principles. If you believe in something, act upon it. A revolution doesn't have to be violent, citizens can peacefully protest by speaking up for what they believe in. When something is flawed it is the people's job to voice what is right. The people’s words are different from Their actions, which in the end does not help. To continue to support an unjust government is immoral and unethical. Thoreau in a way says that people that do not act on what they say have poor ethics and in the end, don't benefit from supporting an unjust government.
Thoreau gives the people an idea for a better government in his essay "Civil Disobedience." The government does what benefits themselves most and not the people. The state must become more ethical and listen to what the majority of citizens say. True majority would be what the country voices and not what a small group in the government voices. The government must give more control to the people for the government to be useful to the people. Thoreau believes that a less complicated government is more beneficial to citizens. For there to be change in the country the individual must act on there principles.