Walden And Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Analysis

Should society be required to pay taxes which fund unjust causes? In Walden and Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau reflects upon the punishment he was given by the government for standing up for what he believed was correct. He says, “… there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was” (Thoreau 289). Thoreau is not successful in persuading the audience he has greater degree of mental freedom than anyone else because he fails in credibility, emotional appeal, and logic.
Thoreau has no experience to back up his claims. He was put in jail after he refused to pay a poll tax during the Mexican-American War. Thoreau believes the

time he spent in jail is inspiring to the audience, but he fails to realize the insignificance of one day. This brief period of time spent behind bars does not influence the audience. Thoreau makes it seem as if he learned an immense amount about himself behind bars, but in reality, he has lost touch with reality due to his isolation in the woods. Despite the fact that he portrays himself as a wilderness survival man, Thoreau spent his Sunday’s eating meals in the comfort of his mother’s home. How can the audience be persuaded of Thoreau’s credibility when he displays a false image? It is simple, they cannot.
Thoreau’s lack of credibility is not compensated for in his emotional appeal.

The use of inspiring phrases and words such as “break through” and “free” should persuade the reader, but Thoreau’s lack of connection to the common man drives the audience away. To the reader, it seems that Thoreau is too disconnected from the world; he does not know how to interact with ordinary people. He looks down upon everyday citizens as if he is better than them. Though he places himself on a high pedestal, Thoreau does not understand how fortunate he is. While most people in his era were struggling to put food on the table, Thoreau lived in the woods pondering his mind on a full stomach. Thoreau’s emotional interaction with the audience causes separation between the two parties because he fails to appeal to the

audience.
Not only does Thoreau’s use of word choice insult the audience, it discourages them from give him their attention.

Thoreau fails to consider that not everyone was afforded the opportunity to attend a top tier college such as Harvard. He frequently compares his life and educational level to those less fortunate than him. The audience may ask why Thoreau, with such a great education, believes his tax protest will help stop the Mexican-American War. Logically, the minuscule amount of money he owes the government is likely to do nothing to help the American campaign. If no one in the country paid taxes, how could the United States support and defend itself? Thoreau does not consider alternatives such as voting and an active protest demonstration; these could allow his voice to be heard by the public. Because he is not logically sound, Thoreau is not successful in capturing the audience’s

attention.
Like Henry David Thoreau, Muhammad Ali refused to cooperate with the government, and he was thrown in jail for refusing to enter war draft.Ali said, “Champions aren´t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.” Ali lost three years in the prime of his boxing career, but he used this lost time to better the world. Ali used his experiences as a way to help integrate a segregated society; Thoreau used his experiences to complain and dehumanize his audiences. While there is little doubt Thoreau’s work has made a lasting impression in American literature, his tactics to directly change society failed. In today’s world, the American government would cease to exist if citizens stopped paying taxes. Through Thoreau’s persuasion techniques failed, his ideas about independence continue to resonate because of their revolutionary nature.