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Compare And Contrast Thoreau And Martin Luther King Jr

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Civil disobedience is an idea that Henry Thoreau wrote about in the 1800's, which later inspired political activists to lead nonviolent protests that effected change in their government. In my research during this assignment, I read that people influenced by Thoreau's writings included philosopher Martin Buber, Mohandas Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. In reading "A Letter from Burmingham Jail," by Dr. King, alongside Thoreau's "Resistance to Civil Government," interesting comparisons and conclusions can be made on the subject of civil disobedience. Both Henry Thoreau and Dr. King used all three persuasive techniques presented at the start of the assignment, however, the way that Martin Luther King Jr. brought emotional life to ethical words is …show more content…

when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people..." Dr. King used his heart-felt words to connect with us personally, putting each reader directly in a situation to feel the injustice he felt, and therefore giving them a chance to better understand. While Thoreau also used emotional persuasion, his writing is mostly based on logic and ethics. About "Resistance to Civil Government," Ghandi is quoted saying "Its incisive logic is unanswerable." I believe this has a lot to do with the time in which Thoreau lived, like many earlier writings, it's so full of logic it drones. That was the sort of reading people were used to. It had to be written in the same style as other political works of the time, so intelligent, active readers would pick it up and pay

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268 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. have very similar purposes in their writings. Both author 's are writing to protest unfair laws. But they also have very different audiences. In Civil Disobediance, Thoreau writes how those who break unjust laws should suffer the consequences as a protest to the laws.

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414 Words | 2 Pages

The government priority is to protect its people and provide them with the rights that they deserve. Almost quite often, people disagree with some laws and these laws become unjust laws within their beliefs. Many individuals believe that the government should not interfere in their economic and political affairs. Both Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr argued for the right to free the unjust laws that the government held against its government. The two inspiration people within America's history got their rights that they thought they deserved by going outside their bubble and forcing it.

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644 Words | 3 Pages

Fredrick Douglas and Henry David Thoreau have the same ideas yet different experiences which shine through their writings. The main idea is that I would have had no idea that Thoreau was an abolitionist from this writing alone. This excerpt from Thoreau is extremely philosophical, as were most of his other writings, and could only loosely be applied to the issue of slavery while Douglas’ writing was strictly an autobiography. This simple difference goes a long way in highlighting their differences as rights activists. Douglas is direct and evokes change through his actions and words while Thoreau is indirect, yet he makes you think about your decisions and how they affect the world around you.

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563 Words | 3 Pages

Thoreau and Machiavelli ideologies are similar because they both describes how leaders and people should response towards each other. Thoreau conclude in his essay that our government system is flaws therefore we must create a new form of government. He implies that people should resist unjust laws because government system are corrupt and reveals machinery people should stop listening to them without questioning. In the essay he indicate that “legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders, serve the State chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God”. This clearly supports the author view on our government system is vicious because they serve as evil and they hide their

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653 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr VS Henry David Thoreau What is a transcendentalist? A transcendentalist is a radical logical and social movement that developed in New England around 1836. Henry Thoreau was a transcendentalist and was also a famous author where he wrote during the transcendentalist time. On the other hand Martin Luther King Jr was a person that fought for everybody to be equal. He had a speech called “I Had A Dream" Whereas Henry Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr are different as Henry Thoreau didn't pay poll taxes and was an author of the 19th century, while Martin Luther King Jr was taking part in the civil right marches and role model in the 20th century, they are also similar as they both spent a day in jail, were transcendentalists, and well educated.

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930 Words | 4 Pages

Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or a system of laws. In the documents written by Henry Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr they clearly state their terms of just and unjust laws through a majority of appeals to emphasize the efficiency of their main idea on what civil disobedience is. Thoreau highlights his advocacy on civil disobedience in sufficient literal detail while King’s letter to the clergymen uses more examples of ethos and pathos to illuminate his main idea ultimately making his appeal more effective in my opinion. Henry Thoreau believed that the government was being unjust and he proposed the means of justice by using a more dry ethical and emotional appeal to prevail his main idea. In Civil Disobedience,

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895 Words | 4 Pages

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essay, “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and Henry David Thoreau essay “Civil Disobedience,” both share their opinions on social injustice and civil disobedience. They both believe that people can protest unfair and unjust laws imposed on them in a civil way. In addition, King and Thoreau are challenging the government with their essays, which they wrote after they got sent to jail. For protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, King spent eleven days in jail; Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his poll tax. Both King and Thoreau’s essays present similar plans for a resolution.

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897 Words | 4 Pages

The main similarity in the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Henry David Thoreau is the idea of revolution against an abusive government. The main difference is the context in which each document was written, the Declaration of Independence as the colonies were rebelling against Great Britain and forming their own government, and Civil Disobedience as criticisms of the government developed within nearly seventy-five years after the signing of the Declaration. Both Jefferson and Thoreau share ideas of revolution, although overthrowing the government is seen in many cases as illegal. Both documents share a common theme of revolution, and both authors believe the best way to move toward a better government is civil disobedience. Jefferson and Thoreau believe that whether it is the struggle for independence or being freed from injustices of the government, civil disobedience and revolution are necessary in order to live in a society based on freedom.

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821 Words | 4 Pages

Civil disobedience has been a topic of discussion throughout the last two articles we have read in class. Martin Luther King Jr’s, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, and Plato’s, Crito, start with MLK and Socrates in jail. King tells of how he is an extremist to end oppression and gain freedom for African Americans. He did what he believed was right and protested in response. Socrates, on the other hand, is arguing as to why he will accept his punishment of death because he disobeyed the government.

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606 Words | 3 Pages

Civil Disobedience by Thoreau is the refusal to obey government demands or commands and nonresistance to consequent arrest and punishment this had an extreme effect on Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi. They were fighting for different beliefs. However they both had the same believes about civil disobedience and they both end in the same place, jail. In the first place Gandhi believed that the only way to confronted injustice was with non-violent methods.

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1032 Words | 5 Pages

Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. were both born 120 years apart. They were also killed ten days apart in the same month, years apart of course. Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. were one of the biggest influences on Slavery and Civil Rights. As well as being great leaders during their times. Both of these men were similar, but also had their differences.

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715 Words | 3 Pages

Henry David Thoreau wrote the famous letter “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” while doing his time in jail for not paying his poll tax in protest against slavery and the Mexican War. Thoreau was an outspoken critic against social issues he didn’t believe in. His letter has made a big influence on many other civil rights activists. In his letter, Thoreau used many different rhetorical strategies including pathos, as well as usages of logos and diction in order to achieve his purpose in persuading his audience that the government shouldn’t intervene. Thoreau’s use of pathos was seen greatly throughout his writing.

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970 Words | 4 Pages

He wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In both of these, he used pathos and logos to appeal to the audience and fit the occasion, so that he can make the people do something about segregation and defend his ideas in an effective way. If he would not have spoken up and had influenced people to follow him, the world could have ended up still having segregation today. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the biggest visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used pathos and logos in his speech to draw in people so he can make them act and he used pathos and ethos in his letter to defend his ideas using his knowledge of the audience and the occasion.

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472 Words | 2 Pages

Compare and Contrast Between the 2 articles on similar themes, there are 4 reasons. (1) Gandhi and Thoreau both would not agree in certain things like laws. (2) Gandhi and Thoreau discussed civil disobedience. (3) Gandhi and Thoreau were influenced in writing their expressions, and how both wrote their expressions against the government and laws. Gandhi and Thoreau have different perspectives of the laws, and what people should follow.

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853 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was an important figure in gaining civil rights throughout the 1960’s and he’s very deserving of that title as seen in both his “I Have a Dream” speech and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” letter. In both of these writings Dr. King uses logos - logical persuasion - and pathos - emotional appeal - to change the opinions of people who were for segregation and against civil rights. Although King was arrested for a nonviolent protest, he still found a way to justify his actions with the use of logos and pathos. MLK uses both ways to gain the attention and agreement of the audience but, he uses pathos not just more, but in a more relatable way in order to appeal to his audience.

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