The third maxim by Ralph Waldo Emerson is "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." Emerson is saying that one's open honesty is importantly treasured. One's honesty is more important than following other people's beliefs. The maxim embodies the theme that people respect others' honesty more than emotionless obedience to conventions set forth by someone else. In connection to the play, "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail," by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the maxim is illustrated in the church scene scene where Thoreau pushes a wheelbarrow full of earth into a church. Thoreau asks the churchgoers, "Have all of you been shut up inside? On this beautiful morning? What a pity!,"(Lawrence and Lee 41) because Thoreau wants …show more content…
Consider the case of the political, fictional novel, "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. The scene is set in Manor Farm in an unknown destination and humanly intelligent animals have taken over the farm from their abusive master, Mr. Jones. Napoleon, the pig is the new tyrannical leader of all the farm animals and has instilled fear into everyone. Furthermore, Napoleon instructs one of his minions, Sqeauler, the pig to change the rule about how animals should never harm other animals, which was painted on the inner barn wall. When Boxer, the horse encounter the newly changed rule, Boxer expresses his honesty about the previous rule by asking Benjamin, the donkey to read new rule to confirm the change. Boxer's integrity about the fact that the rule was changed is acknowledged by the donkey which shows that Boxer's honesty is sacredly important. Boxer's integrity about the rule is important because if bystanders allowed tyrannical leaders to change fair rules to unfair rules, all of the people's rights