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Controversial Decisions In American Literature

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In the year of 2016, a heated and and controversial presidential election took place. With both candidates came different viewpoints, ideas, and beliefs. No matter how the election were to turn out, many were going to be angry about the outcome. They knew that in the future decisions would be made that could potentially hurt their families, jobs, salaries, and values. This is no different from what many pieces of American Literature show about the government. Decisions made by the government have caused outrage from individuals and communities. American Literature shows the frustrations many people had about the governments in which ruled over them.
One of the most recognized and famous American writers, Henry Thoreau, writes about his frustrations with the government in …show more content…

Steinbeck accuses the laws of the United States to be immoral as he states, “A law which is immoral does not survive and a government which condones or fosters immorality is truly in a clear and present danger” (2). Steinbeck believes that Miller is innocent and that what the government has done to accuse Miller is immoral. He also puts America in the bad by comparing their actions to those of their enemies by saying, “We have seen and been revolted by the Soviet Union’s encouragement of spying and telling, children reporting their parents, wives informing on their husbands. In Hitler’s Germany, it was considered patriotic to report your friends and relations to the authorities. And we in America have felt sade from and superior from these things. But are we so safe and superior?” (2). This attacks America as he is comparing them to their enemy, but does not directly state it. Steinbeck is angered by the decisions in which the government took to accuse

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Throughout history, authors utilize the written word to either expose grievous faults within society or celebrate the feats of society. John Steinbeck is certainly no exception as he has constructed many pieces which serve to enlighten the audience on the accomplishments and faults of society. The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck attempts to expose faults within society which include prejudice and the overwhelming desire for greed. He does so through his use of allusions, diction, and characterization. John Steinbeck in the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, attempts to expose one of society’s most detrimental flaws--prejudice through the use of repetition and characterization.

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Thoreau declares that all men have the right to “refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government” when its tyranny or its “inefficiency are great and unendurable” (Thoreau 3). The people must work to create a safe society, and if the government is making it so that some do not feel safe, it is the people’s responsibility to change that. If that means a law must be broken, then it must be done. With Steinbeck’s society being the society to influence all subsequent societies, opposition to a government’s ideals becomes a universal taboo. This is apparent in Thoreau’s essay as well.

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In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter and Mama have influenced the plot in multiple ways. The Younger family has always been a very close family, but now they have all become very short with each other; and the relationship with Ruth and Walter is starting to divide. Mama, Walters’s mother puts a down payment on a house as a way to bring everyone closer together. Although, her plan did not go as planned because of where the house is located and now Walter cannot make his big investment with Willy Harris. Walter influences the plot of the play in more ways than most of the other characters.

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Government laws are necessary for our communities because if people do not agree with the government, it does not mean government decision are incorrect. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau talks about government and points out the flaws in the government system. On the other hand, in “ The Grapes of Wrath,” Steinbeck talk on the birth of civilization from physical and governmental issues. Although, many cases Thoreau and Steinbeck perspectives on government contradicts with each other however they both share similar thoughts about self-government.

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Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau Discusses Thoreau’s ideas on government and its effects on society. Thoreau’s

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“Unjust laws exist: Shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them” (Thoreau 945, par.16). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had written about resisting an unjust government in his piece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In his essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau also discusses the right and responsibility to resist an unjust government. Since King and Thoreau both use current events in their time as examples of injustice, use historical and biblical references, how they can’t wait any longer to make a change, both provide strong arguments on how important it is to stand up against the injustice put upon American people by the government; however, King and Thoreau were inspired to write by different causes

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Thoreau 's views on the government by comparing the government to a machine. He states, ”When the machine was producing injustice, it was the duty of conscientious citizens to be ‘a counter friction’ (i.e., a resistance) "to stop the machine.” The two major issues being debated in the United States during his life was slavery and the Mexican-American War in which were major reasons he wrote his essays. In the mid to late 1840’s slavery has been indoctrinated into American society in which caused rifts between Americans.

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In the essay “Civil Disobedience,” written by Henry David Thoreau, he stated, “Government is at best an expedient, but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.” This expresses his opinion about the government that controlled America during the mid 1800s. His essay expresses that the government only addresses how to deal with a majority of the population, instead of finding a way to serve individuals. Thoreau’s viewpoint on the government is why he feels the need for resistance. For Thoreau, resistance means doing what a person believes is morally right.

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For example, both writers express ardent support for a simple, limited kind of government based only on individuals’ needs. Steinbeck describes how the families develop a “world” built with “their hearts and their brains,” meaning that the camp’s government depends on the will of each member (Steinbeck 267). In other words, their government is formed by the migrants and for the migrants, such that the makeshift state exists only to serve its people. This parallels Thoreau’s belief that a government’s power derives solely from the community that it governs. For it to be honorable and just, it should have “no pure right over [any] person or property but what [he or she] concede[s] to it” (Thoreau 14).

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The issue of how government should function has long been debated over the years. Both The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau discuss this issue. Steinbeck comments on the birth of civilization from physical needs to government issues in chapter seventeen of The Grapes of Wrath and Thoreau examines the function of government in “Civil Disobedience.” Their views on government clash in some aspects and agree in others. Steinbeck and Thoreau hold contrasting beliefs about individual conscience but agree on how a government should be operated and on the type of people needed in government.

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Steinbeck believes that without unity, families would not be able to bear the feats ahead of them. In contrast, Thoreau greatly focuses on individualism in his writing. He describes the society that men support are forced to “pay homage to and support [his] own meanness” (Thoreau 5). Men have the ability to make his own decisions, so why should he have to support a system that silences his own judgement? A government represents a mass amount of people, which means that this group of representatives who make decisions “leave it to the majority” (Thoreau 4).

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Henry David Thoreau: Urging the independent mind In “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, his goal is to urge people to resist (in a non-violent manner) governmental policies with which they disagree. His essay radiated throughout that time, influencing people to change the way that they had first perceived government laws and ideas. This dissertation helped people to change perspective and to challenge what the government was making them do. Today we can use this same logic to question government officials, to know for ourselves what is best.

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Books ain't no good.” (P. 72). Here Steinbeck lets the reader know that Crooks "has nobody”. He has no family left and no friends on the ranch. He reads books to fill his time and keep him company because the other workers do not want him in the bunkhouse to simply play a game of cards, but a book cannot compare to a human being.

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In the past ten years, the use of child soldiers has provoked over two million deaths, one million orphans, six million injured or permanently disabled, and ten million children diagnosed with psychological trauma (“Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?”). Children in the military fight for various reasons: to sacrifice themselves, secure revenge, or even to find a family. Throughout this experience, their outlook on war is desensitized and propagandized. The Hour’s interview with Ishmael Beah describes the experience of a former child soldier from Sierra Leone who was rescued and brought to America. His novel describes the terrors of violence and its effect of millions of ignorant children.

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