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David Thoreau And The Importance Of Civil Disobedience

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Some might call civil disobedience patriotic but according to the definition given when it’s just a form of breaking the law. The normal act of civil disobedience we are accustomed to usually takes place in the form of peaceful protest. “if one were to judge these men wholly by the effects of their actions and not partly by their intentions, they would deserve to be classed and punished with those mischievous persons who put obstructions on the railroads.” -David Thoreau. Civil disobedience is situational and can not be judged without looking at the cause of conflict Thoreau raises the viewpoint that people have when looking at civil disobedience. Humans look for the good in people so it seems natural to look for the good in people's actions. The civil rights movement of the 1960’s, though was right in reason and just in cause was in fact civil disobedience. Looking at the intent of the disobedience can and often times does, justify the action. Thoreau does not discount the importance of civil disobedience.“Let every man …show more content…

In the early 1900s’ america was under the threat of multi-factionism. Forty years after the civil war, perhaps the most pronounced form of civil disobedience, Woodrow Wilson gave a speech on unity. “Let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children’s liberty.”-Woodrow Wilson. N order to keep a peaceful environment there should be not dishonoring the law of the land. This implied that there should also be not disobeying the law. Wilson was at the time dealing with the beginning of the first world war, which can help with the reason he called for reduced demonstrations. He word were not discouraging freedom of speech they were telling that in times of social conflict a country must pull together. Civil disobedience is fracturing of a the social norm and has been shown to move a society forward in it social

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Throughout history there have been many political changes that are either supported, or not, by citizens. In the given passage from, "Civil Disobedience," by Thoreau, a perspective of disagreeing with the government ways, is provided. Thoreau explains how a government should be in comparison to how it really is by utilizing his words to set the tone and mode, imagery to achieve his audience's understanding, and diction to make his writing scholarly. Although tone and mode are not directly stated, you can infer that Thoreau meant for his writing to be taken as serious and powerful. His implementation of words such as, "inexpedient," "execute," " integrity," and "command," makes one think about their lawful rights and reflect on what rights are supported or

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798 Words | 4 Pages

It's easy to get angry and/or violent protests confused with civil disobedience. Many overlook the effectiveness of civil disobedience and see it as just another way to protest the government but civil disobedience has a long history. A few examples of civil disobedience include Rosa Parks’ famous refusal to move from the back of the bus in 1955; the interracial marriage between Richard and Mildred Loving in 1958; and most recently, the protest against the Dakota Access pipeline construction. In each instance, people stood up for what they thought was just and right.

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It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right." (Jacobus, 306). He argues that it is up to each and every individual to stand up for their own rights and know the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong. As said by Thoreau, by committing acts of civil disobedience or peaceful protests, citizens of the nations are able to have their voice to speak up against the wrongdoings of their own government. They bring attention to the more important issues at hand and allow opinions to be formed, and can thus spark change in society.

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In his essay “Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau asserts that the government is not needed and must be disobeyed for the sake of the people. Over a hundred years later after Thoreau published his essay, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” similarly shows the need for the disobeyment of the government. Thoreau asserts that governments are not necessary, and must be dissolved. While King follows a similar ideal, he believes that the government is inherently good, but that some of the laws passed by the government are cruel to people. While they are both appealing emotionally and ethically, King’s is more sound in argument and portrays a more practical way of civil disobedience.

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Martin Luther King Jr once stated, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. He was invoking the principle of civil disobedience. He wasn't justifying breaking laws just because, but instead, meant that you break the law and accept your punishment, in hopes that people will come to see that the law is unethical. Civil disobedience plays an important role in how our society has been shaped up until this point.

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Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau’s famous essay, Civil Disobedience, is an interesting window into the mind of a staunch logician who supports morals above all else. As a transcendentalist, Thoreau supports the mindset of human perfection; that is, he believes that all humans can achieve a complete lack of sin. Unfortunately, Christians know this to be false; the only person who has ever achieved perfection was both God and man; however, this mindset is constantly seen in Thoreau’s essay.

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Today, many deem for a peaceful future, separate from a past filled with war and hatred, and reflect the ideals of Muhammad Ali in preventing oneself from experiencing the torture brought about by a nation’s rules when it does not reflect the wishes of the people. Our nation has made great strides in unifying citizens under one flag and aiming to create a place where civil disobedience is unnecessary. In current society, many still wish to prevail in their own battles against governmental laws and policies in order to gain personal freedoms- similar to that of Ali, maintaining his freedom from the draft. In order to demonstrate what we need from our government, we must break away from what others may feel, and abide by our own morals in the pursuit of preserving personal

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Civil disobedience is an act or way of disobeying the law/government. You don’t cooperate with the law(s). Many people don’t cooperate with a law and so they protest in a way without using violence. Protesting is part of an act of civil disobedience, it’s a way for people to show or prove their point of view. In the article “ On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” states when a person’s conscience and law clash, the person would follow their conscience rather than the law.

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To prosper in a just and moral way, America must stand united. Thoreau demonstrates the accountability between the two parties: “The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted” (Thoreau, 1849/1998, p. 127). The people who compose a nation must not be complacent and inactive. Inactivity prevents progress.

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However, it could also be argued that civil disobedience is beneficial to ridding a society of unjust law. If there is law, you have a duty as a citizen to obey the law or you may try to convince those in charge to change them. If using civil disobedience is a method of convincing others to change unjust law, civil disobedience must be unjust. If it is true that being a citizen of a society binds you to obeying the laws, and civil disobedience is an act which breaks the law, then it is not just for

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526 Words | 3 Pages

The American people have the right to assemble, and the freedom of speech, thanks to the first amendment. Civil disobedience goes along with this. When there is injustice in our society then we have the right to speak out about it. Our nation was founded on a group of people upset at how they were treated. Throwing tea into a harbor sure was not legal.

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There are times when people must rebel to make a change. It has happened throughout different movements to change unjust laws, and go against unjust people. One big example of civil disobedience during the civil rights movement were sit-ins. Sit-ins were when people continued to peacefully sit in on a restaurant when they were denied service. It was almost a way of life for many people.

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332 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka , Mr.Kafka purpose was to show that even when Grete took care of him and loved him at first that grew into hatred toward him, closest people to you can turn and be against you. At first Grete took care of Gregor and sees him as his brother and not a life size bug. But later on throughout the passage Grete does not care about Gregor anymore and starts to change her behavior, also she starts reforming as “It” and not her brother. “We must try to get rid of it,’ the sister now said decisively to the father, for the mother, in her coughing fit, wasn’t listening to anything, ‘it is killing you both” (Kafka pg 85). In this quote shows that Mr. Kafka believes that even your family members who takes

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Thoreau was strongly against any violent act of protest, but should a person disagree with his/her government, Thoreau would encourage that person to do so in a peaceful manner. Civil disobedience serves the purpose of giving the people a say. For example, Thoreau stated, “Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward attaining it“ (Civil

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As kids people get taught what is wrong and right from a parental figure or experiences of life teach us how to react to different situations. When we finally turn adults no one is there to remind us of what’s good and what's bad so we have to use our past experiences and our knowledge to help guide us. Each adult shapes their societies for their generation and many more generations to come. Mohandas k. Gandhi and Susan B Anthony’s speech along with the article Selma to Montgomery March on history show that civil disobedience is a moral responsibility.

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