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Thoreau, Tim O Brien, And Frederick Douglass: Literary Analysis

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People often look to government and society to guide the way a person lives, but authors Henry David Thoreau, Tim O'Brien, and Frederick Douglass think otherwise. These authors share the idea of sticking to what they believe in without falling victim to societal norms or laws. Thoreau rejected the ideas of government and thought ways he could hold true to himself. O'Brien strongly opposes war and does not believe in the glorification of it, in fact he sees not good in war. Douglass creates a character named Madison Washington who rejects the social label of a slave and is determined to become the free man he knows he should be.
Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau Discusses Thoreau’s ideas on government and its effects on society. Thoreau’s …show more content…

O’Brian list some of the items they carried to give them a sense of security, feeling luck, and reminder of love they have waiting at home. The reality of the horror of war hit them when an American soldier by the name of Ted Lavender was shot in front of everyone while he was urinating. Everyone was stunned when realizing all the things they carried do not even matter. The thing they were most afraid of, death, had come, and it had come while doing such a basic function. The war showed that there was no exception on when the soldiers could face death. After the death of Ted lavender the soldiers fight out of rage and revenge of a friend in a war that had no previous meaning. O’Brian does not leave out any of the gory horrifying details of soldiers deaths and the conditions of war .The war was pointless in the eyes of the soldiers, which is why O’Brian never mentions a reason for the war. In this story O'Brien refuses to make war look in anyway positive, nor does he justify the killing of people. Instead he shows war in a bad light, bringing only sorrow and death because he does not believe in the glorification of war. Frederick Douglass’s The Heroic Slave Focuses on a Slave named Madison Washington and his struggle for freedom. Madison was in the woods reflecting on his thoughts after being whipped by his master. He believes he his alone as he discusses

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Even though Frederick Douglass was this extraordinarily intelligent man he was still subject to the social constructs that eventually let him lose sit of knowledge and made him “a brute.” It is difficult to believe that all men can overcome their circumstances and become self-reliance without help. Even Thoreau the master transidentialist is bound by his own ideological and

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In the society Steinbeck describes, if one were to disobey the rules, he “had no place in any world, no matter where created” (Steinbeck 266). Even though the families had rights, they seemingly did not have the right to protest if they believed a law was unjust. Because of this, the rulers of this society have all of the power. Individuals have to keep their own beliefs private and must adhere to society’s rules, not matter if they were right or wrong, in fear of being shamed. Comparatively, the very foundation of Thoreau’s beliefs is that humans have the right to rebel against a corrupt state.

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The concurring theme that I believe O’Brien is trying to show is the emotional baggage that some of these soldiers carry with them at all times. Yes, they carried physical things such as Cross’s good luck pebble or Jensen’s rabbit foot or Bowker’s thumb, but the emotional baggage may be even more significant. “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing…” In this short quote from the passage I have chosen, it really just sums up all of the different emotions that soldiers truly experience.

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The auto-biography “An American Slave” of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass is about the life of a life of a slave who eventually became free due to his advantage of education. Douglass discussed his experience of being born into slavery and escaping and becoming the symbol of strength and hero he is known as today. He, in detail, explains how contradicting the Constitution and the actual society in that time period were to each other. Douglass’ purpose of writing this novel was to not only tell his story but to also express his attitudes towards the “American Promise” and the “American Individual”. In the novel Douglass used similes, metaphors and imagery to convey his personal attitudes about the American Promise and the American Individual

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Thoreau's mother describes him as “[a]lways [doing] the right thing, [e]ven if it’s wrong” (94). Collectively, direct and indirect characterization through these quotes clearly indicate how Thoreau seeks to make every decision based upon his own personal beliefs of its morality, independent from societal pressure, and to act upon it

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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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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass (University of Virginia Library. Web. 15 Dec. 2015) puts readers in a position that allows them to understand the great struggles and misfortunes that came with being an American slave and how Frederick Douglass’ managed to escape from the grasp of slavery and find his own liberating freedom. A daring feat that can be defined by a series of epiphanies, a man’s great determination, and the constant regrowth of a broken man’s soul. From the excerpt, previously shown above, Douglass depicts a vivid image of just how severe the work conditions of slaves were, how difficult it was to please a slave master, and how horribly a man can be ripped of his will.

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Mr. Thoreau argues that people should not allow any government to control or atrophy their thoughts or beliefs. Mr. Thoreau was an also remained a devoted abolitionist and has written

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Amidst tension, society’s view of government is controversial. The role of government, and whether interference with everyday lives is necessary, is essential in shaping the writings and beliefs of author John Steinbeck and transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. Both men express the idea that government should not have an increasing role in the lives of people through their works, The Grapes of Wrath and Civil Disobedience, respectively. They emphasize that complexities in government are the root of the problem. Despite these similarities, Steinbeck’s view of a limited role of government strongly differs from Thoreau’s transforming view of a better government.

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Thomas Darr Mrs. O’Sullivan American Lit. Adv. 15 March 2023 What does Henry David Thoreau propose in his essay “Resistance to Civil Government,” and how did Thoreau’s proposal influence the histories of the Republic of India and the United States of America? Introduction Hook: In 1849, “Resistance to Civil Government” was written by Henry David Thoreau out of spite towards the government, but little did he know the impact it would have on movements across the globe. Background Information: Civil disobedience was published in 1849 by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau wrote Civil disobedience to portray his dislike of government and the laws they force people to follow.

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The individual's relationship to the state is a concept often entertained abstractly; at variance with this is Civil Disobedience, which analyzes Thoreau's first direct experience with state power in his brief 1846 imprisonment. Thoreau metaphorically detailed his search for virtue in the quote, "The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly." (Thoreau 8) In Civil Disobedience Thoreau as earnest seeker and flawed captive of the conscience concertedly attempts to correct this shortcoming within the context of slavery and the Mexican-American War.

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The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.

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War was so much more than just war to O’Brien and he able to share this through his writing. " But this is true: stories can save us. ... in a story, which is a kind of dreaming, the dead sometimes smile and sit up and return to the world." (page

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The idea of changing something that a higher power holds against you, is the framework for the civil-disobedient ideas of Henry D. Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. They’re true definitions of civil disobedience are a little different than one another, but they all follow that simple framework. Henry D. Thoreau’s definition of civil disobedience is the original title of his book, Resistance to Civil Government. In this document Thoreau puts forth many rationales such as resisting taxes or passive resistance.

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The narrative essay “Slavery in Massachusetts”, written by Henry David Thoreau is publish in Framingham, Massachusetts on July 4, 1854 during an Anti-Slavery Celebration. Henry David Thoreau is an American author, poet and essayist and known for his book “Walden” and “Civil Obedience” which both reflects the slavery in the country. The essay is based on his speech during the Anti-Slavery celebration and a reflection of his disappointments towards the citizen of Massachusetts. The main idea of the essay is actions speak louder than words, reflecting the actions the citizens of Massachusetts did for the slaves.

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