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Civil Disobedience, By Henry David Thoreau

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“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” (“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.”). Thoreau lived his whole life trying to figure out what really matters to humanity. His personality was quite different than others. He was into individualism and he separated himself from society to live on his own and focus on becoming self-reliant.Thoreau’s seperation from society resulted in him being seperated from society and not needing anyone's help. Learning to live and succeed by himself without influences from people was his goal. He believed in the importance of oneself and the government took that away. Henry David Thoreau, an American poet and novelist used his life experiences and thoughts to emphasize nature, …show more content…

”Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves”(Historical and recent examples of civil disobedience). Obedient people consistently listen to others, and because of this they never acknowledge their own opinion and beliefs of themselves. Henry David Thoreau did not swear by society and how others follow each one’s footsteps. Instead, Thoreau requested to be himself and be unique, and not like others.When you listen to what humans say or what they believe in, and do the same thing, you will never know your own self. Thoreau argued about the government needing to end earning taxes from the citizens. He believed the poll tax was to support the Mexican-American war and to expand slavery. Because of the beliefs he had, he refused to pay for a aspect he did not believe in. When Henry later found out someone paid his taxes to let him out of jail, he seemed quite mad about the issue. This problem later inspired Thoreau to write his essay “Civil Disobedience”. Thoreau’s idea of civil disobedience was where there are less people running the government, the better it is. Because of the hassle of Thoreau getting arrested, his essay was an inspiration to many people. Some of them were Martin Luther King Junior, Leo Tolstoy, and Mahatma

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was placed in Birmingham Jail in the 1960’s. During his time there, King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” after an open letter that was given to the public saying that the fellow clergymen were criticizing and saying that his present activities were “unwise and untimely.” King answers these charges in a careful crafted analysis by stating the opposing argument, and then contrasting it with his own argument. Henry David Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience” it exposes the mind to the idea of prioritizing laws. Refusing to obey the laws and demands of government, it criticizes the American institution of government at the time and is also defined as a text to live by.

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Thoreau was imprisoned for his violation. Being in prison to him seemed like a useless punishment because the State, the real danger, “did not know its friends from foes” (Thoreau, Paragraph 26) Thoreau makes a point to mention that it is not because he is against any particular item on the bill but he refuses taxes because he wishes “to refuse allegiance to the State” (Thoreau, Paragraph 35) This is his version of a peaceful protest because trying to make change with a vote will do nothing. One of his main problems made him share a common motive with Turner and Douglass, he did not believe in slavery. This piece is the most powerful approach of all reviewed through the semester.

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One idea from Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience that can be applied to life and society today is the prospect of not allowing Government to have absolute control in your life, and don’t let it manipulate you. Thoreau wrote Civil Disobedience while being imprisoned for something he viewed as incorrect. Whilst in prison, he unloaded his resentment to the government into this story. He encourages everyone to have their own sets of views, and regardless of what the Government says is true or not, stick to your personal views. In a quote from Civil Disobedience, Thoreau says, “Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect…”

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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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(389) Immediately, any American citizen is directly touched by this statement, and it gives a sense of truth and realization. Thoreau is aiming to challenge the status quo; the understanding that the government is responsible for any success of the country. For several people, he actually seemed to draw a sense of anger and resentment toward the government, which was exactly his goal. Emotional appeal is a major factor in making Civil Disobedience a timeless literary

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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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Thoreau puts it differently, he says that you need to do your own thing, don't do what other people are doing and fall into peer pressure. He says that if you don't like how the government is doing something, don't do it. Don't follow the rules, do what you want and believe. Many people think that these words are inspiring. Thoreau is very good at flowing his words together, to help you understand what he is trying to say.

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Acting civil, but disobedient, is a way to non-violently protest things you believe to be unfair. Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay called “Civil Disobedience” which has been used by many such as Martin Luther King Jr. to help fight injustice. King was a pastor and renowned speaker who headed the Civil Rights movement. Dr. King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was based on concepts he read in Thoreau's “Civil Disobedience”. While both writers discuss ways to be civil yet disobedient, they convince the readers in opposite ways.

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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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Throughout history, occasions arise in which a subjugated people disobey the authority of their government. Many of the individuals participating in these acts of disobedience cite a contradiction of beliefs as their primary motive for rebelling. In the article, “Politics drawn from the very words of scripture”, by Jacques-Benigne Bossuet and the article, “Civil Disobedience”, by Henry Thoreau, the authors both provide varying opinions on rebelling against authoritative figures. Bossuet argued that monarchs received their authority directly from God. This view required all subjugated people to obey their king without argument.

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Because the rich are normally those who have power, his stance on that particular matter put him in a dangerous position. Thoreau had great influence on future leaders.

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2. Thoreau refers to civil disobedience not merely as a right but as a duty to emphasize the need for individual to have the capability to defend their honest thoughts. As it states, “I think we should be men first, and subjects afterwards” (Thoreau 941). Thoreau wishes for the individuals in society to be able to preach their truth, even if it means to display non-conformity to the government expressing unjust laws. 4.

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Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” speaks to many political issues and how to handle them. He felt the government was corrupt for their continual use of slavery and that one “cannot without disgrace be associated with it” (150). On the point of the government enforcing laws, Thoreau calls for men to do nothing. By nothing, he means to not give the government power over them which would effectively be “peaceable revolution” (154). Americans complain about the way the government is run, yet they do nothing while allowing the government to do as they please.

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Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience took the first thought of introspective philosophy and place it without hesitation. His common demonstrations of disobedience were progressive as he supported a type of dissent that did not fuse roughness or apprehension. Thoreau's starting activities including the dissent of numerous administrative issues, including servitude, landed him in prison as he declined to pay charges or to flee. Unexpectedly, more than one hundred years after the fact, the same issue of equivalent rights was shredding the United States. Yet African Americans, similar to

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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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