The essay Civil Disobedience, written by Henry David Thoreau has much to do with Thoreau’s own experiences than a general perception of people as a whole. Thoreau, a stellar student from Harvard believed one key idea: change begins with the individual. With this belief Thoreau in 1846 spoke out against the Mexican American War and slavery. His response resulted in the deliberate obliviousness to his taxes. In July of 1846 Thoreau was arrested for not paying his taxes and spent a night in Jail. During this time Thoreau wrote about the laws enforced by the government must be based on conscience rather than majority appeal.…
In "Civil Disobediance", by Thoreau, Thoreau claims that there should be improvement from the government, and that people should fight for it. Thoreau uses paradox, and similes to convince his readers that they should take the initiative to speak up.…
"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices." - Henry David Thoreau, Walden, or Life In The Woods…
Thomas Jefferson, the third president and author of the declaration of independence, once exclaimed, “If a law is unjust a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” Jefferson declares that at any cost if one finds a law wrong than it is his duty to stand against it for the common good. He implies that people should never stand idly by or blindly follow a law that is immoral only because it is the easiest way. Knowing when a protest against government is needed was also what the writers Martin Luther King, Henry David Thoreau, and Arthur Miller wanted to instruct to their readers. King was a significant activist and leader of the civil rights movement who was the cause of many amendments and progress for the rights of African Americans. His A Letter From…
King was influenced by the works of Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. He studied his work while at Morehouse, and was impressed with his concept of civil disobedience (McElrath & Andrews, 2007). King was intrigued by the possibilities of Thoreau’s method. Thoreau stated that it was better to “break the law than to participate in the injustice toward another person” (McElrath & Andrews, 2007).…
In his essay “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau criticizes men who claim to oppose the Mexican-American war and refuse to fight, but “directly by their allegiance, and so indirectly by their money, furnished a substitute.” This statement demonstrates his belief that the government obtains its power through taxes, which are used to fund an unjust war. In the same way the withdrawal of vital institutions can devastate ISIS, the refusal to pay taxes would immobilize the government’s push for war because there would be no money to pay for…
Thoreau has had a large impact on American culture and society since he was alive, his writings and beliefs are very indicative of the way many people feel about the government today. He was very cynical towards the government and the belief that the government should not have more power than necessary. Thoreau believed that people should be able to make their own decisions and take ahold of their beliefs in order to live their lives unrestricted. This has come to be the thought of many Americans today, many believe that the government should have limited power and not be allowed to make decisions for its citizens. One of Thoreau’s main issues is the Mexican-American War, is he…
Disobedience in the human history began with an act of disobedience, Failure or refusal to obey rules or in authorities and religious faiths. Is this, however, a bad thing? Erich Fromm would argue the capacity for disobedience the condition for freedom. In Erich Fromm’s “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” Mr. Fromm described, People must want obey, instead fearing to disobey.…
After the American invasion of Mexico 25,000 people died, lives were overwhelmingly changed, and New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and western Colorado were taken away from Mexico. Half of what used to be Mexico's land is now America's most valuable land. However the process of getting it was completely inappropriate and beyond unjust. The disrespectful actions taken by American settlers once they moved to Mexico, The beliefs of manifest destiny and feeling of superiority, and pure motivation to expand slavery are all reasons that America had no right in declaring war. Nevertheless, the clash between the two countries was wrong in itself.…
A wise activist once said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest” (Wiesel). Elie Wiesel, in the time of great oppression through the Holocaust, understood that if society does not speak out against indifferences, no change will even spark. He was known and respected for being an activist and speaking vivid hard truth about rough places in our culture. Protest literature has the ability to take on the outlook of Wiesel by persevering through trial and crossing boundaries in culture where otherwise boundaries can not be crossed. Protest literature is meant to challenge, promote, argue, reflect, illuminate, and convey reality.…
In 1968, close to 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed by an assassin's bullet. He had given us a decade of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience during the civil rights movement of the 1950’s. While the idea of nonviolent protest was still relatively new, MLK hadn’t invented it; he had been one of a few who pioneered the idea and made it popular. The theory of civil disobedience can be traced back to an essay by Henry David Thoreau by the same name. This theory was adopted and popularized by Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and eventually, Martin Luther King, Jr.. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau said that if a law “requires you to be the agent of injustice to another,” you should break that law, rather than be unjust to another person.…
Erich Fromm’s essay “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” suggests that humankind’s evolution has, and continues to rely on man’s capability to exercise disobedience. While discussing the positions of disobedience being considered a vice, and obedience being a virtue, Fromm reflects upon the history of Adam and Eve believing that “eating the forbidden fruit” was man’s first act of disobedience. This is the point that broke the bond between man and nature requiring man to be dependant upon his own powers, while rewarding him with his “complete” humanity, freedom, and independence. Another example Fromm discusses is the Greek myth of Prometheus’ defiance of the gods. Prometheus proclaimed that he “would rather be chained to this rock than be the obedient servant of the gods.” These are just a couple acts of defiance throughout the course history that have contributed to man’s evolution. Through acts of disobedience, man has continued to evolve spiritually, as well as intellectually.…
Entry V. “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” by Henry David Thoreau. Genre: Classic Essay…
The great author Henry David Thoreau once wrote, "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." Thoreau's quote is trying to express that in life we sometimes try so hard to accomplish things and gain status that we tend to forget what we are really after is happiness. People often believe that certain things will bring them happiness such as money, jobs, and material possessions. However, after they acquire these things instead of feeling contentment they feel a sense of emptiness.…
My favorite quote from the first couple of paragraphs was,“ I think we should be men first, and subjects after.” I believe Thoreau’s thinking behind this quote was men were treated as government’s projects, instead of being themselves. From this quote the reader is able to see how men had no freedom and were treated like slaves of the government. They were forced to do things the government wanted them to do, instead of doing things they liked to do. Thoreau also shows that the government put themselves before any citizens, to get things accomplished. If that meant reduce the freedom of the citizens, they shall do so. The reason this is my favorite quote is because it relates to us today, only in the school system. Teachers and advisers force us to do many things instead of us having the right to go our own way. I believe this quote is a nexus to the students because we are kids first and students after. We have the freedom to do things outside of school, and everything does not have to be based on school. This quote shows that the people, and especially the students, have the right to say no and do things on their own. I believe that the men who became subjects of the government, felt just like us students do today, trapped, harassed, and useless. This quote represents how it is incumbent for students to stand up and do things for themselves, instead of being forced to do things by teachers. Thoreau uses this quote to show how the government was corrupting society and taking over the lives of many free citizens.…