Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Analysis

Civil Disobedience is an insightful peaceful and in many cases more effective than simple violence at addressing ills in society. If one wishes to partake in civil disobedience they must follow three rules or steps, one they must identify an ill in society usually involving governmental oppression. second they need to break said laws or or rules they see ill. And thirdly and possibly most important they must accept all punishment without retaliation or resistance. Another major factor in civil disobedience is the ability for one to gain followers who believe in and will sacrifice themselves for the cause. The tools people use to convince other to follow or believe them are called the tools of rhetoric. Rhetoric users convince other by using
logic, credibility, and emotion. In modern society civil disobedience would be extremely effective and practical. Its implications would be greatly enhanced by the internet and more specifically social media. It has never been this easy to share an idea to the entire world. In Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau Who is considered the father of transcendentalism.
transcendentalism is the idea of an a universal I that resides in all of us, It allows us to “know the good” and is seen even as god or the all sol. In Thoreau’s essay on Civil disobedience he outlines a very negative view on governments And his own the united states. He states that they do more harm than good. He also says that instead of merely abiding by an unjust law we should break it. Could you imagine if Thoreau could have posted his essay on multiple sites to educate people on large scale. People would read his essay and they would start to think and realize that civil disobedience is effective and totally necessary when something is wrong with society. Those same people would be much more likely to join a movement and thus make it more effective. “I was not designed to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest” Thoreau says this powerful quote directed towards his government. It shows that when you accept and breathe to your own fashion you are always
stronger. In A Letter From Birmingham Jail Written By Martin Luther King Jr. He explains while in jail to his town's clergy who tell him his non violent protest are causing riots and more violence. That he must continue protesting it is not a choice. The clergy also say that King should take his problems through the court system. To which he replies that they already have and that the courts are run by whites and would never favor a black movement. He then strikes the clergy on an emotional corde by setting up a hypothetical with their own kids. In this letter king uses the tools of rhetoric expertly making an unbreakable argument that was sure to make the clergy understand his motives. if more people could have been exposed to the tools of rhetoric possibly through the internet more people would be able to convince others the way King could. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” King uses this quote show how serious and important his movement is. Many people Mostly older folks nowadays see Cell phones the internet and more screen time a massive detriment to human communication.
And as a result believe that civil disobedience would be ineffective today because we are simply unable to convey our views and gain followers to our cause. When in fact the opposite is true Never in our history have been so able to seek information and share it. People are also still very social And would have no problem sharing a plan to peacefully protest. The internet opens so many doors to people who need gain followers. For example the terrorist group isis does most of its recruiting on social media. If someone were to create a group on social media to peacefully protest a law or ill in society and enough people caught on it would spread like wildfire. People all over the world would be able to join and make the movement more legitimate. Civil Disobedience would be practical and effective today because communication to huge amounts of people is extremely easy and accessible to
everyone.