Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Devices

These lines are from Thoreau’s essay, Civil Disobedience. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau speaks out in a personal voice, where he exemplifies the Transcendentalist movement and philosophy he follows. The tone of these lines are portrayed by the use of the language, which indirectly describes that he feels negatively toward the State “forcing” people to live their life in in accordance to the set regulations of the State. In these particular lines, he demonstrates his opinion on how he will not be forced by the State to conform to society, and suggests that people should not live a forced life. He writes “They force me to become like themselves”, which directly shows how the State is pressuring Thoreau to abide their laws and rules. Abiding