Henry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience - 1013 Words

In Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Thoreau makes the claim that the best form of government is a government that doesn’t govern at all. Thoreau’s paper pushes for the people to begin following the will of their conscience rather than blindly and foolishly follow the unjust idea of â€Å"majority rule†. Throughout the paper Thoreau makes a point of stating that â€Å"majority rule† is simply the will of the upper-class being forced into action over the rights and wills of the poorer minority. This paper openly criticizes and condemns many institutions and policies of the American National government. Because Thoreau wrote this paper during the Mexican-American War he uses in it, in addition to slavery, to reinforce his statement of all political decisions merely being the wills of the strongest citizens put into action. For the purpose of this assignment the paper has been divided into three significant parts, Thoreau did not have these divisions. In the third part of Thoreau’s paper he begins writing about his own acts of â€Å"civil disobedience†. He moves from his discussion of his night in jail, talked about in the second part, to his various reasons for accepting or refusing to pay certain taxes. From here Thoreau continues to state that he is not sure how long he can maintain his resolve to deny the government, stating that he is in constant search of a reason to follow its laws. Thoreau then explains that the reason he did not follow the conventional paths of reform isShow MoreRelatedHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1124 Words   |  5 Pageseveryone s rights safe, our government is a democracy since we were once under a tyrannical government, and it keeps order. Three famous writers known as Henry David Thoreau with Civil Disobedience, Niccolo Machiavelli with The Qualities of a Prince, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau with The Origin of Civil Society wrote about a civilized socie ty versus a tyrannical government. Sometimes their views agreed with mine and other times they did not. Henry David Thoreau s writing, Civil Disobedience, he explainsRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1123 Words   |  5 Pagessociety, people have always done what they felt to be right. In Henry David Thoreau â€Å"Civil Disobedience†Ã¢â‚¬ ¯he stated â€Å"The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think right.† Although doing what you believe to be right may feel right, it’s not always the best decision in all situations. There are many situations where doing what you feel to be right can benefit you, but can affect others negatively. Thoreau believed that following the law, created by most of the peopleRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience933 Words   |  4 PagesIn Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, he is writing to the American people. He is trying to spark a desire for change, for people to oppose their government without actions. He uses this work to criticize the American institut ion of slavery as well as the Mexican-American War. Thoreau is attempting to convey the importance of listening to one’s conscience over the laws, believing that it is more important to do what they feel is right rather than listen to the laws given by the majority. ThoreauRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1822 Words   |  8 PagesHenry David Thoreau, an American essayist, philosopher, and historian around the 1800s, composed â€Å"Civil Disobedience† to uncover the rapid downfall of the American Government. Thoreau highlights â€Å"That Government does best when it does not govern at all†; and when the men are most ready for It, that will be the type of Government they will have, a Government-free one (Thoreau 1). Thoreau expresses his bravery in his writing to bear his nationalistic attitude, showing his hostility towards the AmericanRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience904 Words   |  4 PagesThe two pieces of literature, Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and Harlan Ellison’s â€Å"’Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman†, are two very distinct pieces of literature, but they are also very closely related. The quote is related to the short story because the concept of the quote is exemplified by the story. The machines are the people who conform, the leaders of the state by their heads are the Ticktockman and his staff, and the hero and enemy is Everett C. Marm, who is also knownRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience945 Words   |  4 PagesThoreau’s Civil Disobedience expresses the need to prioritize thoughts and views over the dictates of laws. It attacks the American social policies and government as a slavery and Mexican – American War. Henry David Thoreau’s consistently argued that government rarely proves they’re for the people and obtains its power from the majority because organization, however criticizes the legitimacy of governments viewpoints. Thoreau thoughts were people’s first option is to do what they believe is rightRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience And Machiavelli1360 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States, a democratic society, allows all their citizens to vote. However, despite a system which enables the citizen to be independent, ironically it may sometimes encourage conformity. Both Henry David Thoreau, famous for his discussions on a subject that is a title of his essay Civil Disobedience and Machiavelli, author of The Qualities of the Prince, notice a pattern of conformity in society. When a major voting decision is not supported by a majority, people will often wait rather than advertiseRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience And Ralph Waldo Emerson s Self Reliance2846 Words   |  12 Pagesto come. In fact, the transcendentalist movement is still alive in the modern day: as seen in our societies focus on individualism, nature and sensibility. This paper will discuss the ideas of transcendentalism through the work of Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance by comparing both works finding similarities and differences between them. To truly understand the most important members of the transcendentalist movement, it is first important to understandRead MoreHenry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.s Use of Civil Disobedience562 Words   |  2 Pagesof civil disobedience is the â€Å"refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government.† Men such as Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. have all used forms of civil disobedience and nonviolent protest to make changes in the world. These changes have made huge impacts on our societies and how we are able to live our everyday lives. Without these three men and their practice of civil disobedienceRead More Henry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesHenry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer, philosopher, and naturalist of the 1800’s who’s writings have influenced many famous leaders in the 20th century, as well as in his own lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817, where he was later educated at Harvard University. Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer, which means that he believed that intuition and the individual conscience â€Å"transcend† experience