Comparing Henry David Thoreau's Resistance To Civil Government

Thoreau and M.L.K Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, published in 1849, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, published in 1963, have profound similarities while still having underlying differences. The one of the most distinct similarities in “Civil Disobedience” and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is the choice of action both authors decide to use, nonviolent measures, and who they are protesting against, which is government and its actions. On the same note, both essays express the dissatisfaction in the average white citizen’s acceptance for the status quo on slavery and then segregation. For example, both essays have a strikingly similar sentence; King states, “I had hoped that the white moderate

Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher and political activist who wrote “Civil Disobedience”, an essay regarding his thoughts on the government and its laws. Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist and leader of the civil rights movement who wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, a letter explaining his non-violent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. Both Thoreau and King express civil disobedience and believe that the government is based on unjust laws. So, what would they think of Peter Kreeft’s speech, “Ten Lies of Contemporary Culture”? Kreeft’s address describes how, for the last few generations, commencement speakers have discussed ten “comfortable” lies they believe we need.

Civil Disobedience between King and Thoreau Martin Luther King, Jr. and Henry David Thoreau were two different people living in different periods, but both their impacts changed history. Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. are very similar, but very different people. King has lived with unfair laws and has protested against them along with Thoreau protesting taxes. Despite those similarities, King thinks citizens can find peace by fighting for their beliefs, but Thoreau finds his peace through God and nature. King and Thoreau have greatly impacted today’s society regardless of their similarities and differences.

King's letter addresses the specific struggles of African Americans in the United States and aims to defend the strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience. Thoreau's purpose in "Civil Disobedience" was to protest against unjust government actions. He advocated for minimal government interference and emphasized the importance of individual choice. King's purpose in "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" was to defend the use of nonviolent civil disobedience in the fight for civil rights and to persuade both fellow clergymen and the general public that the Civil Rights Movement was a just and necessary cause. Thoreau and King utilize different persuasive techniques to engage the readers in their essays.

Emotional and ethical appeals were used by Thoreau more, and King used mostly logical appeals. This is shown when Thoreau wrote "I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward" and also when he expressed "the only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right." On the other hand, King showed his logical writing when he stated that Birmingham was known for its brutality towards African Americans, that they were treated unfairly in the Birmingham courts and that Birmingham had more unsolved bombings of African American homes and churches than any other city. King and Thoreau also stated that, as King put it, "privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. " Their readers needed to protest things that they felt were unjust and immoral.

Delene Daye History 20 Walden and Civil Disobedience In the novel Walden, written by Henry Thoreau, a transcendentalist and writer, Thoreau has decided to embark on a new adventure, and find the true ways of life of humans. In this novel, he decides that he wants to “abandon” civilization in order to live deliberately.

King says, “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscious tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscious of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for the law” (256). He is saying if people break a law for a just cause and facing and accepting its consequence, then that person is being respectful and responsible. King and Thoreau both highly respected laws because they have experienced them and know what they are capable of. Furthermore, Thoreau and King believed that there was good and bad in the government. They never said that all government systems are terrible and corrupt.

From unjust laws to peaceful acts Martin Luther King Jr. exhibits the same belief system that Gandhi and Thoreau did

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essay, “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and Henry David Thoreau essay “Civil Disobedience,” both share their opinions on social injustice and civil disobedience. They both believe that people can protest unfair and unjust laws imposed on them in a civil way. In addition, King and Thoreau are challenging the government with their essays, which they wrote after they got sent to jail. For protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, King spent eleven days in jail; Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his poll tax. Both King and Thoreau’s essays present similar plans for a resolution.

People could portray anything in different ways. Thoreau and King both have differences in portraying civil disobedience. In Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” he begins writing about how the government rarely shows how powerful it is and instead acquires power from the people. King used civil disobedience as a means of effectuating government change and used his courage to protest against discrimination through the act of civil disobedience.

Martin Luther King and Transcendentalism Martin Luther King Jr. could be considered one of the more important historical figures in our county’s history. He was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement which took place during the 1950s and 1960s. His “I Have a Dream” speech spurred the end of segregation in our country and the beginning of equality between blacks and whites. Along with being a leader, he was also a Baptist minister, as well as a husband and a father to two sons and two daughters.

The main similarity in the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Henry David Thoreau is the idea of revolution against an abusive government. The main difference is the context in which each document was written, the Declaration of Independence as the colonies were rebelling against Great Britain and forming their own government, and Civil Disobedience as criticisms of the government developed within nearly seventy-five years after the signing of the Declaration. Both Jefferson and Thoreau share ideas of revolution, although overthrowing the government is seen in many cases as illegal. Both documents share a common theme of revolution, and both authors believe the best way to move toward a better government is civil disobedience. Jefferson and Thoreau believe that whether it is the struggle for independence or being freed from injustices of the government, civil disobedience and revolution are necessary in order to live in a society based on freedom.

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

Near the beginning of his renowned essay, "Civil Disobedience," Henry David Thoreau appeals to his fellow citizens when he says, "...I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. " This request serves as a starting point from which the rest of "Civil Disobedience" emerges. Thoreau 's essay is particularly compelling because of its incorporation of rhetorical strategies, including the use of logos, ethos, pathos, purposive discourse, rhetorical competence and identification. I will demonstrate how each of these rhetorical techniques benefit Thoreau 's persuasive argument. Thoreau uses logos throughout his essay to strengthen his argument with reasoning.

Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience) is a dissertation written by American abolitionist, author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau published by Elizabeth Peabody in the Aesthetic Papers in 1849. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was born and lived almost his life in Concord, Massachusetts. After finishing public and private school in Concord he attended the prestige Harvard University. He excelled at Harvard despite leaving school for several months due to health and financial setbacks. Mr. Thoreau graduated in the top half of his class in 1837.