ipl-logo

Discuss The Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Martin Luther King

1010 Words5 Pages

2. Thoreau refers to civil disobedience as not simply a right, but as a duty merely because individuals are responsible for the actions taken by the government. The government is only what the people let it be, and it can be corrupted and abused if men allow it be. He believes men have “the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.” (942). Thoreau alleges people have the right to oppose an oppressive government, it is their duty to rebel against it. If a government does not serve its purpose of protection and fair treatment, the duty of its citizens would be to overrun it. An individual 's liberty is conveyed through its government, by allowing a tyranny, men are giving up their right to think and act for themselves. He declares that if the government mandates the people to follow unfair laws. the people should break those laws. 4. Thoreau …show more content…

11. Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” have very similar structures and purposes. These two pieces of work were written during a period in time where there was great concern for social injustice. Both items were written either in jail, or during a short stay there. The purpose of the authors was to pursuade the reader into supporting civil disobedience and to improve the world around them. However, King does not only argue for taking action against civil injustice, but also to defend his name and organization. King’s purpose for his letter includes a justifiction for being Birmingham “because injustice is here” (292). Martin Luther King Jr. claims he was called to Birminham because of their social repression, and their need for help. Nevertheless, both authors appeal large audieces with their articles. Although King and Thoreau convey their message towards large audiences, Thoreau aims to appeal and refer mostly to the U.S and its citizens while King is concerned about the world as a

Show More
Related

Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

244 Words | 1 Pages

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

Read More

Similarities Between Grapes Of Wrath And Civil Disobedience

739 Words | 3 Pages

The issue of how government should function has long been debated over the years. Both The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau discuss this issue. Steinbeck comments on the birth of civilization from physical needs to government issues in chapter seventeen of The Grapes of Wrath and Thoreau examines the function of government in “Civil Disobedience.” Their views on government clash in some aspects and agree in others. Steinbeck and Thoreau hold contrasting beliefs about individual conscience but agree on how a government should be operated and on the type of people needed in government.

Read More

Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

676 Words | 3 Pages

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau are two influential essays that advocate civil disobedience as a way to address social injustices. Despite being written in different historical contexts, both essays share common themes of nonviolent resistance and the pursuit of justice. This essay aims to compare and contrast the two essays, examining their historical contexts, purposes, persuasive techniques, approaches to civil disobedience, and impact on the discourse of social change. "Civil Disobedience" was written in 1849 during a time when Thoreau opposed slavery and the Mexican-American War. His essay focuses on individual resistance to an unjust government.

Read More

Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

1587 Words | 7 Pages

King is respectful toward the government due to his professional background, unlike Thoreau who is frustrated and extremely critical toward the government. Since King is a highly educated minister he chooses to address his concern toward segregation in a sophisticated matter. King directly addresses his letter to the clergymen due to his concerns, on the other hand Thoreau addresses all U.S citizens who want social justice. Even though King also wants justice he still defends his organization which is the Southern Christian leadership Conference. King is serene and stays true to his position by being respectful toward the issue of the social injustice he is living.

Read More

Similarities Between Thoreau And Martin Luther King

648 Words | 3 Pages

Thoreau and King both show that civil disobedience is necessary in society, which conveys the similarities and differences found in these two essays through their need for equality through obliterating the use of majority rule and a reformation in government representation.

Read More

Identity In Letter From Birmingham Jail

251 Words | 2 Pages

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King defends the protestors’ thirst for justice by demonstrating the unjust society they live in. Over fifty years after the letter was written, it is still read today. Often times it gives people a sense of identity. However this letter gives me more than an identity. This letter gives me reason and motivation to always fight for a just society.

Read More

Civil Disobedience: Documents Of Freedom

800 Words | 4 Pages

The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” This is and was an example to the people of America because this shows us that we need to choose what is right. This all relates correspondingly to civil disobedience, because these people spoke out to stand up for what is morally right and to make a point to America, and that it was their obligation to put America’s best interests first. Thoreau wanted to make a powerful statement and stand-up for what he believed was deserved, he believed paying the poll tax was wrong and he wouldn’t do it because he did not believe in it. The King Center Archive said that he believed citizens “ought deliberately to break laws that conflict with their moral

Read More

Compare And Contrast Letter From Birmingham Jail And Civil Disobedience

895 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Thoreau And Thomas Jefferson

897 Words | 4 Pages

He objected the injustices of war and slavery, and practiced civil disobedience in his daily life. In the time of Thoreau writing Civil Disobedience, many people believed revolution against the government had not been necessary since the time of the American Revolution. However, Thoreau believes that resisting an abusive government is especially important at this point in time considering that, "a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law." According to Thoreau, it is the duty of American citizens to promptly revolutionize against slavery and the Mexican-American War, which have both been supported by the corrupted American

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Civil Disobedience By Thoreau

422 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

677 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr.’s primary purpose in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is to justify his presence and involvement in the peaceful protests taking place in Birmingham as well as to condemn the world of unjust segregation and racism. By employing logos continuously in his writing, King develops and contributes to his position in support of peaceful protests and direct action programs that are meant to bring to African Americans the “unalienable rights” that they are being denied. He writes the letter in 1936 from his prison cell in Birmingham jail, replying to a public letter written by several clergymen. His well-thought written logic appeals to the intended audience but also indirectly addresses the divided nation.

Read More

The Difference Between On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail

932 Words | 4 Pages

In Henry Thoreau's “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail'' they were both written for a purpose. In the writing of these, there were many similarities in the reason they were written, one is that they both share their opinions on social injustice and civil disobedience. The purpose of writing had some differences from each other.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Civil Disobedience

673 Words | 3 Pages

The individual's relationship to the state is a concept often entertained abstractly; at variance with this is Civil Disobedience, which analyzes Thoreau's first direct experience with state power in his brief 1846 imprisonment. Thoreau metaphorically detailed his search for virtue in the quote, "The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly." (Thoreau 8) In Civil Disobedience Thoreau as earnest seeker and flawed captive of the conscience concertedly attempts to correct this shortcoming within the context of slavery and the Mexican-American War.

Read More

Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau's Resistance To Civil Government

2124 Words | 9 Pages

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.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Civil Disobedience

1845 Words | 8 Pages

Civil Disobedience Compare and Contrast Henry Thoreau and Martin Luther King both wrote persuasive discussions that oppose many ideals and make a justification of their cause, being both central to their argument. While the similarity is obvious, the two essays, Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. do have some similarities. King tries persuading white, southern clergymen that segregation is an evil, unfair law that ought to defeat by use of agitation of direct protesting. Thoreau, on the other hand, writes to a broader, non-addressed audience, and focuses more on the state itself. He further accepts it at its current state, in regard to the battle with Mexico and the institution of slavery.

Read More

More about Discuss The Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Martin Luther King

Open Document