Thoreau's Speech
Martin Luther King Jr. was a very influential man, but who influenced him? A man named Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, a philosopher, essayist, and naturalist, gave a speech in the 1840’s. This speech was very influential on King and many other activists during the civil rights movement. On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience was the name of Thoreau’s speech, or lecture, in which he spoke to people to tell them to rebel against any corrupt government. His main point was that if a government was corrupt do not be submissive go with what you believe in and rebel. So during King’s jail sentence in Birmingham he wrote a letter replying to a group of clergymen. In this letter he uses some points from Thoreau. His main purpose is to get his reader to understand …show more content…
Thoreau used was analogies. These analogies helped him to create pictures in his audience's brains. One analogy he uses is "If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go..."(Civil 18) There are a few analogies in this sentence alone. One is the government being called a machine. In which the other analogy "the friction necessary" must create problems to get that government to change the way it does things. He uses this analogy to give his audience, those who are listening to his lecture, another way to think about the government other than straight forward thinking. Another example of an analogy is when Thoreau says “ I perceive that, when an acorn and a chestnut fall side by side, the one does not remain inert to make way for the other, but both obey their own laws, and spring and grow and flourish as best they can, till one, perchance, overshadows and destroys the other. If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.”(Civil 26) In this analogy the chestnut and acorn are analogies for humans. what he is trying to portrait with this analogy is that if one race rules another then that race that is being overshadowed will die off. This again creates another view for the audience of the time and it leaves them thinking about what that analogy meant. This is an effective way of keeping the readers into his
Comparing Government In Civil Disobedience And The Grapes Of Wrath
1112 Words | 5 PagesIn contrast, Thoreau begins his essay by criticizing the government system, and he believed that government is ineffective because of the stringent and barbarous laws. And he indicates his point when
Similarities Between Williams And Thoreau
1308 Words | 6 PagesBy referring to it as a machine, he may be stating that the government may only work in one way or work in whatever way the creator of the machine see’s that it should work. He could also feel that eventually, the government will break down due to being worn out, much like most machines. Evidence for this is when he states: “If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth, – Certainly the machine will wear out.” Thoreau means that if the government needs injustice and unjust laws, then break all of the laws. That way, if everyone in the country breaks all of the rules, the government will eventually break down.
Ethos In The Works Of Thoreau And The King
486 Words | 2 PagesThoreau starts his essay by condemning his fellow countrymen’s actions, or rather, inaction. They and Thoreau share similar moral beliefs, but they refuse to take any action towards them. “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or
Thoreau And Martin Luther King Comparison
678 Words | 3 PagesCivil Disobedience In the dictionary civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest, but Thoreau and Martin Luther King have their own beliefs to civil disobedience. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” he writes about the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. Martin Luther King uses civil disobedience as something that effectuates change in the government. Both Thoreau and Martin Luther King has similar yet different perspectives on civil disobedience.
Thoreau Makes A Distasteful Aspects Of Government
137 Words | 1 PagesThoreau distinguishes that there will always be certain characteristics about a government that are distasteful to individuals within that government—Taxes placed on certain merchandises, for example. These little frustrations he terms the “friction” that always supplements a machine as large as a national government. But there is a key difference between a machine that produces a small amount of friction in its efforts to be productive and a machine that becomes passive to the friction it produces. When the negative and harmful aspects of a government become more predominant than the useful aspects of a government, Thoreau says, “It is a great evil to make a stir about it. But when the friction comes to have its machine, and oppression and
Thoreau's Rhetorical Devices In 'Civil Disobedience'
269 Words | 2 PagesIn the passage from "Civil Disobedience," the author, Thoreau, utilizes rhetorical devices to support his theme. Such devices include tone and diction. The theme expressed in the text is that the government is in need of change and acceptance, not a replacement. The author conveys a serious and professional tone throughout the passage. This helps add more to the seriousness of the subject and theme created which is the government needs change and acceptance, not a replacement.
Rhetorical Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau
1921 Words | 8 PagesThoreau adds crucial detail to his essay and creates validity through the application of figurative language. Thoreau appeals to metaphors and allusion to inform his readers that the Government does not always do the unrivaled thing for its people; Thoreau uses metaphors in his essay to show his readers what the Government is like, and to help them make a connection to its true intentions. Thoreau lambasts the Government as, “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies”. In other words, the Government views these men as serving them like a puppet. They can manipulate them to serve them however they wish.
A Rhetorical Analysis Of Civil Disobedience By Thoreau
422 Words | 2 PagesThroughout 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
Rhetorical Techniques in Henry David Thoreau's 'Civil Disobedience'
1273 Words | 6 PagesHe does so specifically with examples that resonate with the audience. For instance, as he attempts to persuade listeners to consider revolting against the government, he uses a real-life example: All men recognize... the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable. But almost all say that such is not the case now. But such was the case, they think, in the Revolution Of '75... when a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole
Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau's Resistance To Civil Government
2124 Words | 9 PagesThoreau 's views on the government by comparing the government to a machine. He states, ”When the machine was producing injustice, it was the duty of conscientious citizens to be ‘a counter friction’ (i.e., a resistance) "to stop the machine.” The two major issues being debated in the United States during his life was slavery and the Mexican-American War in which were major reasons he wrote his essays. In the mid to late 1840’s slavery has been indoctrinated into American society in which caused rifts between Americans.
Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience
1371 Words | 6 PagesIndividuals lay the foundation of America. The Founding Fathers of this unique nation broke their allegiance with Great Britain to create an improved governing body. They desired an individual-centered authority as opposed to Britain’s monarchy, which ruled with tyranny. These Founding Fathers experienced a neglectful democratic monarchy that cared little about the ethical treatment of its people. The domineering actions of Britain challenged these historic individuals to form a new cultural identity.
How Did Martin Luther King Change The World
714 Words | 3 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. How can one person change the world? Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and leader . He completely changed the way people look at and treat others. Because of King civil right have changed forever and African Americans are now treated the same as anybody else.
Martin Luther King Thesis Statement
916 Words | 4 PagesThe Man with a Dream Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” He was one of America’s most influential civil rights leaders to ever exist. He was very passionate about his progression of nonviolent protesting and raised plenty awareness towards the media of racial inequalities eventually working towards a significant change that would change the world forever. Martin Luther King Jr. positively affected the world by becoming the leader of the civil rights movement and bringing racial acceptance to the U.S. through nonviolent protest. King was very inspired by India’s revolutionary civil rights leader, Gandhi.
Self-Reliance And Thoreau's Prison Comparison
1365 Words | 6 PagesThoreau explains that the state and societies prison “never intentionally confronts a man’s sense, intellectual or moral, but only his body, his senses. It is not armed with superior wit or honesty, but with superior physical strength” and furthermore that he “was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion” (1990). Therefore, Resistance to Civil Government is validating that prison is confinement and conformity, however, Thoreau will not be conforming to any such conformist state and neither should the reader. Thoreau finally reinforces that he is “not responsible for the successful working of the machinery of society” and that “if a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so man” (1990), Thoreau is explicating that society needs to be responsible for its self and become self-reliant, just as an individual should be, because it is the nature of the world and society and if it cannot live as such then it will not continue
Aphorism In Henry David Thoreau's Life
412 Words | 2 Pages“Nobody buys a drill because they want a drill, they buy one because they want a hole. ” It is not always what you want, but what you ultimately need that drives our desires. Thoreau says it in this way, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” For the commercial fisherman, it is a living he is after.
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