Civil Disobedience by Thoreau
In Thoreau's essay, "Civil Disobedience", he exhorts the need to prioritize social consciousness over the unquestioning allegiance to government policy. In essence, "Civil Disobedience" could arguably be touted as the quintessential rallying cry for the pioneers of a new social conscious movement. Thoreau's essay argues that a government proves itself of little value if it obtains its power to govern from the majority of the masses solely on the basis that they are the strongest group. He contends that a citizen's first obligation is to cling to his or her own belief of what is right and not blindly follow the law dictated by the majority. In addition, Thoreau also believes that when a government is unjust, people should detachment themselves from its control and make it their civic-minded duty to avoid membership in any such unjust institution. Thoreau further laments that United States clearly fits his criteria for an unjust government, given its support of slavery and its practice of military aggression. Thoreau continues his essay by revealing his skepticism on whether governmental reform by itself has any chance of making a difference and argues that voting and petitioning for change rarely achie
Thoreau seems to adopt an almost quizzical tone when he openly ponders how government can treat the most law-abiding citizen like a common criminal. A critical look at Thoreau's, Civil Disobedience initially reveals the authors effective mixture of poetry and social commentary. This style greatly lends itself to the popular writing style of that time. According to Thoreau, protest in the form of separation as opposed to reformation is preferred as the only means of securing social and political change. In truth, Thoreau's appeal is for the implementation of a better government as evident in the beginning of the essay, where he writes, "But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those that consider themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. It is because of his utter hatred for slavery, that Thoreau declares he disassociation with the American government and appeals to the right of revolution. Thoreau approaches this through his recollection of an encounter with a local tax collector who is well acquainted with Thoreau's good standing in the community, yet treats his like a degenerate anyway. Aside from style and tone, further analysis of the essay reveals the main purpose of the essay. Though Thoreau addresses several different topics in "Civil Disobedience" it is strikingly obvious the main purpose of the essay is to serve as a political platform to which he can express his disdain for the institution of slavery. Thoreau later provides rationale for his displeasure with the current government by proclaiming that governments become corrupt and lack the integrity of individual men when he writes, " This American government ---- what is it but tradition, a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity but each instant losing some of it's integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. ves the desired goal of its participants. Thoreau's writing displays a tone of contempt that can easily be misunderstood as an avocation for complete anarchy, but closer scrutiny of this work reveals an author whose desire is for anything but an abolishment of government. He continues his criticism of not only the southern slave owners but also the northern merchants and farmers who seem to care more about making a profit than about serving humanity.
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