Paper
Answer Thoreau’s question: “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Thoreau reminds us that the law has been created by the majority and to disobey would put him in the minority-a “wise minority.” Why should the wise minority have the right to disobey laws created by the majority? As we approach the end of the millennium, we must all ask ourselves, what lies in the future? Some people believe that the year 2000 will mark the beginning of world chaos. Others take the optimistic viewpoint, and believe that the world will know peace in the next century. In both of these beliefs, the government (or lack there of) plays an important role. The government plays a role in all of our lives. Most people would like to believe that it doesn’t, but still we pay our taxes and cast our votes. But what if people played a more active role in their government? What if we were all recognized as individual people, all worthy of equal representation? This issue has been addressed by many. However, there is one person who stands out. He addressed this issue so eloquently and thoroughly that it still intrigues people today. Henry David Thoreau uses his essay, “Civil Disobedience,” to express his opinions of the government, the governed and those who resist the government’s power. His essay seems directed to those who are already in favor of his viewpoints. Thoreau does not believe that the government is set up to impose laws and rules of society upon people, but rather, the government should help the individual to sustain his or her own beliefs. Thoreau argues that an individual’s conscience dictates what is right and wrong therefore, a government under majority rule cannot always succeed in being just. Thoreau uses slavery and the Mexican War as examples of how the majority will rule according to what will best benefit themselves. He goes on to explain his night in prison and all the things he learned and experienced that night. Thoreau uses that night as an example of why others should follow in his footsteps and resist the government. He does believe that people must use their moral conscience to guide them and do good for themselves and others. Thoreau ends his essay by explaining the purpose and importance of the individual. He believes that the government gets all its power from the individual therefore, the individual should be held in the highest regard. Thoreau involves his readers through his essay. He asks important questions that force the reader to stop and think for himself or herself. For example, Thoreau asks the question “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Thoreau also speaks of the wise minority and their right to disobey the majority’s laws. This concept is important in recognizing the importance of the individual. Both of the questions are important to Thoreau, and to his essay. “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” That is a very important and very personal question. I cannot answer that question for everyone, but only for myself. It is my opinion that people should attempt to change the laws, and obey them until the change has occurred. The government is far reaching, and change will not come easily. Even Thoreau knew that change would take time. ” I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government” (128). Thoreau knows that the process of change is long, he acknowledges that. However, he does not acknowledge the government power over people, especially when the laws are unjust. Thoreau brings up a significant point. A point that makes me question my own beliefs. ” but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say break the law,” (134) are the words that echo in my mind. These words conjure up images of slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the fugitive slave acts. All of these were the harsh reality of Thoreau. I cannot honestly say that I would rather return a person to slavery, then break the law. I believe the Thoreau brought up the issue of slavery for just this reason, to show how poignantly wrong the government can be. How can any person be expected to obey a government that eludes human rights in such a way? Thoreau has made his point. Now I am not sure what I believe. I know I should obey the law, but what if the laws set up by the government are wrong? Where should I look to then? As Thoreau said ” we should be men first and subjects afterwards”(128). I shall first answer to my conscience, before I answer to anything or anyone else.
According to Thoreau, by thinking for myself and allowing my conscience to guide me, I have become a part of the wise minority. I am now going against the majority rule and doing what I think is right. Why should the wise minority have the right to disobey the majority? As Thoreau has pointed out, the majority does not follow a conscience. It was the majority that allowed slavery. It is this wise minority, the people that speak out, that initiate change and make the nation stronger. If the government were left ” uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations”(146). If the majority is left alone, contented with itself, then no change will ever come about. This gives the minority the right to disobey. To better themselves and the nation, the minority must break the laws that question their morals. No person should have to ” resign his conscience to legislature”(128). Every person should think for himself or herself; everyone is capable of deciphering right from wrong. Thoreau believed in the individual. There is power in the individual person and the government should recognize it as ” a higher and independent power “(146). The questions of whether you should break unjust laws, and if the minority has the right to break the law are both important to Thoreau’s beliefs. Thoreau involves his readers by asking these questions. The questions force the reader to evaluate their own beliefs and question the role of government in their lives. Perhaps as we proceed into the next millennium, Thoreau’s hope of a government that recognizes the individual will become our reality. “A State which bore this kind of fruit and suffered it to drop off as fast as it ripened would prepare the way for a still more perfect and glorious State “(146).
Другие работы по теме:
Walden Essay Research Paper Manns 1Ken MannsMike
Walden Essay, Research Paper Manns 1 Ken Manns Mike Sanders English 10002 15 February 2001 “To Be Awake is to Be Alive” Why do so few Americans not see all of the problems in society? Do they simply not care or are they not able to see them? With Thoreau’s statement, “To be awake is to be alive”, he implies that Americans have their eyes closed to these issues.
Allusions And References In Walden To The
Greek God Antaeus Essay, Research Paper Like many great authors, both past and present, Henry David Thoreau uses literary techniques not limited to Greek mythological allusions. Throughout his masterpiece, Walden, mythological allusions are made from his ideas of life and his thoughts about his present state of the environment.
Our Lives Are Wasted By Detail Essay
, Research Paper OUR LIVES ARE WASTED AWAY BY DETAIL Thoreau believes that we fill our lives with to many details and luxuries. Thoreau tells us to only live with what we need to get through our lives, our lives would move more splendidly and flawlessly. Live your lives as simply as possible and you will be have much more satisfaction in life.
Walden By Thoreau And Nature By Emerson
Essay, Research Paper Transcendentalism is used frequently as main topics in the stories ?Nature? and Walden. These two themes are heavily concentrated on though these two
Henry David Thoreau Essay Research Paper It
Henry David Thoreau Essay, Research Paper It isn’t very often that a true renaissance man comes along. Thoreau was a true renaissance man. Thoreau was interested in many different things. He dabbled in the sciences; particularly botany and biology, as well as much more complex ideas such as philosophy and transcendentalism.
Henry David Thorea Essay Research Paper Henry
Henry David Thorea Essay, Research Paper Henry David Thoreau conducted an experiment, living simple, and peaceful in a small cabin that he built himself. The observations about nature, the importance of the individual, value of a simple life, and more relevant today, as environment abuses multiply, the pressure to consume increases, and the pace o life continues to speed up.
Thoreau Henry David Essay Research Paper Thoreau
Thoreau, Henry David Essay, Research Paper Thoreau, Henry David The battle was raging. The two races were pitted against each other in a fight to the death. The ground was already littered with the wounded and
Henry David Thoreau
’s Quest For Reformation Essay, Research Paper Henry David Thoreau’s Quest for Reformation While strolling through the forests near Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau stumbled across a man and his family. The father, John Field had moved to America from Ireland with his wife and his son in order to “improve [their] condition one day” (Walden, 139).
Henry David Thoreau The Conformist Vs
. The Individual Essay, Research Paper The Conformist, the Individual, and Henry David Thoreau In Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau describes how he
Henry Thoreau Essay Research Paper Henry David
Henry Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1817. He was born to parents that were very intelligent, yet poor and undistinguished. Despite their struggle with poverty, “their home was a center of affection and vivacity.” Thoreau was the third of four children and he showed an early love of nature and was the “scholar” of the family, going on to learn many languages.
Henry David Thoreau Essay Research Paper Born
Henry David Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Born David Henry Thoreau, Thoreau chose to legally change his name at the age of twenty, to make it the name that would later become the highly recognized and respected name of Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau chose a different path for his life than many other individuals during his time, he rejected the normal ideas of a democratic government and based his life on the ideas of transcendentalism.
Descriptive Essay About My Favorite Spot In
Nature Essay, Research Paper (I had to write this for english — my favorite spot in nature, and we had to include a quote from Thoreau’s “Walden Pond”. I got an A on this one, hope you get the same amount
Walden The Heaven Below Essay Research Paper
The Heaven Below Henry David Thoreau’s time spent at Walden Pond led him to a complex, manifold understanding of nature itself, as well as the nature of man. Thoreau’s time on Walden Pond, however, led him to an equally elaborate and intricate awareness of spiritual truths. As Thoreau writes in “The Pond in Winter” chapter of Walden, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads” (283).
Summary Of Walden Pond Essay Research Paper
For about the first half of the book Thoreau questions the lifestyles that people choose. He makes his readers wonder if they have chosen the kind of life that will really offer them
Trancendentalist Ideas Essay Research Paper Transcendentalist IdeasThe
Trancendentalist Ideas Essay, Research Paper Transcendentalist Ideas The great transcendentalist had ideas and thoughts that were, at the time, thought to be crazy. Both Emerson and Thoreau focused on not being a follower and doing wheat you believe is right. Self-Reliance, Civil Disobedience, Walden, and The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail all show this idea, which all transcendentalists had at that time.
Romanticism And Naturalisticism Essay Research Paper Romanticism
Romanticism And Naturalisticism: Essay, Research Paper Romanticism and Naturalisticism: Reflections on Nature Essential to man?s survival, nature deserves respect. In fact, if nature is not respected or cared for, the future may be a place without a natural habitat. Growing with buildings and industrial parks, the world might be a place where one will not have a place to go to relax, to have fun, or to sit and collect thoughts.
Driveby Shootings At Walden Pond Essay Research
Paper Drive-by Shootings at Walden Pond In Walden, Henry David Thoreau said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, then I came to die, discover that I had not live.” Perhaps the last part of that statement is the most difficult aspect of our lives.
Walden By Henry David Thoreau 1817
– 1862) Essay, Research Paper Walden, or, Life in the Woods, is a superbly written, imaginative and detailed account. The journal offers an introspective
Walden Essay Research Paper In Henry David
Walden Essay, Research Paper In Henry David Thoreau s Walden it is quite evident that Thoreau seeks to control the world in which he lives. The book is about Thoreau taking control of his life by moving away from society so that he can live by himself. Thoreau s going back to the primitive if you will.
Walden Essay Research Paper The Meaning in
Walden Essay, Research Paper The Meaning in Walden Walden , or Life in the Woods was written during Henry David Thoreau?s stay at Walden Pond, an excursion that lasted over two years. It was here that Thoreau conducted his experiment with life.
Thoreau And Transendentalism Essay Research Paper The
Thoreau And Transendentalism Essay, Research Paper The mid-eighteen hundreds, 1820 – 1850, witnessed the birth of modern America. In what was called the New Order America underwent several changes, both as a nation and
Thoreau 2 Essay Research Paper Why was
Thoreau 2 Essay, Research Paper Why was Henry David Thoreau such a wonderful writer? He had many great qualities, but the most important were his devotion to nature and writing, his desire for
Thoreau Essay Research Paper Born in 1817
Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Born in 1817, in Concord, Henry David Thoreau became one of the greatest writers among the American Renaissance. Thoreau based his whole philosophy
Thoreau Essay Research Paper Thoreau
Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience emphasizes the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. It criticizes American social institutions and policies, mostly slavery and the Mexican American war.
Thoreau Essay Research Paper Jerry PetercuskieEnglish 20103Dr
Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Jerry Petercuskie English 201-03 Dr. E. Brinkley November 27, 1996 THOREAU AS A PROPHET Thoreau was a simple man that believed in having only the basic necessities in life. Thoreau lived a life of simplicity at Walden Pond. In Walden, Thoreau gives a background of his life and some life experiences that he has encountered.
Walden By Thoreau Essay Research Paper Most
Walden By Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Most people think Thoreau to be in the shadow of Wordsworth. Thoreau strongly seeks to evade Emerson wherever he cannot revise him directly. Only
Thoreau 2 Essay Research Paper Thoreau and
Thoreau 2 Essay, Research Paper Thoreau and his book, Walden, has been inspirational in my life. Thoreau was stimulated by the natural things he found in life; he shunned the artificial. The manufactured collections that most of us work on through our lives are bogus — and costly: we sweat, we labour, we toil, we worry: and we rarely ask ourselves to what purpose? Happily for Thoreau, and for all of us, a ticket to nature is free.
Thoreau And Emerson Comparison Essay Research Paper
A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson?s Beliefs Essay written by Kelly Cooper A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson?s Beliefs concerning Simplicity, the Value and Potential of Our Soul, and Our Imagination.
WaldenTone Essay Research Paper In Walden Henry
Walden-Tone Essay, Research Paper In Walden, Henry David Thoreau s tone , his attitude towards the subject, has two aspects. His attitude towards nature was a positive one of respect and amazement. His attitude towards the reader, the general public, or the average citizen changes through the course of the work from pitying to criticizing to reassuring and advising.
Emerson And The Transcendentalists Essay Research Paper
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great essayist. I like reading about Emerson. He was very interesting. His essay “Self Reliance” told me that I could be an individual, a non-conformest. Many people were influenced by him, including Henry David Thoreau, a neighbor in Concord. Mr. Thoreau wrote the famous book Walden, which details his experiences living alone in the woods of Concord, Massachusetts.
Transcendentalism 2 Essay Research Paper Although the
Transcendentalism 2 Essay, Research Paper Although the transcendentalism movement was an extremely long time ago the ideas are still pertinent today. When Henry David Thoreau said, Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. It is not important that he should mature as soon as an apple tree or an oak (247), that he would be telling people to be themselves many generations later.
Transcendentalism Essay Research Paper Transcendentalism was an
Transcendentalism Essay, Research Paper Transcendentalism was an important movement in literature that occurred during the years of 1836-1860. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were the best-known transcendentalists. Ralph Waldo Emerson gave the German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, the credit for making ?Transcendentalism? a familiar term.
Transcendentalism In Thoreau Essay Research Paper Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism In Thoreau Essay, Research Paper Transcendentalism in Thoreau Transcendentalism is any system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical and material. Transcendentalism is present throughout Henry David Thoreau s journal Walden. Thoreau expresses three main points of transcendentalism: simplicity, getting back to nature, and taking only what on needs.
Thoreau And Transcendentalism Essay Research Paper The
Thoreau And Transcendentalism Essay, Research Paper The beauty in the strength of mere words and the immense impact they have on the soul of man has been the inspiration to many of the greatest poets and writers. The ability to combine elegance with knowledge and thereupon affect the thoughts of others using only paper and pen has intrigued men for centuries.