The political concepts of justice and how a society should be governed have dominated literature through out human history. The concept of peacefully resisting laws set by a governing force can be first be depicted in the world of the Ancient Greeks in the works of Sophocles and actions of Socrates. This popular idea has developed over the centuries and is commonly known today as civil disobedience. Due to the works of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. civil disobedience is a well-known political action to Americans; first in the application against slavery and second in the application against segregation. Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” and King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” are the leading arguments in defining and encouraging the use of civil disobedience to produce justice from the government despite differences in their separate applications.
Thoreau and King saw great injustices that needed to be corrected in the government of their times. Thoreau saw the prominence of slavery and the Mexican-American War as the great injustices of his time. King saw the segregation and blatant inequality in the treatment of African Americans as the great injustice of his. The common thread in how the government treated African Americans unjustly intwines the views of King and Thoreau. Both men responded to the injustices of their government with the same concept of civil disobedience to force concessions from that government to produce justice and equality. Further, both men focused on the action, or inaction, of the common man to produce results from the government itself.
Thoreau regards civil disobedience as duty of his fellow countrymen in order for them to be moral, upstanding Americans. Particularly in the...
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...Albeit Martin Luther King Jr. took several advances beyond Thoreau’s encouragement of civil disobedience, those advances hold up the pivotal theme of continuing strong, and non-violently, against corrupt laws. Both recommend individuals to detach themselves from corrupt social laws in favor of divine laws of truth. The dauntless manner in which both men prevailed against injustice by their action and literature gives a strong definition of civil disobedience. Despite the difference in application of that definition, Thoreau in favor of individualism and King in favor of community, the path is clearly marked for Americans to follow for the pursuit of justice in the law.
Works Cited
Schulke, Flip and McPhee, Penelope. King Remembered. New York: Pocket Books, 1986.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003.
The two essays, "Civil Disobedience," by Henry David Thoreau, and "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., effectively illustrate the authors' opinions of justice. Each author has his main point; Thoreau, in dealing with justice as it relates to government, asks for "not at once no government, but at once a better government. King contends that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Both essays offer a complete argument for justice, but, given the conditions, King's essay remains more effective, in that its persuasive techniques have more practical application. Both essays extensively implement both emotional and ethical appeal to give their respective ideas validity.
Mahatma Gandhi, a prominent leader in the independence movement of India once said, “Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless and corrupt.”(brainyquotes.com) Gandhi states that protest and civil disobedience are necessary when the authority becomes unscrupulous. This correlates to “Declaration of Independence,” by Thomas Jefferson; “Civil Disobedience,” by Henry David Thoreau; and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King Jr., because all three leaders felt that civil disobedience was important to help protest against an unjust ruling. Jefferson stood up to the injustice of the king by writing the Declaration of Independence and urged others to stand up for the independence of America. Thoreau exemplified
During the time of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr., freedom for African-Americans was relative terminology in the fact that one was during slavery and the other during the Civil Rights era. “Civil Disobedience,” written by Thoreau, analyzes the duty and responsibility of citizens to protest and take action against such corrupt laws and other acts of the government. Likewise, King conveys to his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” audience that the laws of the government against blacks are intolerable and that civil disobedience should be used as an instrument of freedom. Both writers display effective usage of the pathos and ethos appeal as means to persuade their audience of their cause and meaning behind their writing, although King proves to be more successful in his execution.
middle of paper ... ... Using logic people can relate to King's views on a more personal stand point. Thoreau’s standpoint is harder to understand, but shows very valid arguments, because Thoreau uses antithesis and the government is wrong and the virtuous man is right. Thoreau also has his moral views and believes the government should follow the man for, the government is “We the People.”
Thoreau’s piece was written prior to the civil war, and was in response to the Mexican-American war and slavery in some territories. It was intended for US citizens; more specifically, those who are unhappy with the way the United States government is ran. Thoreau spent a night in jail for his belief when he refused to pay a poll tax, which is a main point in his piece. Similarly, King’s piece was written during the civil rights movement in response to him being incarcerated for ‘parading without a permit’, and countless other racially based incidents. After being arrested, King read a newspaper article, by 7 priests and 2 rabbis, that asked African Americans to stop their protests, so he wrote back to them stating his point of view. Both pieces of work are highly regarded to this
Overall in "Civil Disobedience" Thoreau used many literary techniques to support his beliefs. These included emotional appeal, a hyperbole, and a paradox. Henry Thoreau used numerous more, in "Civil Disobedience" but these three were very strong to back up his confidence in his story. Thoreau just wants people to stand up for themselves, and do what they believe in. Thoreau wants them to be their own person, and express their own opinions. Henry Thoreau believes every single person should have a say in everything. Thoreau's belief is still relevant today. One person can make a huge difference. There happen to be many people who express Thoreau's beliefs including Martin Luther King, Jr., and millions other citizens in our generation.
and Henry David Thoreau have similar ideas, but different views. Martin Luther King Jr. wants to eventually raise awareness and unlock doors for the better of a group. Thoreau wants more individual rights for people. Martin Luther King Jr. expresses his view of conscience in his letter: “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law” (King 384). This quote is addressing Martin Luther King Jr’s opinion on going to jail. King knows that he was unjustly put into jail. He accepts going to jail even though he was wrongly jailed. The community then knows of the injustice and should pressure the
In the past in this country, Thoreau wrote an essay on Civil disobedience saying that people make the law and have a right to disobey unjust laws, to try and get those laws changed.
Comparing the Civil Disobedience of Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, and Mohandas Gandhi. From the onset of man fighting for freedom or his beliefs, the question has always been whether one person can make a difference using words rather than wars. Philosophically, the concept of civil disobedience would appear to be an ineffective weapon against political injustice; history however has proven it to repeatedly be one of the most powerful weapons of the common man. Martin Luther King Jr. looked at the way African Americans were treated in the United States and saw an increase in inequality.
Given that inspiration between Thoreau and King, I believe that yes, both texts are still relevant to the twenty-first century. Their ideas are very powerful and to anyone who is against the corrupt government that still exists today, the twenty first century will be inspired by the powerful messages gifted to us by King and Thoreau. Many people in today 's society still feel victimized by the government and some people in it. The people are still segregated and one day it will end with the help of both of these inspirational human
When America is at its worst, individuals are at their best. Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr are two revolutionary individuals who protested for their rights and freedoms. In 1849, during the peak of slavery, and the end of the Mexican- American war, Thoreau, a Harvard educated, white male, composed an essay called “Civil Disobedience”, in which he argues that individuals should not let the government overrule their consciences and that it is their duty to resist the injustice. In 1963, during the peak of the American Civil Rights Movement, and the midst of the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr, a highly educated African-American reverend, composed a “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, in which
Thus, creating social progress. Martin Luther King Jr., author of The Letter From Birmingham Jail, defines using civil disobedience appropriately. He describes two different types of laws: Just, laws moral laws in agreement with god; and Unjust laws, laws that disagree with what god wants" (King 5). King argued that if any sign of an unjust law exists, people must rebel against it immediately in order for social progress to result (King 5). Henry Thoreau, author of Civil Disobedience, has an opinion that correlates with King's. “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 6) By asking this rhetorical question, Henry Thoreau implied that if a person sees a morally wrong law , he or she must peacefully rebel against for social progress to result. Civil disobedience exists appropriately to the extent that if law appears wrong, people need to take against it with willingness to pay for the consequences. For example, women voting in American History had no existence. According to god's will, he created all people, regardless of gender and race, in the image of god. Therefore, everyone, in god's creation, exists equal and the same. By denying women the right to vote, the law went against God's
In“Civil Disobedience” Thoreau advocates that civil disobedience is the only way to stand up to injustices in a corrupt society. In MLK’s “Letter to Birmingham Jail” he proves that civil disobedience does make real change in society as we saw due to his actions the amount of change for racial equality from the 1960s to present day. Specifically, Through writes to explain the importance of civil disbanded and how it should be used properly, while MLK explains how it applies to solving the injustices in America regarding equality. In MLK’s letter he explains how change is only possible through hard work when he says “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers
Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau each write exemplary persuasive essays that depict social injustice and discuss civil disobedience, which is the refusal to comply with the law in order to prove a point. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King speaks to a specific audience: the African Americans, and discusses why he feels they should bring an end to segregation. Thoreau on the other hand, in “Civil Disobedience,” speaks to a broader, non-addressed audience as he largely expresses his feelings towards what he feels is an unjust government. Both essays however, focus on the mutual topics of morality and justice and use these topics to inform and motivate their audience to, at times, defy the government in order to establish the necessary justice.
The ideas of King are very similar to the ideas of Thoreau. Moreover, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” shows that King, read the writings of many famous people. From these two reasons, King had probably read “Civil Disobedience” as an important document regarding justice and injustice. Therefore, the positions of the two writers are very close, and they cite conscience as a guide to obeying just laws.