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John Steinbeck and Henry David Thoreau, two famous American authors whom have both been known as a political writer with an agenda. These prominent authors are from different centuries but, have similar ideals in their literature. Political arguments can change over time but the ideals behind the issues stay the same. Thoreau writes about his beliefs upon what the government should rightfully do in his essay the “Civil Disobedience” compared to Steinbeck, who wrote about the correct and proper way to govern a country in “The Grapes of Wrath”. John Steinbeck and Henry David Thoreau both write about the government and problems surrounding it, but they have some variations between what they believe is morally acceptable. The governmental beliefs
on ways to be civil but disobedient, they have opposite ways of convicing you. Dr.
John Steinbeck was perhaps the best author of all time. He was the winner of a Nobel Prize, and among other accomplishments, Steinbeck published nineteen novels and made many movies during his lifetime. All of his experience and knowledge are shown through his novels. A reader can tell, just in reading a novel by Steinbeck, that he had been through a lot throughout his life. Also, Steinbeck worked very hard to accomplish everything that he did during his lifetime. Nothing came very easily to him, and he had to earn everything he owned. This helped him in his writing, because he was able to write about real people and real experiences. John Steinbeck got his inspiration from life experiences, people he knew, and places he had gone.
Though Thoreau 's basis was more along the lines of environmentalism he was quite the political man in his essay Civil Disobedience. Thoreau 's thoughts on the American government can be seen in the first few paragraphs
Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau have been thought of as two powerful philosophers in history. Both men were alive centuries ago, but their unique ways of life and ideas still exist in some of history’s most admirable figures. Each man had a judgment that went beyond the era they existed in, but is still obvious in today’s culture. Even though both men are credited for their wise principles, their beliefs do not always coincide with one another. However, one thing they do have in common is that they both revolutionized America through their thoughts, actions, and distinctive opinions on how to improve the world around them.
Next, we have David Henry Thoreau who wrote Civil Disobedience and Other Essays. In his famous speech, “Slavery in Massachusetts,” Thoreau is seen as a strident speaker in his opposition to slavery, overall not representing the prevailing view at the time and wanting to bring light to a new viewpoint. He is seen as the conscience of our nation through his goal of the betterment of mankind, overall wanting to create more humane ways in society, establish truth, and eliminate governmental inequity. Therefore in this speech, Thoreau emphasizes on individualism as well as his depiction of the lack of logic within the governmental law during the nineteenth century. He illustrates to the American audience that society is polluting man with the current government inequity. He states, “I
Both Thoreau and Emerson argue that asserting one’s opinions is crucial to attaining a better society. Emerson decries the danger of societal conformity and challenges the reader to “speak what you think now in hard words” in order to remedy it (Emerson 367). Likewise, Thoreau speculates that if “every man make known what kind of government would command his respect” it would be “one step toward obtaining it” (Thoreau 381). With these remarkably similar statements, both transcendentalists appeal to the reader’s patriotism by using language evocative of the agitated and outraged colonial Americans who demanded the people’s voice be heard in government. Although published roughly a half century later, “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience” mirror the sentiments of famous Revolution-era leaders such as Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry.
The who seems a little obvious as the main intended audience for both Thoreau and Martin is the everyday writer. Their easy laid back styles make their writings engaging and thoughtful, as well as a light read. I felt both writers were able to get across the importance they place on writing without becoming technical,
...his conscience not the law, “I have paid no poll tax for six years. I was put into a jail once on this account” (Thoreau, P. 26). The rhetorical position of the two writers is close because they both depend on their character to make their arguments more persuasive. On the other hand, Thoreau quoted from important documents like the Bible and the Confucius to make his essay more persuasive and to increase the likelihood that the audience will accept his argument.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American philosopher, author, poet, abolitionist, and naturalist. He was famous for his essay, “Civil Disobedience”, and his book, Walden. He believed in individual conscience and nonviolent acts of political resistance to protest unfair laws. Moreover, he valued the importance of observing nature, being individual, and living in a simple life by his own values. His writings later influenced the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. In “Civil Disobedience” and Walden, he advocated individual nonviolent resistance to the unjust state and reflected his simple living in the nature.
Transcendentalism was a widespread philosophical movement that took place in America during the 1840s and 1850s. Transcendentalists believed that God, man, and nature were all connected to one another and that every man has a soul. Through this belief, the transcendentalists worked to become one with nature and, therefore, one with God. Two of the most popular authors from the transcendental period are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both men discussed the five traits of transcendentalism through their writings and expressed how all men should follow them to live a purely good life. In all of their writings, one of their most prominent points was the need for nature. This point was strengthened by the belief that God, man, and
The journey of John Steinbeck's life is summarized in a line: "A life close to the character of an ideal American, the kind the constitution does its best to reflect and which does more good for his country than all its propaganda at a time of trial" (Benson 2003: xxvi).
John Steinbeck was, and still is today, one of the most influential writers in American history. His works, such as Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, are to this day influential on the image of the impoverished worker during and shortly before the era of the Great Depression. Steinbeck lived a fascinating life with several different influences, and a number of different successful stylistic works.
“I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature”(St. James). By this quote, John Steinbeck is saying that if a writer doesn 't believe that people can be capable of becoming perfect that they should not be writing. John Steinbeck was an American author that wrote in the early twentieth century. He wrote short stories, but he is most known for his novels that depict the lower class of society. His most well known novels are The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden. Influenced by life experiences, and the historical period, John Steinbeck wrote books that gave awareness to migrant workers and the less fortunate that thousands of kids learn
It is an undisputable fact that the contribution of such prominent philosophers, writers, political and social activists as Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau in developing American statehood is tremendous. The literary works of both men can serve as a manifesto of national and personal liberation, a call for building a better society, where each citizen can live and work freely. Indeed, both Henry Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin emphasize the independence and freedom of an individual, but they do so in significantly different ways. These differences can be linked to their different worldview, life positions, philosophies, or interests. Nevertheless, this fact cannot detract from the obvious uniqueness and importance of Thoreau’s and Franklin’s literary heritage.
To him, reality and nature symbolized this higher truth, and, hence, universal laws are perceived in his work (Manzari 3). One specific theme involved the simultaneous relationship between the individual and government. “Civil Disobedience” embodied the ideal that citizens within the scope of government should do what they personally think is right and not what government dictates. Thoreau’s works constantly confronted the injustices perpetuated by the government (Harding and Meyer 135). Explicitly, “Civil Disobedience” discussed the topic of slavery and how Thoreau was morally opposed to the idea in its entirety. He paid homage to the fact that expediency does not take priority over justice. Meaning, the concept of slavery was all too convenient because nobody thought of an intellectual alternative. Thoreau believed in the notion of equality through his writings of, “…my government which is the slave’s government also” (Thoreau 3). The moral of his writings incorporated the ideal that no matter what the costs may be, justice must advance in society because, as humans, we are “ethically and morally obligated” to do the right thing (Neufeldt and Smith 70). He also focused on the contradictory platform of so-called democracy and ultimately the only option to refute such governmental flaws was to become civilly disobedient. On the other hand, in Walden,