Analysis Of Henry Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

It is said that temptation leads to sin and that all humans are capable of sin. Without laws, chaos would reign and no man would be left unaffected. This is where the concept of government comes into affect. However, the question of how the government should function in humans ' life has been asked since the beginning of its creation. Henry Thoreau has asked this question and came up with the answer that government is essential in human life but the attempt to govern the people should not overstep the bounds of what its citizens needed. In 1849 his article Civil Disobedience was published providing the world with his understanding of the political government and why it should be different. A similar author who believed the government should
However, despite Thoreau and Malcolm X both arguing against the structure of the government, Malcolm X 's speech establishes a sense of urgency to take immediate action that Thoreau 's argument lacks, which, thereby, makes Thoreau 's argument weak.

Malcolm X and Thoreau both began their argument by addressing situations taking place in their time period while also creating a connection with their audience through the use of diction. In the beginning of his essay Thoreau casually undermines the government by declaring, " Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool, for in the outset, the people would never have consented to this measure." While Thoreau 's audience was mostly well educated men and women who already did not support the Mexican war, Thoreau further turned them against the government system by addressing the governing power as a "tool" to be used whenever officials saw fit, and also saying that "the people would never have consented". Malcolm X, however, connected to his audience by addressing them
Thoreau 's defiant tone is evident when he bluntly claims, "It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the west. It does not educate." This defiant tone builds the readers anger toward a useless government, that as Thoreau says, "is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it." Thoreau 's main purpose for writing Civil Disobedience is to promote resistance against the current government system, so it is local that a government that does not help the people, should not have control over the people. Similarly, Malcolm X presents a resistant and mocking attitude by acknowledging, "The white man is too intelligent to let someone else come and gain control of the economy of his community. But you will let anyone come in and take control of the economy of your community, control the housing, control the education, control the jobs, control the busines-ses... No, you outta your mind." Malcolm X presents his listener with the image of a community foolish enough to be easily controlled by someone who did not have their best interest at heart. It is a proven fact that when someone is called stupid, their is anger and resentment however Malcolm 's listeners are not angry at him because he already seen