Transcendentalism In Henry David Thoreau's 'Civil Disobedience'?

“Government is best which governs least.” This single quote is the most important line of the short story and what also defines this short story as a classic.“Civil Disobedience,” by Henry David Thoreau, is a Thoreau’s viewpoint on issues that face the nation as a whole including the size of the government, how the government should be fixed, and social issues. These problems though are not just facing the nation during his lifetime, but also our life. Thoreau is known as a classic author through his life story and his work in the transcendentalism movement, but also with the themes in “Civil Disobedience” and the style. Born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts, but Thoreau didn’t start his literature career until his college career.

When revisiting the first line of the essay, it was made clear that the idea of a smaller government was necessary in the mind of Thoreau. It is said the a government depends on the people it governs. (Parel, 424) This means that when people vote on how they want the government to work, they are the ones that make the decisions on who the country is to be run for the next two or four years. Even though the people of the country only have a say every two or four years, Thoreau believes that individuals during the “off period” have the right to be able to recall officials and even overturn rules and regulations they don 't agree with. Now, Thoreau does believe that it is necessary to have a government because without one, people will be running ramped throughout the land. Instead, he ask for a government that understands its mistakes and stops injustices like funding the slave trade through taxation dollars. Additionally, he ask for a government that is fast and efficient that will get problems solved, not a slow, ineffective government that takes problems to a whole new level. All of these characteristics are ones a small government counts

When looking at the audience Thoreau intended for his essay “Civil Disobedience,” it was mostly geared towards those who identified themselves as abolitionist or as a progressive thinker who leaned forward. This is true since he would often say how slavery was an injustice to the human race since all human should be treated equally, but during his lifetime, the theme of one race being inferior to another was common. (Banion, 190) Additionally, the intended audience would have the emotion of patriotism and hope since they hope to see a reborn American where everyone is treated with dignity. (Banion, 190) Besides the audience and emotional connection, the use of metaphors is used in the essay to compare the government to a machine (Banion, 190) The use of this metaphor, for example, is to show the reader that the government keeps on going regardless of it making a mistake. Thoreau wants the government to be more human and for them to acknowledge their mistakes. The definition of a classical “A form of art regarded as representing an exemplary standard; traditional and long-established in form or style.” (Oxford Dictionary, Classic) Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” is a classic since it does indeed have exemplary standards since through his life story and his work in the transcendentalism movement, he made the themes of the essay reflect upon his thinking and redefined what the