Billy Budd - Thoreau and Melville
The story of Billy Budd provides an excellent scenario in which to compare and contrast Thoreau and Melville. The topics of government-inspired injustice and man's own injustice to man can be explored through the story. Thoreau's position is one of lessened government and enhanced individualism, while Melville's is one of group unity and government's role to preserve order. The opinions of Melville and Thoreau outline the paradox of government: Government cannot exist without man, and man cannot exist without government.
One of the downfalls of both man and government is jealousy, and the H.M.S Bellipotent is no exception. Claggart is a jealous, hateful person who has made Billy the object of his anger, most likely because of his popularity and good-naturedness. Throughout the story, Claggart would then take every opportunity he could to single out Billy and eventually put him to death. It began when the grizzled man approached Claggart about Billy's ridiculing him, even though it was well known no one likes the master-at-arms. Then, when Billy spilled his soup infront of Claggart, Claggart was ready to dismiss it as carelessness until he saw it was Billy that spilled it. It became obvious that Claggart was planning Billy's demise, but Billy couldn't understand it yet. After the chase of the French ship, when Billy was confronted and accused for mutinous actions, Claggart put such pressure on him that he lost his composure and killed him. Claggart's jealously became the demise of himself and Billy.
Melville's second point in Billy Bud is about the necessary evil of humans acting as part of the government machine. Even though the captain an...
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...ues to the institution that helped get them to their place of power and wealth. He suggests it is better to live life as if you were poor, for you will retain your morals and virtues. Thoreau's last controversial point is his approach to passively accepting the governments' unjust policies. If you do, he feels that you have become worthless, and you have put things ahead of what should be first.
In an ideal world, a man would be able to govern himself and live by what he believes to be right, as Thoreau suggests. In the real world, especially in the harsh life of the navy, living by what feels right is not always best. The execution of Billy Budd can best be likened to the killing of Lenny in "Of Mice and Men". Both men were killed for murders they did not intend to commit, and both were killed to appease the fears of their governments.
Chris McCandless: a man so infatuated with nature, he practically committed suicide to bring himself nearer to it. This extreme liking for nature, along with other ideals, makes up the core tenets of the transcendentalist philosophy. McCandless demonstrates other tenets of transcendentalism as well, most notably the supremacy of the individual, by detaching himself from the mammon of this world. Another way he shows the supremacy of the individual, by the belief that one should not conform to the usual policies of life, causes him great trouble in some cases. As well as the belief that the individual supersedes all else, McCandless received much of his inspiration from nature. Finally, always following what he believes correct, McCandless follows his own intuition to the point of death. Chris McCandless not only shows his transcendentalist beliefs by the way he acts and thinks, but also by how these actions and thoughts emulate those of the fathers of transcendentalism, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
In Thoreau’s view, he felt that the government was insufficient. At times such as these, government may not always be the best way to turn, yet it provides guidelines. This theme in his essay is just another opinion. Justice cannot be fully defined in one sentence by every person. It depends on the background and the experiences one has had.
He didn 't believe that the world should stop work and live off the land, on the contrary, he believed, “The human dignity, wild life force and freedom were preserved within such a working process. Thoreau believed that labor was not only the activity that could bring material profits, but also a play which make man complete and developed simultaneously” (Ma 384). Thoreau 's work was experiencing nature and living transcendentally in order to share the quality of life that nature provides. We see Thoreau in many aspects of today 's society whether it 's Lisa from The Simpsons, a means of transportation, or political protests, they all follow a Thoreauvian idea of looking at the bigger picture and seeing what really matters. This way of thinking was created because one man decided that society was too mainstream and he moved off to the edge of town and reflected; people these days that do that are referred to as “hipsters” but the influence had to come from somewhere, and that was Henry David Thoreau. A closer reading of Thoreau 's works can put a new perspective on a common thing and provide a new outlook on life. Thoreau was not one to preach rather do something about it, not for the money or the fame but because of his “love of life— reverence for all the life in the
Thoreau was against the The Mexican American War and the act of Slavery in our society and was very skeptical towards the U.S government regarding these issues. The U.S government did more to harm the citizens of America more than it did to protect them and Thoreau realized that and was not afraid to speak his mind.. The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free” Thoreau is saying that don't just wait for change to come, make the change happen. He stand for what is right regardless of the consequences, therefore, he wanted the citizens of America to be bold enough to do the same.
Even though it passed more that a hundred of years after Thoreau posted his essay, his ideas are still germane today. I can relate Thoreau’s concept not only to American government, but also to authorities all over the world. It doesn’t seem that the people rule the country anymore; the authorities are led by few individuals who have the most influence. Even though this is very visible, people don’t do anything about that, they are just some marionettes in the hands of the ones who rule the system. Many parliaments from the world lost the notion about making the laws to protect the people, but not themselves as the higher class of the country.
...hnson, Robert, Johnson,. "Kant's Moral Philosophy." Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Feb. 2004. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
As he concludes his essay, Thoreau's main point is that individual power should be greater than that of the government. Thoreau's observation, "That government is best which governs least" continues to be as true today as the day it was written.
Additionally, Emerson and Thoreau both warn the reader of the dangers when individuality is marginalized. Emerson views society as a “conspiracy against the manhood of every one of...
Beside the social stigmatism to polygamy, monogamy has many benefits for the human race. Although some may argue, as humans, we aren’t exactly designed to be a perfectly monogamist species, it my personal opinion that we have the adept skills to make monogamy work and be a valuable way of life. Of the about 4,000 mammal species on Earth, only a few dozen form lifelong monogamous pair bonds (Jeffries). That equates to approximately 3% of all mammals participating in monogamous activities. Professor Roger Rubin reports in his paper “Alternative Family Lifestyles Revisited …Communes”?, family...
There are times throughout the history of the United States when its citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. There were such cases during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, when there was unfair discrimination against the Afro-American community and Americans refusing to pay poll taxes to support the Mexican War. They used civil disobedience to eventually get legislation to stop the injustice brought against them and their nation. Civil disobedience is defined as refusal to obey civil laws or decrees, which usually takes the form of passive resistance. People practicing civil disobedience break a law because they consider the law unjust, and want to call attention to its injustice, hoping to bring about its withdrawal.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a philosopher and writer who is well known for his criticism of the American government during the time. During Thoreau’s life, there were two major issues being debated in the United States: slavery and the Mexican-American War. Both issues greatly influenced his essay, as he actually practiced civil disobedience in his own life by refusing to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican War. He states that the government should be based on conscience and that citizens should refuse to follow the law and has the duty not to participate and stay as a member of an unjust institution like the government. I argue that the notion of individualism and skepticism toward government is essential in the basis of many important reform movements in the modern society.
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.
From these three men, we can learn the significance of detaching ourselves from the social norm and instead, fight for our values in a non-violent way, in order to make a change in our government’s corrupt and unjust laws. In “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau articulates the importance he places on resistance against a powerful, controlling government. He opens his essay with a reference to the quote, “‘That government is best which governs not at all,’” and shares the motto, “‘That government is best which governs least’” (Civil).... ...
Kant illustrates the point on damage of veracity by stating; “by a lie a man throws away, as it were, annihilates his dignity as a man” (Page 46). Taking in other factors such as the positive and negative effect one must also examine the consequences concerning if the lie is found out and the possible damage to the individuals veracity, including larger examinations on the impacts on society. For instance, does the individual have such a connection to society that if veracity is harmed in anyway could impact more than just those confined to the scenario themselves? After all these questions are asked the person telling the lie has an increased chance in determining whether or not a reasonable society would come to the conclusion that the lie is
In “Teens Do their Share of Lying”, Tim states that lying is a “necessary life-survival skill” and that it could be the “only thing between you and a guaranteed beat down” (Ragsdell, 23). In this instance, you are lying to protect yourself so that you won’t get beat up. If you didn’t lie, you would’ve ended up getting hurt. One historical representation Brad Blanton introduces is when the Nazis were lied to because Anne Frank’s “life [was] in danger” and she was hidden (Ballinger, 11). If she was not protected and kept in secret, she most likely would’ve died. The people hiding her lied to the Nazis to keep her from getting sent to concentration camp. Obviously, lying is crucial when you’re trying to protect someone from getting injured or even