On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience
(David Thoreau)
Thoreau makes opinionated remarks as if they were
the only truth, and his attitude implies that to think otherwise is
unfathomable. These statements sparked
my interest and made me go back to the beginning to really try and pick apart
what he was saying.
The first line that grabbed me reads, ?I think we
should be men first, and subjects afterward.
It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for
the right.? He bluntly states exactly
what he thinks to be the truth, even if it challenges the position of the
state. On the next page he says, ?The
mass of men serve the state, thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with
their bodies.? This is something that I
have always felt to be true, but never came right out and said it because of
the tremendous disrespect it may imply to members of the armed forces. I greatly admire Thoreau for his courage in
asserting his beliefs, regardless of their unpopular opinion. He is very brave to out rightly speak
against the military and government.
Another tactic of great value to me was Thoreau?s
strategy of asking questions. He asks
the audience to ponder thoughts that incite passion and motivate readers. He writes, ?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?? Instead of plainly telling the audience what
to think, and what to do, he poses his thoughts in the form of a question. The reader comes to a conclusion on his or
her own, heated and excited to take action.Problems with the
state are recited fervently in this piece, leaving the reader to know that the
author is thoroughly discontent with the condition of the nation, and with the
administration. But for almost every
problem discussed, there is a solution offered. This is a very strong point in writing, and something that I
always strive to achieve. There is no
sense in complaining about the situation of affairs or whining about anything
really, if there is no solution to be offered up. While some of his suggestions are a little idealistic, they are
never too far-fetched, and at least he is present a proposition to fix what has
upset him.
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