Essay on Thoreaus Civil Disobedience and Walden - 1529 Words

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American philosopher, author, poet, abolitionist, and naturalist. He was famous for his essay, â€Å"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 â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and Walden, he advocated individual nonviolent resistance to the unjust state and reflected his simple living in the nature. In â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† Thoreau stated that government should be expedient and conscientious. He started†¦show more content†¦Thoreau believed that the government should not be ruled by the minority just because â€Å"they are physically the strongest,† instead, we should be ruled by conscience. Furthermore, Thoreau stated that â€Å"†¦a corporation has no conscience,† because the corporation only cared about money, without caring about the multitude. This is still happening even nowadays. For instance, the cigarette companies are still selling cigarettes to the multitude even though they know that there are some carcinogenic materials in cigarettes that smoking cigarettes can cause cancers. They only care about money, without caring about the people who buy their products. As a result, most of the corporations had no conscience. Besides, people should also be conscientious. We should use our brains to think before we act. For example, the sol diers of the army had no conscience because they act like machines without thinking what they were doing. â€Å"The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines.† In brief, Thoreau believed that we should be ruled by conscience instead of the inexpedient government which had no conscience. Besides, we should do something to stop the â€Å"machine.† Thoreau believed that we should fight against injustice through non-violence, instead of being neither acquiescent nor using physical violence. â€Å"Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine.† This meant that we should stop the government and corporations that had no conscience. He deemed thatShow MoreRelated Thoreaus Proposed Solution in Walden and Civil Disobedience1839 Words   |  8 PagesThoreaus Proposed Solution in Walden and Civil Disobedience    In Henry David Thoreaus Walden and Civil Disobedience, a problem is presented in the way in which we live our lives. Thoreau sees this problem and goes to Walden Pond to find the solution. Yet his solution is controversial in that it seems to propose actions that go against human nature. Thoreaus prescription for American desperation cannot be accepted by the masses for it is rooted in anti-socialism when humans are essentiallyRead MoreWalden and Transcendentalism Essay1545 Words   |  7 PagesWALDEN AND TRANSCENDENTALISM Henry Thoreau’s masterpiece, Walden or a Life in the Woods, shows the impact transcendentalism had on Thoreau’s worldview. Transcendentalism is a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual over the material. Transcendentalism puts the emphasis on spiritual growth and understanding as opposed to worldly pleasures. Thoreau’s idea of transcendentalism stressed the importance of nature and being close to nature. He believed that nature was a metaphorRead MoreHenry David Thoreaus Sociological Experimentation in Isolation655 Words   |  3 PagesIn Henry David Thoreau’s writings, he explores a different, more thoughtful way of life. Thoreau was a student of Ralph Waldo Emerson. 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Similar to Thoreau, the Counter culture was a non-conformist group, during the 1960’s and 1970’s who went against societys norms and became their own sub-culture. They too were highly considered transcendental. The counterculture of the 1960’s and 1970’s was heavily coerced by Henry David Thoreau’s ideas and shared comparable facets of exhibitingRead MoreThe Legacy Of Henry David Thoreau1991 Words   |  8 Pagesmuscle and weapons. Yet, the enduring leadership and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, an early American author and abolitionist, has shaped the development and evolution of non-violent protest movements worldwide. This is the story of how the power of Thoreau’s words have shaped the arc of history for nearly 200 years: his pen was indeed mightier than the sword. Personal Background: Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. He was also raised there for most of his childhood