LIT2000 Poetry Project Assignment
“Reisitance to Civil Government”, from Civil Disobidiance.
Biography
Born in Concord Massachusetts (1817), Thoreau lived much of his life within 20 miles of Boston. His father was a pencil maker, which is where he worked with his brother before and after attending Harvard University. The brothers would eventually open their own school, giving Henry more time to work on his philosophical ideas and begin what would become the transcendentalist movement along with Emerson. From 1840 until his death in 1862, Thoreau would become one of the writers and orators who would bring change to the union.
Henry David Thoreau
“Civil Disobedience” is an essay from one of Thoreau’s most influential works, Civil Disobedience. In this essay Thoreau questions where or not American Government is truly necessary, labels those who utilize it for their own means, and gives guidance on how to protest what he believes is unjust rule.
Civil Law & Human Law
Thoreau’s most challenging idea is the distinction between what he classifies as Civil and Human law. Human law being that which rules America (Constitution) was written by man and therefore is inherently flawed because man is flawed. Civil law being what ones conscious deems correct regarding a multitude of societal and personal situations. Thoreau used these distinctions to challenge actions being taken by the US Government domestically and abroad. He not only took personal action by refusing to pay taxes, but charged every American to question their governing body.
Dependence on Government
Thoreau’s categorizes American citizens both in government work and under government rule as being part of the Machine which runs the country. He classifies those in government work by being largely controlled by the power surrounding them, even the most intelligent enslaved by the illusory dominion over working class Americans. However not all the blame is put on these individuals, the inability to think and more importantly act against the governing body who so tarnished his idea of America is placed upon those not paid by tax dollars. Thoreau calls upon everyone standing idly by, to think and act upon the grievances being carried out by the American government against humanity. It is through is disagreement with slavery that he bases action upon. However, it is truly an outcry to all who believe change is impossible and resistance is futile. Because it is impossible if everyone simply watches and speaks, action is the only path to which injustice can be remedied.
These ideas remain true today and have carried weight among reformists throughout American and world history since his writing. Arguably one of the most important concepts is that those who rule do so until those being ruled realize they hold more power than either side understands. And until the masses unit and stop fighting one another, those in power will continue to strength the divide between true liberty what is perceived as freedom.
On Taxes
Taxes are the most burdening aspect of government according to Thoreau. He not only protests them physically but mentally as well. Though he is punished with jail time for refusing to pay, his mental imprisonment is far worse due to the inconsistencies in his perception of taxation. His statements regarding the dollars obtained through taxes justifies this in the third and final part of “Civil Disobedience”. While he comes to many conclusions regarding appropriate uses like public education and infrastructure. It is his inability to formulate a restructuring which would make all parties benefit. Leaving him for the first time in his writing to say he simply doesn’t have the time to spend trying to solve a problem so intricate.
This isn’t a surrendering to the problems of his time, but an understanding that not all resolutions can come from a single person in their lifetime. It will take the generations of resistance to restructure that which took centuries to build.