Argumentation
Response
Henry David Thoreau’s ideas in his
treatise “Resistance to Civil Government” are productive to society because they
focus on one’s obligations to society and to one’s own conscience above the
intrusion of unjust government. Although
Thoreau’s arguments are fundamentally dissentious to government, they do not
cut all ties with society, and allow for the expansion of neighborly interest
and concern. Thoreau suggests that one’s
responsibility lies in refusing to support wrongdoing and injustices in
government, as well as using one’s own conscience to uphold one’s own
rights. These ideas mesh best with a
local society that is concerned with the wellbeing of the individuals within
that locale. Though Thoreau defends the
right of individuals to develop their own conscience, he asks them to respect
the rights and opinions of those around them, a crucial aspect of a productive
society. In applying these ideas of
functioning society to larger government, Thoreau adamantly affirms that the
individual is higher than the State, and that only when the State acts with
respect and justice toward all individuals does it become just and beneficial. Thoreau’s ideas on individual respect and the
derivation of government power from the people lead to productive debate,
discussion, and eventual change toward a better society and government.
This
short paragraph response to Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil Government”
highlights the rhetorical mode of argumentation. The main focus of much of this
year’s work has been argumentation, and I have felt my own argumentation skills
develop over the course of this year. This paragraph response was revised to be
excellent based on the increased caliber of argumentation skills that I have
developed this year. The response highlights the major points in Thoreau’s
paper, and analyzes how those ideas mesh with society. Revisions have increased
this analysis’ insight into Thoreau’s ideas and their real connection to
society versus government. Support of my ideas comes from the obvious
understanding of Thoreau’s paper and from ethos of word choice and structure.
The elements have been improved to additionally show my improvement in writing
flow and form over the course of the year.
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