Thoreau on Civil Disobedience

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.