Comparing Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience and Kings Letter...

Comparing Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience and Martin Luther Kings Letter From a Birmingham Jail The two essays, Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau, and Letter From a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King, Jr., effectively illustrate the authors opinions of justice. Each author has his main point; Thoreau, in dealing with justice as it relates to government, asks for not at once no government, but at once a better government. King contends that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Both essays offer a complete argument for justice, but, given the conditions, Kings essay remains more effective, in that its persuasive techniques have more practical application. Both essays extensively implement both†¦show more content†¦The biblical allusions Thoreau chooses to use are another matter entirely. They support his essay in a negative way. Instead of instilling a sense of pride and hope in the reader, such as Kings, they simply illustrate some things that are wrong with society. Doubtless this was Thoreaus intent, and they work better with the tone of his piece, but the simple fact is that Kings positive illusions work better than Thoreaus negative allusions on an emotional level. One example of a biblical allusion that Thoreau uses is in reference to legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders: . . ..serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the Devil, without intending it, as God. Later Thoreau uses another: I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name, - if ten honest men only, - ay, if one honest man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America. This expresses the importance of the individual, but as a secondary thought reveals how the shortage ofShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King Jr. And Henry David Thoreau1311 Words   |  6 Pagesev erything the general will†, however, it was not always the case, according to influential American authors and civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau. Although both of their works were written over a century apart, one cannot deny the fact that both of them successfully and nonviolently converted their ideology into action using different methods of civil disobedience. Their goal was to fight for a better just system of law and restore faith in humanity. Despite their differentRead MoreHenry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr.s Justification of Defying Unjust Laws1820 Words   |  8 Pageshis famous essay, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,’’ Martin Luther King, Jr. cites conscience as a guide to obeying just laws and defying unjust laws. In the same way, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his famous essay, â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† that people should do what their conscience tells them and not obey unjust laws. The p ositions of the two writers are very close; they use a common theme of conscience, and they use a similar rhetorical appeal of ethos. In â€Å"Civil Disobedience† Thoreau claims that