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Submitted by oppapers on April 27, 2000
Category: Philosophy
Words: 1714 | Pages: 7
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King vs. Thoreau
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By acting civil but disobedient you are able to protest things you don't
think are fair, non-violently. Henry David Thoreau is one of the most important
literary figures of the nineteenth century. Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience,"
which was written as a speech, has been used by many great thinkers such as
Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi
as a map to fight against injustice.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor that headed the Civil Rights movement.
He was a gifted speaker and a powerful writer whose philosophy was non-violent
but direct action. Dr.King's strategy was to have sit-ins, boycotts, and marches.
Dr. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was based on the principles of
Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience". Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David
Thoreau are exceptional persuasive writers. Even though both writers are writing
on ways to be civil but disobedient, they have opposite ways of convicing you. Dr.
King is religious, gentle and apologetic, focusing on whats good for the group;
while Thoreau is very aggressive and assertive for his own personal hate against
the government.
Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau have the same
ideas, but view them differently. Dr. King wants to ultimately raise awareness and
open doors for the better of a group. Thoreau wants more individual rights for
people. Dr. King is explaining his view of conscience:
I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is
unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the
conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the
very highest respect for the law (Martin Luther King, p. 521).
This quote shows Dr. King's opinion on going to jail. King knows that he was
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