Analysis Of Civil Disobedience, By Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau, author of â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and Walden, has become one of the most influential authors of all time in the eyes of many. Though some might be led to believe his essays and writings, including â€Å"Where I Lived, and What I lived For†, make him a down to earth and even rugged author, as he spent some of his life in the forest. However, his life in the woods was not one of heavy duty work and he often was supported with objects and material possessions, contrary to what many of his essays describe. Although some might think of him as a cheater or a liar, Thoreau’s conflicting lifestyles prove him to be a literary genius as he successfully dictates a lifestyle he himself does not take part in throughout paragraphs one†¦show more content†¦While Thoreau continues to paint himself in a brilliant light, he also rejects the opinions of the outside world with specific allusions and similes. He manages to put himself and decisions on an implicit pedestal, disguising it as man’s desire for material possession and complexity. By referencing the â€Å"German Confederacy, made of up petty states† (Paragraph 2), Thoreau intertwines both connotation and a relevant allusion to current events at the time. This gives Thoreau’s readers a chance to connect with his writing and believe that they are the problem for not dropping their belongings and bounding into the nearest forest to live a life of modesty. He also uses colloquialism to simultaneously draw his readers in while alienating himself from the common issues of man, â€Å"The nation itself, with all its so-called internal improvements, which, by the way are all external and superficial, is just such an unwieldy and overgrown establishment, cluttered with furniture and tripped up by its own traps,† (Paragraph 2). The famous author’s special attention to colloquialisms, including â€Å"so-called†, create an atmosphere famili ar to his readers. However, his decision to mention furniture and traps conflict with Thoreaus own ideas of a materialist lifestyle. Even as simply uses hyperboles to get a point across, â€Å"Men say thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreau1886 Words   |  8 PagesAfrican slave trade that culminated in the American Civil War, the loss of one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, Abraham Lincoln, and, more fittingly for this paper, the emergence of American transcendentalist writers. One writer in particular was Henry David Thoreau, who many historians consider to be the inventor of nonviolent protest as a means of reforming a government. 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