Oct 03 2008
To Thine Own Self Be True (Period 3)
Describe in a few sentences Thoreau’s position on individual accountability as presented in his famous essay, “Civil Disobedience.”
25 responses so far
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Civil Disobedience is about people who simply refuse to follow the rules, the laws, the amendments, etc. It is a way that people rebell against unfar laws.
-originally titled “Resistance to Civil Government”
The two essays differ because Thoreaus essay is about nonvioulent behavior, and Edwards is totally blunt and cruel towards anyone or anything that gets in his way.
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No, Edwards is convinced that God is the one in charge of everyone, thinking that he makes the final decision and predestinaion. On the other hand Thoreau believes it is the individual who makes the decisions and decides where life will take them. You can change your mind and live a better life and God will not damn you. So Edwards thinks that the society really lays heavily on the people themselves.
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In his essay, Thoreau divulges his opinion that the government is a tool of society (note that the use of “tool” is one with neutral, even positive, connotation), used to keep order among a mass of people. He describes that, in the event that this tool becomes ineffective, the people may need to paradoxically violate the laws they have instated.
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In Thoreau’s essay, “Civil Disobedience”, he talks about people who don’t follow the rules. Civil Disobedience is when people do things that are not considered, “acceptable”, by society. He says that people are accountable for their actions, and are not controlled by the way society believes they should behave.
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Civil Disobedience is about people who refuse to follow the law of politics. This is the way that people rebel against the government because they feel that some of these laws are unfair. Thoreau believed that if people changed the way they lived there live then god will not condemn you to hell. Unlike Edwards who was more cruel to the people that were condemned to hell, Thoreau believed that you could change your future to heaven or hell.
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In his essay “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau maintains that each and every man has an importance, and each is responsible for his own actions. He states that every man’s say makes a difference and can have powerful results, and that if one wants to make an impact with his voice he must stand up and make himself known. Thoreau also discusses, in regard to the issue of slavery, how insignificant the actions of the masses are compared to the sentiments of one individual. Thoreau’s take on individual accountability can be summed up with the following statement from his essay – “If I could convince myself that I have the right to be satisfied with men as they are, …then, I should endeavor to be satisfied with things as they are, and say it is the will of God.” (609).
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In Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” he evaluates the government fastidiously and thinks that those men who have power, don’t have a conscience. He explains how he believes that men are weak and they don’t act on their opinions or stand up for their own beliefs. On the other hand, Edward just explains how one should only believe in God and obey all the laws or he will send you to hell.
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Thoreau’s philosophy in “Civil Disobedience” is that in a perfect government individuals have the power, and their choices are up to them. But when the system is corrupt it should no longer be followed. He believes individuals are accoubtable for themselves and thier actions and thus dictate the consequences they recieve.
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Civil Disobedience is the act of not following the rules. In Thoreau’s essay, he describes how every man is responsible for himself, and has control over his own actions. He believes that a man can overrule societies laws, because we may have to violate rules we have previously set up for ourselves, in favor of doing the best for ourselves individually.
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Thoreau’s essay differs from Edwards because he gives people a voice and the oppertunity to think for themselves. Thoreau’s essay was about people rebellion from the goverment because they think the laws are unfair. Even though they are rebelling it doesn’t mean they are wrong, but just have a chance to account for themselves. Where as Edwards essay did not give people an oppertunity to think at all. Infact by acting in a very aggressive and intimidating manner, he basically spit at his listeners that if they did not act as how he thought they should act, they were doomed for hell.
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In Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience”, he discusses the responsibility of one’s actions in society. One of his main points includes the idea that each man lives in their own significance and has to face the consequences when held accountable for their actions. He states that the individual makes the decisions to lead the path that they choose, leading to the concept of responsibility. Thoreau stresses a change in the bases of society and a change in lifestyle including government.
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In Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience”, accountability is a main idea talked about. From his point of view every man is responsible for his own actions, no matter what the consequence. He also believes that the rules and laws put in place are meant to be followed, and that rebelling against the law was wrong and supposed to be looked down upon.
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Thoreau presents his views on individuality in his essay “Civil Disobedience” in the form of a rebel. One of his main points stresses the fact that the individual is better than a government, or a society because he can make his own decisions, and is not controlled by a group mentallity. The individual has control over everything he does, whereas in society he does not.
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In “Civil Disobedience” by Thoreau he believes that people should make their own decisions and that they should not be controlled by anyone. Thoreau’s point is mainly about people rebelling from the government and society. He states that people are to speak their minds if say someone accuses them of doing wrong. The key point in Thoreau’s essay is not to follow rules given by anyone, he finds that wrong unlike Edwards he believes in God and that God will keep us from hell.
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Thoreau’s essay, Civil Disobedience, spends a great deal of time on the government and the very nature of it being corrupt. However, he blames the individual for this because, even though the government may support something as immoral as slavery, the individual has the ability to react. Thus, when a government does such a thing and individuals do nothing but sit and wait to vote, blame falls upon the shoulders of those who had the power to act but didn’t.
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Thoreau’s essay,”Civil Disobedience”, is based off of an individuals ability to react to what is put in front of them. They have the capability to decide what is wrong, what is right, and which to act upon. He believes the government is not to be held responsible for those decisons that a person, with free will, makes. Ultimately, man’s personal morals have more weight than the influence of the governments.
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Thoreau explains in his essay, Civil Disobedience, how people should have total control in their decisions and “rebel” against the government. He mainly states not to follow anyone else and become an individual. Thoreau believes in God, so I believe what he tried to say, is that in people making their own decisions they will lead themselves to either heaven or hell instead of the government leading them to their fate. He thinks that people not standing up for what they believe in is just as bad as the people who lead themselves to bad decisions.
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Thoreau believes in the good of all men. Good that they will do good let alone from the rules and policies of government. Edwards, believes that God is responsible of all, with no account to individual accountability. Thoreau says that there is no need of a government, indirectly saying that the people are good. Edwards says that people are not good, only if they are Christian, they are good, and if they practice the religion; Christianity.
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Civil Disobedience is when people do things that are not considered, “acceptable”, by society. In Thoreau’s essay he states that people do not follow rules. Its as if rules are rather set for people to break them, rather then follow. He also believes that no one else should influence your decision. He thinks that you should just do what you thing is right.
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In Thoreau’s essay, Civil Disobedience he describes something he believes called individual accountability. He explains that people don’t follow the rules given to them and that the consequences of the individual are far greater then those of a mass of people. Each and every person is responsible for themselves and they should take responsibilty for their actions.
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In Thoreau’s essay, his point on accountability is that people make their own decisions that decide whether they go to heaven or hell, there is not some supreme being condemning them to either, as is expressed by Edwards. Thoreau’s ideas are very in line with the other American transcendentalist thoughts that were around at the time. The idea was that spiritualism existed only in a way that transcended the canons of religions, and this very religion was what Edwards said one must uphold in order to not be condemned. Thoreau says that this lack of religion is what gives you the choice to be condemned or not condemned. The juxtaposition of these pieces displays a curious conflict between the two ideas.
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Thoreau’s essay is about people going against the goverment and breaking laws. Its about people doing things they want disreguarding the rules of society. Edwards is about not following the rules of God and the conciquence for that is going to hell.
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Individual accountability, the measurement of weather or not each group member has achieved the groups goal. In John Edwards sermon, the idea was that each person was individually responsible for saving themselves from hell. This also meant that it was only them who was responsible if they were condemed and god was not going to assist them in any way.
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In his essay, Thoreau’s describes individual accountability. True the governemnt is held responsible for the actions of society as a whole, but each indivdual is responsible for their own actions and must accept their own consequences. The consequences of a whole society are far less feared then those of individual punishment.
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please ignore celia ryan’s post, she was confused.
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