Henry David Thoreau's primary purpose in writing "Civil Disobedience" was to argue for individual resistance to unjust government actions, particularly in the form of passive resistance to unjust laws. Thoreau believed that individuals have a moral obligation to refuse to participate in injustice and to act according to their own conscience.
Henry David Thoreau wrote Civil Disobedience as a form of protest against taxation. He spent the night in jail after refusing to pay a tax that would fund the Mexican War. He thought that submitting to the tax was being a slave to the government.
To explain why citizens have a moral obligation to disobey laws they find unjust
The author's primary purpose in writing this passage is to teach.
Essays and articles
The primary purpose of narrative writing is to describe an experience, event, or sequence of events in the form of a story. The purpose is to tell a story, whether real or imagined.
The primary purpose of "Hip-Hop Planet" was to inform.
Thoreau is sometimes cited as an anarchist, and though Civil Disobedience seems to call for improving rather than abolishing government-"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government"-the direction of this improvement points toward anarchism: "'That government is best which governs not at all'; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have."Richard Drinnon partly blames Thoreau for the ambiguity, noting that Thoreau's "sly satire, his liking for wide margins for his writing, and his fondness for paradox provided ammunition for widely divergent interpretations of 'Civil Disobedience
Thoreau's communion with nature was at the basis of both his life and his writing.
Thoreau's writing reflects American society by advocating for self-reliance, simplicity, and living in harmony with nature. He critiques materialism, consumerism, and conformity while promoting individual freedom and nonviolent resistance. Thoreau's emphasis on civil disobedience and ethical living has influenced movements for social justice and environmental conservation in the United States.
Defiant
Henry David Thoreau was famous for his book "Walden," which details his experience living simply in nature at Walden Pond. He was also known for his essay "Civil Disobedience," which advocated for nonviolent protest against unjust laws. Thoreau's writing and ideas have had a lasting impact on environmentalism, civil rights movements, and literature.
Thoreau lived on Emerson’s land, which was the subject of one of his books.