Atlas Shrugged Quotes

1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

In this paper, I will discuss how the economy went from good to bad and how the characters in O Brother, Where Art Thou? symbolize these things. The characters,

This quote could represent how the government take their view as the correct one, and anyone who goes against it is wrong. This relates to anyone who disagree with the government was seen as a witch, just because they have a different opinion. We can connect this to McCarthyism, if you did not agree with the government you were seen as a communist.

"It is but equity...that they who feed, clothe and lodge the whole body of the people, should have such a share of the produce of their own labor as to be themselves tolerably well fed, clothed and lodged."

“Government show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage.” – Henry David Thoreau.

From the ideas shared in the novel, it is evident that the writer defines his ideal society in the form of an antithesis of existing society. The author takes the initiative of informing the American population - using the novel’s romantic medium - on matters concerning individualism, which is notable in an argument by Andrew Carnegie who claims

Thus showing he strives for a government that, when in the wrong or failing to uphold its citizens’ best interest relies upon individuals to help fix it. A modern day of example of this being the protest that have been held across the nation regarding the recent election. As Americans, we must stand up against inequality because it can no longer be an acceptable practice. In order for your voice to be heard and understood for future generations you must disobey what is unjust, thus making it the obligation of all of us to nourish the minds of those who are the future. As Thoreau says those who can do better are the ones that people should and will be willing to listen and learn

This quote explains Tom and Jim’s philosophy on how work should be done and how people

3) “If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth, certainly the machine will wear out”(Paragraph 19) Mr. Thoreau referring “machine”

“And wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will…” (69-71). This is part of the extended metaphor of the machine. It states that the men running the government are all manufactured to be the same, so they are all the same, emotionless machines. They also all act under the same motive. So we need to stand up against their unhelpful power.

The world is full of people who put their self-interests first, making the world evil and unjust. Henry David Thoreau made a speech in 1848 responding to the government and its injustices. This speech and later essay would commonly be known as civil disobedience. Today, we find everybody living and following their own rules made for their own interest, participating in many immoral activities, and encouraging the rule of injustice. However, we can also find people, like Thoreau, trying to resist these injustices in order to stop evil practices and rules. In the essay “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau tries to make people aware by drawing attention towards the injustices of the early American government. He divides the essay into three parts: Government, responsibilities of citizens (response to the government) and the Government’s injustice. He makes it clear that going against the injustice and following ones conscious is not a crime; instead it’s a way to set ourselves free.

The plot structure not only forces people to reevaluate their views on capitalism, the American Dream, and opportunity itself, but furthermore advocates social change. The book implicitly suggests communist ideals through the characters of Tom and Casey. Casey, in his questioning of Christian dogma, begins to reevaluate equality, in the terminology of what is holy.

Thoreau believed that the government should not be ruled by the minority just because “they are physically the strongest,” instead, we should be ruled by conscience. Furthermore, Thoreau stated that “…a corporation has no conscience,” because the corporation only cared about money, without caring about the multitude. This is still happening even nowadays. For instance, the cigarette companies are still selling cigarettes to the multitude even though they know that there are some carcinogenic materials in cigarettes that smoking cigarettes can cause cancers. They only care about money, without caring about the people who buy their products. As a result, most of the corporations had no conscience. Besides, people should also be conscientious. We should use our brains to think before we act. For example, the soldiers of the army had no conscience because they act like machines without thinking what they were doing. “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines.” In brief, Thoreau believed that we should be ruled by conscience instead of the inexpedient government which had no conscience. Besides, we should do something to stop the “machine.”

"None of the supposed rights of man go beyond the egoistic man, man as he is a member of civil society; that is, an individual separated from the community, withdrawn into himself, wholly preoccupied with his private interests and acting in accordance with his private caprice."

"We must not make a scarecrow of the law, setting it up to fear the birds of prey, and let it keep one shape till custom make it their perch and not their terror."