Henry David Thoreau Rhetorical Devices

After being jailed in the Birmingham city jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister who preached nonviolence, wrote this response to a published statement by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama. This letter was not only composed under somewhat constricting circumstances but was written in a way that can be analyzed to be considered as a classic argument. Not only does it contain the five elements needed in a rhetorical situation, but the letter includes the six parts of an argument, the five types of claims, and even the three types of proofs. Dr. King’s letter fully satisfies all requirements needed in order to be considered a classic argument.

In his essay, David Henry Thoreau says, “That government is best which governs least.” This quote is an appeal to logos because Thoreau is trying to convince the reader that things would be better if government wasn’t so involved. Also, I believe that this quote apples to logos because in his essay, Thoreau explains logical ways in which the government gets too involved only for its own benefit. This part of the essay spoke to me because I believe that the government has too much control of what happens in the country and although we as citizens vote, we don’t really have much say in things that we would like to see a change in. Another reason why this quote grabbed my attention is because the whole purpose of the essay is to persuade the reader that the country would be better off if the government was less involved and allowed the citizens to be able to have more of an opinion of what they think is right and what they think is wrong. As a citizen, I think that the government takes too much advantage of the power they have and they only use that power for their own convenience. Lately there have been some things in which we can see that the government has done what they want with the new president we have. Also, I believe that the new president we

One of the two most prominent figures in literature, Henry David Thoreau and Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., have very similar but yet vastly different writing styles. Their writing styles can be shown through their most well known pieces of writing, “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King. A way to compare and contrast their styles is through their use of rhetorical devices in order to persuade their readers into viewing a particular opinion and central argument, in this case they both use pathos, the appeal through conveying emotion, in seperate ways in order to persuade readers into the similar idea of promoting civil disobedience.

To Henry David Thoreau, nature serves as a reminder to take a break from the fast paced style of life. Thoreau is a transcendentalist writer who isolated himself from society to live a life at his own pace. The title of his work, Where I Lived and What I Lived For, presents the purpose of his writing. Thoreau expresses where he resided and his reasoning for living there. He successfully achieves his purpose through the use of aphorisms and paradox. He begins his essay with direct and simple vocabulary that clearly states his purpose. He “went to the woods” in order “to front only the essential facts of life”. His destination and intentions are clear. His diction represent his way of thought where details are not needed. His use of aphorisms

The fight for civil rights and freedom is a reoccurring subject that has appeared throughout American history. Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” were written over one hundred years apart. Although they are set in different time periods, they discuss the rights the American people should have, while also criticizing the people with superior power in the government. Thoreau’s aggressive writing style and King’s peaceful, calm style help to deliver their messages. Not only their writing style but also their emotional appeals, tone, and other rhetorical strategies help to give their audience a sense of the social issues they are disagreeing strongly with.

The biblical allusions Thoreau chooses to use are another matter entirely. They support his essay in a negative way. Instead of instilling a sense of pride and hope in the reader, such as King's, they simply illustrate some things that are wrong with society. Doubtless this was Thoreau's intent, and they work better with the tone of his piece, but the simple fact is that King's positive illusions work better than Thoreau's negative allusions on an emotional level. One example of a biblical allusion that Thoreau uses is in reference to legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders: ". . ..serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the Devil, without intending it, as God." Later Thoreau uses another: "I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name, - if ten honest men only, - ay, if one honest man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America." This expresses the importance of the individual, but as a secondary thought reveals how the shortage of

A man once said "That government is best that governs least," that man is John L. O'Sullivan who argues that government is "evil". Thoreau takes this quote as a motto and centers his work, "Civil Disobedience" around this opening quote. The quote itself is self-explanatory and the fact that Thoreau "heartily accepts" this motto, tells us that he disapproves of government and its interference in our affairs. Thoreau would like to have no government at all but as he speaks as a practical citizen, he is asking not to get rid of government entirely, but to get a better one [724]. He wants the people in government to focus on what is right instead of what the law says is "just." If there's laws that our conscience tells us, is wrong, then we should rebel against them because if we have knowledge on the issue, and don’t do anything to prevent it, then in a way we are supporting it. Thoreau says "Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence.” He persuades his readers of his ideas through classical argument. Thoreau uses logos, pathos, and repetition, as well as analogies and metaphors to clearly present his reasons on why its better to have a government that governs least or have no government at all.

Thoreau and King use many similar strategies in their writings. One uses these strategies to make their piece more effective. King 's persuasive letter to the clergyman, Letter from Birmingham Jail was far more effective than Thoreau’s Lecture On the Duty of Civil Disobedience directed towards americans ready to change things, and here is why. King’s article was more effective because he strives towards tugging on the audience 's heartstrings rather than the logical side, his repetition proved to be more effective, he has a unique organizational structure, King stays more on topic, and was more passionate about his disquisition.

1. Thoreau believed it was disgraceful for him to be associated with the American government because in his time he was battaling against slavery and the Mexican-American war. He was disgusted that we were delusioned about a Manifest Destiny and weren't being rational in regards to our territory.

To stand against injustice is a tiresome and lonely act, especially when religious leaders in a community discourage your efforts. However, one such man, civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, pushed through those feelings of abandonment while jailed after one of his protests in Birmingham Alabama. He wrote a rhetorical essay “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (later published June 1963 in the Libertarian) arguing several criticisms regarding his protesting tactic issued in a public statement “A Call For Unity” by eight clergymen in Birmingham Alabama. Dr. King’s purpose was to impress upon his readers that injustice affects every individual and when left unaddressed, citizens, especially our religious leaders, have the moral responsibility to act promptly, nonviolently, and when required, challenge or break unjust laws for the better good of society. The “Letter From Birmingham Jail” reflects Dr. King’s brilliance in persuasion writing, by employing all three rhetorical devices woven throughout his essay.

King’s main example of Logos is when he references the past treatment of negroes in Birmingham; he reports, “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any city in this nation” (par. 7). One specific example from Thoreau’s essay is when he relays, “Thus the State never intentionally confronts a man’s sense, intellectual or moral, but only his body, his senses” (par. 8). It conveys to the audience that the government is valueless in an ideal world. He logically communicates that the government can do nothing to change your state of

In Thoreau's "Civil Obedience" metaphor and parallelism are utilized to support his notion that the government fails to be one that is satisfactory. Thoreau's usage of metaphor expresses the uselessness that the government is. He writes, " It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves..." Here, Thoreau compares the government to a wooden gun, saying that it is as useless as one. He believes that the government is but a wooden gun to the people meaning that it is as useful for the people as a wooden gun would help a person, not useful at all.

The world of Thoreau is the world of nature around us. Live around the trees, the clean fresh air, the sound of the river, and the birds singing. This is exactly what Thoreau talks in Walden Pond for example. Walden Pond is about nature, but it's not just about nature; it's also about man's relationship with nature as he saw in the world around him. In Walden, Thoreau wants to prove that anybody can live simple and easy and still enjoy life. Enjoy the nature around us without being consumed by things like debt and other problems that associate with life.

The five literary devices in Chapter Three are irony, metaphor, personification, amplification, and point of view. Thoreau conveys his message with an ironic way of thinking. He expresses that “the best books are not read even by those who are called good readers.” He points out the irony is the new stage of “good readers” and change in language that developed for generations. He effectively relays this message by questioning whether the quality of readers are acknowledging well-known and the great expression of the Transcendentalist belief Symbolism supports the idea of man’s significant knowledge of language and it’s history. A quote reads: “a symbol of an ancient man’s thoughts becomes a modern man’s speech (67).” The novel reflects Thoreau’s

An American literary theorist and novelist, Kenneth Burke, once said, “Wherever there is persuasion, there is rhetoric, and wherever there is rhetoric, there is meaning.” (Burke) Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer all delivered powerful persuasive speeches that will go down in history. The use of these motivational individuals’ language and persuasion played a pivotal role within the civil rights movement, the movement that achieved the most important breakthrough in the equal rights legislation. We can observe this in the speakers’ rhetoric devices like ethos, logos and pathos.