Both of the essays “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther king Jr. and “Civil Disobedience” by Henry Thoreau (1849) showed their understanding about civil disobedience multiple times. Their purpose of their essays was to argue for the right to disobey authority if there is social injustice.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. took direct action rather than waiting, potentially forever, for justice to come through the courts. King also analyzes the duty and the responsibility of the citizens to protest and to takes action against corrupt laws of the government. When talking about resistance to unjust laws, King writes, “So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be …show more content…
Thoreau states that a government is the accomplishment of the work for when it was created. It is the sole purpose of being certain of individual freedom. He later states that he simply wants a better government. The government rarely proves itself and that it deserves its power. For example, Thoreau states, “The best government is the government that governs least.” Speaks in favor of government that does not intrude upon men’s lives. Some governments show a reason of how successfully men can be imposed on or even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. Thoreau focuses on the U.S citizens, foremost intellectuals in the East and North of the United States. Thoreau’s audience focuses on the U.S citizens because he often writes of the injustice that the government exhibits towards its people. For instance, Thoreau writes, “why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have on them?” This shows how the government does not encourage its citizens to be watchful to point out all of the
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. took direct action rather than waiting, potentially forever, for justice to come through the courts. King also analyzes the duty and the responsibility of the citizens to protest and to takes action against corrupt laws of the government. When talking about resistance to unjust laws, King writes, “So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be …show more content…
Thoreau states that a government is the accomplishment of the work for when it was created. It is the sole purpose of being certain of individual freedom. He later states that he simply wants a better government. The government rarely proves itself and that it deserves its power. For example, Thoreau states, “The best government is the government that governs least.” Speaks in favor of government that does not intrude upon men’s lives. Some governments show a reason of how successfully men can be imposed on or even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. Thoreau focuses on the U.S citizens, foremost intellectuals in the East and North of the United States. Thoreau’s audience focuses on the U.S citizens because he often writes of the injustice that the government exhibits towards its people. For instance, Thoreau writes, “why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have on them?” This shows how the government does not encourage its citizens to be watchful to point out all of the