On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Analysis

Government is a system of legislators that act on the part of the people, to actively promote a healthy and interactive community - or at least that is what the concept of government was originally. However, government has evolved through those who control it, and oftentimes the role of the government in civilian life is viewed negatively by the governed. Those governed do not always agree with how the system is run, which has created friction between the two parties. Acts of rebellion are often violent, but peaceful protests also are led in order to bring attention to issues, and enact change. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”, an essay by Henry David Thoreau, expresses his thoughts on the government and how citizens should respond to governmental issues. Thoreau’s primary method of persuasion employs the use of rhetorical strategies to make readers want to make a change by creating a sense of self-realization of the ideas in the reader. Readers realize that there is a problem that exists, and will want to fix them. Thoreau uses parallelism, rhetorical questions, and paradoxes in order to persuade people to make a change in government.
In Thoreau’s essay, “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau creates a definitive flow in how he presents his …show more content…
He argues in “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” that the government no longer does what it was created to do; subjects people to follow and support its decisions, without necessarily informing people of their choice; and limits the freedoms people have in society. Thoreau wants to convince his readers to begin thinking and living in the manner he does. His arguments ultimately lead his audience to experience feelings of injustice, and want to become more involved in deciding how they are governed through the use of civil