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Rhetorical Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau's Resistance To Civil Government

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Henry David Thoreau’s essay, “Resistance to Civil Government” contains many rhetorical devices such as polysyndeton, rhetorical questions, and anaphora, which create a well-developed and concise essay. One of the rhetorical devices that Thoreau uses is polysyndeton, which slows the reader's pace down, and allows them to fully understand the information that was given.

This essay has many rhetorical questions, which are used throughout the essay to create a thought process for the reader, especially if the reader has already made up their mind. Thoreau uses this to urge the reader to think deeper about society, yet broaden their perspective. The reader may be closed minded, thus Thoreau’s questions lead to contemplation of whether or not

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