Thoreau's Life In Jail

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Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “In the long run, there is nothing more liberating, no more exhilarating than to determine one's position, state it bravely, and then act boldly.” Thoreau was the finest example of this quote. He refused to pay a poll tax for which he thought funded the Mexican war, and for that he was made to stay the night in jail; however, it was entirely unimaginable that it would have been such a liberating and enlightening experience for him. Thoreau’s experience utterly liberated himself from his own ignorance when he was made to witness first hand the true care given in jail, to absorb the beauty of his home, and to see his neighbors and their actions through a new perspective.

The care Thoreau was given in jail was truly

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