Thoreau on Thoreau

A detailed Summary of Thoreau on Thoreau


Philosophers, historians, authors, and politicians have spent centuries pondering the relationship between citizens and their government. It is a question that has as many considerations as there are forms of government and it is rarely answered satisfactorily. A relatively modern theorist, author Henry Thoreau, introduced an idea of man as an individual, rather than a subject, by thoroughly describing the way a citizen should live many of his works. He indirectly supplements the arguments he presents in his essay Civil Disobedience through a comprehensive selection of adages found in his other works. In particular, the phrases "A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince" and "To be awake is to be alive. I have never met a man who is quite awake" support many of the arguments in Civil Disobedience because they help to explicate the complex ideas Thoreau presents.

The phrase "A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince" regards the responsibilities of a man to his own consciousness-it is a duty that can not be revoked by any form of tyrant. Rather than hinting at a type of anarchy, this statement merely describe


Through his conscientious support of every facet of his philosophy, Thoreau effectively proves his statements regarding citizenship and government. He remains consistent to nearly every idea he presents and therefore surrounds them with a seriousness that cannot be ignored.

Another quotation that helps to explicate Thoreau's Civil Disobedience is "To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake." In this phrase, Thoreau uses the term "awake" as an euphemism for being fully aware of one's concept of right and fully in control of one's moral and physical existence. Understandably, people who are consistently awake, in this sense of the word, are hard to find: "There are nine hundred and ninety-nine patrons of virtue to one virtuous man" (680). Also, the fact that Thoreau has "never met a man who was quite awake" implies that fully conscious individuals have difficulty existing in modern society. In fact, Thoreau believes that "no man with a genius for legislation has appeared in America. They are rare in the history of the world" (692). Perhaps, by the word "awake," and its equation with "alive," Thoreau is also referring to the ability to fu

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 798
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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