The quick answer to this is that Thoreau says the only obligation he has the right to assume is
the obligation to follow his own conscience
. Here is a quote that shows that. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.
What is the rule obligation by which Thoreau lives?
6)What is the rule/obligation by which Thoreau lives? He lived by
the rule of always doing what he thinks is right, putting man first and a subject after.
What is the only obligation Thoreau feels he has toward society?
What does he say is the only obligation he has a right to assume?
He thinks its bad because it forces to go along with the group
. He thinks that he has the obligation to only do what he believes is right. Thoreau says a man does not have a duty to eradicate wrong, but he does have the duty “to wash his hands of it.
What does Thoreau mean when he says the right of revolution?
Thoreau defines the “right of revolution” as the
right to “refuse allegiance to, and to resist
” (part 1, par. 8) the government when it ceases to operate as it was intended.
What does Thoreau say about the law?
Thoreau declared that if the government required people to participate in injustice by obeying “unjust laws,” then people should “break the laws” even if they ended up in prison. “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly,” he asserted, “
the true place for a just man is also a prison
.”
What is the main source of greatness in a person?
Terms in this set (15) What is the main source of greatness in a person, according to Emerson?
Your individuality, yourself
.
What is the only obligation that he feels that a person should assume?
The quick answer to this is that Thoreau says the only obligation he has the right to assume is
the obligation to follow his own conscience
. Here is a quote that shows that. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.
Why does Thoreau look down upon soldiers captains and generals?
7)Why does Thoreau look down on soldiers, captains, generals, etc.?
Because they follow and serve even if they don’t believe in what the law
is or if it goes against common sense. He says, “Soldiers have no opportunity to exercise moral sense, reduced to the existence comparable to that of a horse or dog.”
What is Thoreau’s central message in Walden?
Thoreau’s central message in Walden is
to live simply, independently, and wisely
.
What were his feelings about the government while he was in jail?
How did his imprisonment affect his feelings about the government?
He refused to pay his poll tax. In jail he lost respect for the state.
… People would live by their own rules without regard for the law, and no one person or group would have control.
What type of government does Thoreau want?
How does Thoreau define the best possible kind of government? Thoreau envisions the best kind of government as on that does not govern. He supports
laissez-faire (free enterprise, free trade, noninterfering)
.
What does Thoreau consider the most effective way of expressing his displeasure with the government?
Thoreau considers
civil disobedience
one of the most effective ways of expressing his displeasure with the government. Civil disobedience, as the name suggests, is the active disregard and breaking of a government rule when a private citizen believes it is unnecessary or even against society’s best interests.
What should a citizen do about an unjust law?
What should a citizen do about an unjust law? “
If it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of an injustice to another, then, I say, break the law
.” “If one honest man… ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership…it would be the abolition of slavery in America.”
What does Thoreau suggest is worse than disobeying an unjust law?
He disagreed with other American people who believed
the majority should change the law first
because it is a worse thing to disobey the law than to do what an unjust law says to do. Thoreau wrote that breaking the unjust laws is better: “Break the law. … However, Thoreau did not think people should be criminals.
What does Thoreau argue about voting?
According to Thoreau, when is the majority likely to vote for morality and justice? The majority is likely to vote for morality and justice
when the issue has already been decided
, when it takes no courage to vote for the right, when, in other words, its vote no longer matters.
What does Thoreau mean when he says he refuses to sit on another man’s shoulders?
What does Thoreau mean when he says he refuses to sit on another man’s shoulders?
He refuses to support inequality. He refuses to benefit from injustice directed toward others.
