• The word but in this context means “only,” so “Government is at best but an expedient” means that the only good a government can do is provide a convenient way to solve a problem or accomplish a goal.
What is the meaning of government according to Thoreau?
Thoreau refers to the government as an expedient. What does he mean? He means the government is practical and convenient, but may be immoral .
What does Thoreau mean when he says government is at best an expedient but most governments are usually and all governments are sometimes inexpedient?
What does Thoreau mean when he writes, “Government is at best an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient?”a. Thoreau means that the government does better when they are not involved in an issue . They are better when the government stays out of it.
What does Thoreau mean when he writes it does not keep the country free it does not settle the West it does not educate?
It does not settle the West. It does not educate.” Thoreau’s strong feeling about the government in his piece amplifies his distaste for it. Thoreau makes a good point about how most individuals allow the government to regulate them. They may not like the government, but they will do nothing to change it.
What is the meaning of the words expedient and inexpedient as used in the text?
Define the word expedient (noun) and inexpedient (adj). An expedient is “a means of coming to an end”. Inexpedient means “ not suitable or advisable .”
What topic is Henry David Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government primarily about?
Here topic is Henry David Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil Government” primarily about the government and its role in an individuals life . On the other hand it provides you best and effective solution to move forward with no risk.
What did Thoreau say about corrupt government?
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 does Thoreau use as a metaphor for government?
Thoreau’s metaphor for the government in “Civil Disobedience” is a machine . Just like a machine, the government has problems that can cause it to break, like friction within its structure.
Why does Thoreau compare the government to a machine?
Thoreau compares the government, or “state,” to a machine to highlight how the government can cause individuals to ignore their own conscience and become complicit in immoral acts . They become part of a machine that “produces” slavery and warfare.
What does Thoreau mean when he states I ask for not at once no government but at once a better government?
It is often “abused and perverted” so that it no longer represents the will of the people. “But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. ... Rather, for the moment , he is asking for a better government.
What does the standing army is only an arm of the standing government?
The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it.
What is a standing government?
A “standing army” is one that is maintained by a government on an ongoing basis. The “standing government” is the one that is currently in place . The first one is permanent, the second one is temporary.
What does infelicitous mean in English?
: not felicitous : such as. a : not appropriate or well-timed an infelicitous remark. b : awkward, unfortunate an infelicitous moment. Other Words from infelicitous Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About infelicitous.
What’s the meaning of Malapropos?
: in an inappropriate or inopportune way .
What is the definition of inexpedient?
: not expedient : inadvisable .
What did Thoreau believe?
Thoreau’s attitude toward reform involved his transcendental efforts to live a spiritually meaningful life in nature. As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).
