Thursday, November 09, 2006
Henry David Thoreau II
Katja
Journal #12
ENGL 48A, Thoreau
November 9, 2006
"What is the price current of and honest man and patriot to-day? They hesitate and they regret and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret." (1795)
This statement gets right to the beef of Thoreau’s argument, i.e. the distinct lack of active and conscientious citizens. He claims that such a citizen really has no true value, neither as man nor patriot, and he does in fact call such people cowards. Perhaps this sentence states the reason for Thoreau’s writing Resistance to Civil Government at all.
Thoreau is clearly fed up with his fellow-citizens’ habits of just skirting around the hot issues of the time, primarily the abolition of slavery. The statement could also be seen as a pique towards his friend Emerson who took a softer socio-political approach than did Thoreau. Latecomers to the abolition issue did not sit well with Thoreau, who took this cause very seriously.
I think what Thoreau was prescribing for society was quite radical at the time. To actively work for the rights of others was a pretty low priority to most people at the time. Sitting pretty in their comfortable homes, these—in Thoreau’s eyes—dishonest and unpatriotic men felt no need to jeopardize their status in order to gain freedom for slaves. Thoreau does nothing less than call them a bunch of gasbag losers. He felt very strongly that citizenship was a privilege that needed to be cultivated and utilized.
Unfortunately, we still see this lack of active involvement in today’s society. Citizens and residents alike fail to live up to standards set by a quasi-democratic government, not recognizing the fact that their very participation is required to actually make such a government truly democratic. Thoreau would be sorely disappointed in the lackadaisical attitude of contemporary U.S. citizenry who fail to even get out and vote with any regularity. Even at the grassroots level there are few members of society who are passionate enough about an issue to get involved. Correctly, Thoreau thinks it unpatriotic to not work in some capacity for the betterment of your country.
I think this document should be required reading for all eligible voters. Those who know better do better.
Journal #12
ENGL 48A, Thoreau
November 9, 2006
"What is the price current of and honest man and patriot to-day? They hesitate and they regret and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret." (1795)
This statement gets right to the beef of Thoreau’s argument, i.e. the distinct lack of active and conscientious citizens. He claims that such a citizen really has no true value, neither as man nor patriot, and he does in fact call such people cowards. Perhaps this sentence states the reason for Thoreau’s writing Resistance to Civil Government at all.
Thoreau is clearly fed up with his fellow-citizens’ habits of just skirting around the hot issues of the time, primarily the abolition of slavery. The statement could also be seen as a pique towards his friend Emerson who took a softer socio-political approach than did Thoreau. Latecomers to the abolition issue did not sit well with Thoreau, who took this cause very seriously.
I think what Thoreau was prescribing for society was quite radical at the time. To actively work for the rights of others was a pretty low priority to most people at the time. Sitting pretty in their comfortable homes, these—in Thoreau’s eyes—dishonest and unpatriotic men felt no need to jeopardize their status in order to gain freedom for slaves. Thoreau does nothing less than call them a bunch of gasbag losers. He felt very strongly that citizenship was a privilege that needed to be cultivated and utilized.
Unfortunately, we still see this lack of active involvement in today’s society. Citizens and residents alike fail to live up to standards set by a quasi-democratic government, not recognizing the fact that their very participation is required to actually make such a government truly democratic. Thoreau would be sorely disappointed in the lackadaisical attitude of contemporary U.S. citizenry who fail to even get out and vote with any regularity. Even at the grassroots level there are few members of society who are passionate enough about an issue to get involved. Correctly, Thoreau thinks it unpatriotic to not work in some capacity for the betterment of your country.
I think this document should be required reading for all eligible voters. Those who know better do better.
# posted by Katja @ 9:14 AM 
