The American people are the audience of Henry Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, and with his argument, he attempts to ignite the flames inside of each and every person to go out and question the authority of their leaders; and to specifically challenge the actions and decisions of their government. Throughout the longevity of his paper, Thoureau maintains a constant argument, an argument that is so impactful and extremely influential on the American people. He encourages the people to listen to their gut, follow their own conscience, and voice their opinions to the general public, rather than midlessessly follow their corrupt leaders. Thoreau develops this argument about civil disobedience by his extensive utilization of metaphors, which allude to more abstract and broad concepts and tie into the major themes of the paper, and the usage of imagery helps to create an emotional connection to the readers and the themes he is trying to covey.
One of the rhetorical terms that Thoreau frequently uses throughout Civil Disobedience is the metaphor, which Thoreau uses to convey his feelings about the government. One prominent example of his usage of the metaphor is the comparison of the American government to a machine. The metaphorical utilization of the machine directly relates back to the Thoreau’s purpose in writing this passage, the purpose being to highlight flaws in American policies and institutions. Through this metaphor, Thoreau claims that a person is morally obligated to rebel against their government if it “its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.’ Thoreau believed that the perfect time to fight against the government and its systems was in 1849, a time, that in his opinion, the government had become so tyrannic and cruel that it and it became intolerable to abide by. In the metaphor, he states that when the ‘friction comes to have its machine’, or when government oppresses its people in a way that resembles tyranny, something drastic needs to happen quickly within the system, or else the problem will cease to find a solution. Thoreau then emphasizes this claim by alluding to two very prominent moral injustices that were occurring at the time: the enslavement of the American people and the unjust invasion of Mexico, which provide truth to his argument. Again, through the implementation of the machine metaphor, Thoreau asserts that all governments have a weak point that counteract their inherent evil, and the solution to this problem, as he proclaims, lies within the people, as they are the only ones able to fight back and win. Utilizing the machine metaphor and powerful allusions strengthens Thoreau’s argument immensely and proves to be a very persuasive argument as to why Thoreau is correct in his claims.
Inside of Thoreau’s metaphor, there is a very prominent detail that cannot be overlooked when examining how Thoreau presented his argument, and that is his usage of emotional descriptors, which is an appeal to pathos. In the excerpt, Thoreau masterfully utilizes pathos to strengthen his argument, as his call to action was persuasive and emotion-ridden. In this passage, when he references the machine metaphor his diction is so vivid and produces such a strong and powerful image that the readers simply cannot overlook it. For example, he references slavery, but he does so in a way that personally affects the readers, as he utilizes emotional tones. Slavery in itself is such a controversial topic that it in itseld can also not hold any emotion. This is why the appeal to pathos, through specific examples, makes Thoreau’s argument that much more effective and persuasive to his audience.
Thoreau’s utilization of metaphors and his appeal to pathos are what in the end make his argument so strong and persuasive, as he touches on many controsial and emotion provoking subjects that are sure to draw a reaction from his audience. For most people, Civil Disobedience hits home for many readers, as most people hasIn this era, civil disobedience has played a major role in our society, and Americans regard it as one of their most basic rights: to be able to protest if they feel something is not right within their government.
