Civil Disobedience Assignment

In Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau describes the highest duty of good citizens and how they must do, what they think is right, even at the cost of going to jail. In this essay, Thoreau asks for a better government. He asks people to follow their conscience even if the majority opposed them because the government always follows the majority even if they were wrong. Thoreau wanted to limit the power of the majority so that the individuals could follow their own morals. He uses several examples to justify his claim, such as slavery and the Mexican War. The Mexican War during Thoreau's time, many Americans believed that the United States should expand until it reached from coast to coast. President James Polk tried to buy the territories that are now California, Arizona, and New Mexico. When Mexico refused to sell, Polk prepared to fight. Thoreau viewed the war as an unjust cause. In conclusion, Thoreau gives these examples to show how the government is unjust and that a person should trust his own morals or conscience.

Self Reliance is the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas. Today's social media, for example, Twitter does not show self-reliance. User's of Twitter follow other people like celebrities and forget their own instincts and ideas. They start imitating these famous people and forget to develop their own potential as an individual. A self-reliant person would not like to have a Twitter account; to follow other people and be obsessed with their own thoughts. While a blog user will have the chance to express his or her own ideas and feelings without being afraid of rejection from other people. He or she would design his or her own template that would reflect his or her own personality. A self-reliant person would like to have a blog because he or she would think independently and would express his or her own thoughts. In conclusion, people should avoid copying what others do and think. Imitating others destroys a person's uniqueness and individuality.