On Nonviolent Resistance Summary
In the articles: “Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau, “On Nonviolent Resistance” by Gandhi, and “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” by Martin Luther King, each makes a strong case for civil disobedience. The term “civil disobedience” refers to any nonviolent resistance to a governing authority on moral grounds. Thoreau, Gandhi, and King each argues in his own way that when the rights of a minority or an individual are ignored by any government, it is incumbent upon all who recognize this injustice to defy any laws instituted by that government which contribute to the resulting inequality. Thoreau’s argument is more philosophical; he posits more generally that governmental laws lull individuals into a kind of moral apathy, and that any rule of government is a poor substitute for individual conscience. The stance of Gandhi and King rises out of
…show more content…
They all contain facts from the time period and persuade you to believe what they are supporting. The second type of appeal used in all three articles is ethical. Thoreau touches on the moral standard of watching out for himself and not others when he argues:
If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations (besides the eradication of enormous wrongs), I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man’s shoulders. I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too (237).
While Thoreau discusses a more vague value, Gandhi explains the concept of satyagraha. He says, “One who resorts to (satyagraha) does not have to break another’s head; he may merely have his own head broken. He has to be prepared to die himself suffering all the pain (244).”
Lastly, King argues the spirituality of just and unjust laws. He states, “A just law is a manmade code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law…
They all contain facts from the time period and persuade you to believe what they are supporting. The second type of appeal used in all three articles is ethical. Thoreau touches on the moral standard of watching out for himself and not others when he argues:
If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations (besides the eradication of enormous wrongs), I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man’s shoulders. I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too (237).
While Thoreau discusses a more vague value, Gandhi explains the concept of satyagraha. He says, “One who resorts to (satyagraha) does not have to break another’s head; he may merely have his own head broken. He has to be prepared to die himself suffering all the pain (244).”
Lastly, King argues the spirituality of just and unjust laws. He states, “A just law is a manmade code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law…