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Repent Harlequin - Essay
Critical Thinking, Literature (ENGL G110)
Golden West College
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QUOC PHONG, LE
Student No.: C Critical Thinking Prof. Abraham Tarango
The Citizen Classification from “Civil Disobedience”
The term “Civil Disobedience” was first used by American philosopher Henry David Thoreau in his essay "Civil Disobedience" in 1848. Civil disobedience with anti-character The nation's wrong policy has become a humane way of behaving so that the citizens with low voices can speak out in their hands in front of the authorities with two powerful tools which are law and military. The basic content of the essay discusses the relationship between an individual (or a minority of citizens) and the state. Accordingly, individuals (or minority citizens) may not comply, not obey the state; it is even possible to practice against the laws of the state if they feel that the laws are not suitable for the people, even the minority, by the method of "peaceful revolution". Currently, there are many different concepts about "civil disobedience" but actually "civil disobedience" is the activities of publicly refusing to obey, or intentionally and consciously violating a certain law to hinder the implementation of state policies and laws; is a form of nonviolent protest, which pressures the state to change policies, laws, even overthrow the government; nature is a violation of the law. In the "Civil Disobedience", Thoreau stated the view of "the state" and with his classification of citizens as those who serve the state with their bodies, those who serve it with their heads, and those who serve it with their consciences. I completely disagree with the author's opinion and in this essay, I will present my point of view to explain that disagreement.
First of all, To answer these questions about civil disobedience, one must first answer another question: What role should government play in limiting or controlling personal choice? How far any particular individual is willing to push the limits of the law depends largely upon his or her feelings of loyalty and patriotism to the nation. The choice to respect the law lies with individuals. While some people respect the law other fellows decide to go against governments especially when the laws do not favor them, historically, many activists have been associated with the aspect of civil disobedience in the fight against injustice and oppression of ordinary citizens. The activists lobby people to resist oppressive authority thus growing the aspect of civil resistance. Henry David Thoreau once said that the obedient remain slaves to oppressive authorities. As an activist, he advocated for civil resistance for the sake of protection of the less powerful in the society. Just like Henry David Thoreau, there are various figures who have rallied against unjust rulers to an extent they were taken to jail. This active refusal of citizens serves to go against commands of the government, certain state laws and occupants of international powers. This resistance is often though sometimes it comes out as non-violent boycott (Scheuerman 615). One who holds the ideas of loyalty and patriotism in the highest regard is less willing to upset the order of his government. In an excerpt from Plato’s Crito, written over two thousand years ago, Socrates, a citizen of Athens, explains his view that citizens are forever indebted to their nation. Speaking on behalf of the Athenian government, Socrates asks Crito, “Well then, since you were brought into the world and nurtured and educated by us, can you deny in the first place that you are our child and slave, as your fathers were before you?” (Plato 664). This question clearly indicates Socrates’s firm belief that the individual is beholden to the state as the child is to the parent; he owes nothing
or government should be the servant of the individual citizen; the individual is the supreme authority. Thoreau surely is a champion of thinking for oneself. Thoreau suggests that the government is to blame for any violence that might occur in revolution. He shows signs of a strong will and limited patience. Later, Thoreau states, “As for adopting the ways which the State has provided for remedying the evil, I know not of such ways. They take too much time, and a man’s life will be gone” (683). The individual, according to Thoreau, is more effective and efficient than the State in addressing problems of evil and corruption.
Many people view the impact of civil disobedience from different perspectives. Some people take the notion of civil disobedience from a positive angle while other takes it as a bother. In the process of fighting for justice, civil disobedience can disrupt societal harmony thus a major social ill. The unrest caused by this resistance affect the society. In the essay, the essayist asserts that civil disobedience is associated with severe reaction from the rulers and owners of power. In the context of this civil a battle, the society is at stake. Governments have used their own forces to bring down their own people. These include the use live bullets and misuse of firearms in confronting the defiant protesting citizens. Such events create unrest in the society, as a result, social ill of deaths. In such instance, the helpless citizens face the wrath associated with the fight for this social justice (Schock 245). Martin Luther King Jnr, George Mason, W.E Du Bois and Mahatma Gandhi are among the personalities in the unending list of the civil right activist. Martin Luther King Jnr is globally renowned for his dedicated fight against the oppressive American government. As an activist, he rallied against the government with streets protests forcing the government to change some of the harsh laws. During the era, there were vibrant inequality laws, unfavorable tax policies and open dictatorship that made the citizens seem as slaves. The staunch activist equally
participated in the fight against Blackman slavery. In the architecture of history, he will be remembered as a major contributor to the abolition of racial segregation American history. George Mason was a politician and a delegate to the US Convention in 1787; he remains a significant figure in American political events. He objected the American constitution in 1787 terming it as inconsiderate of the ordinary Americans. In return, he mobilized people to support the United States Bill of Rights which advocated for justice and equality in America. He remains a key figure in American revolutionary cause (Thoreau 14). Many social theories hold to the argument that civil disobedience is not relevant when it is leveled against government entities. Historically, activists have always come vocally against the government. The main slogan that keeps the resistance is justified resistance whenever injustice becomes law. The theoretical perspective supports the fact people should always protest against such entities whenever they breach the law in their favor. The point of the argument is that the rule of law remains applicable regardless of the person that commits the offense. A government that despises its citizens deserves nothing less than sheer disobedience. In a letter dated 10th September 1935, Mahatma Gandhi describes civil disobedience as a watch dog to an oppressive government. In the letter, the civil right activist raises the alarm and warns inconsiderate rulers to value those that they serve. Use of excessive force, harsh slavery terms and misuse of criminal justice units is a threat to harmonious existence. Such motives will only tear the already divided society (Scheuerman 620). Henry David Thoreau wrote a warning poem to the then US rulers in the era of 1849. During this time Zachary Taylor was serving as the 12th president of the United States. Zachary Taylor was a retired major general in the U army. He drastically gained fame and ascended to power at the end of the Great Mexican war. His regime was marred with civil oppression
bias civil right laws in America. In most cases, activists focus on all the factors to push for change (Schock 245).
Begin with his first classification, the military is a centralized, permanent and professional armed organization built by a state or a political movement aimed at gaining power, liberating the country, and defending the country by armed struggle war to fulfill the political purpose of the state or of that political movement. Every army is a combat tool for the system, the political organization that organizes that army. As such, there is no absolute non- class military or absolute non-political standing. The fighting power of the army depends on the socio-political regime, the socio-economic power of the state or the political movement, the level of scientific and technical development and the internal factors such as the number of soldiers, the quality of officers and soldiers, equipment, the level of military science and art, and the organization of the commanders, the morale and level of operations of the soldiers. With the argument of the author about this classification, he states that almost men serve the state as machines with their bodies only. They cannot have their own opinion but must absolutely obey the command whether it is true or false. With this argument, the author has listed this class included standing army, and the milita, jailors, constables, posse comitatus, etc. The only purpose for their existence is for the benefit of the government, for the sake of the state, so they are considered as wood or a lump of dirt. Maybe the social and political economic situation of the States at that time gave the author a pessimistic view of this classification, but I only partially agreed with the author's comment. First of all, the military exists based on discipline and obedience to the orders, which are inherent characteristics of this class to ensure that orders are executed correctly and absolutely. Discipline is one of the basic factors that create the fighting strength of every army. Observance of discipline is a principle in
building a revolutionary, regular, elite, step by step modern army, a condition to ensure that the military always has a high uniform focus on the will and action to overcoming difficulties and challenges, completing all assigned tasks. A given order must ensure it is completed on time, otherwise it will cause unpredictable consequences and make the problem even more difficult to solve. Therefore, it can be said that this class serves the state with their bodies and the author put them on a level with wood and earth and stones and that's the point of view I agree with the author. “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies.” (para. 1). This method of using a person often goes against that person’s better judgment, yet they often continue with what they’re forced to do because they are afraid of the consequences of acting out. If this cycle continues, the person will stop seeing himself as an individual and more as a pawn whose only job is to serve. Conformity hinders a person’s ability to think for themselves, and as a result, they act according to the norms of society instead of how they would as an individual.
The second class that the author describes those who serve the state with their “heads” including at most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and officeholders. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau is arguing that everyone has an obligation to refuse to participate in evil. He said that people are not obliged to actually go out and correct the evils that occur in the world. However, they have a duty to abstain from actually helping to make evil happen. Thoreau says that very few people in society fulfill this obligation. He said that the vast majority of people do not put any thought into serving the state. They do what the government tells them to do without ever thinking about what they are doing right or wrong. These are the people who will leave and fight for the government when they engage in a war of slavery expansion (Thoreau was, famously, opposed to the Mexican-American War because he felt
do this is to try to understand the lack of opportunities minorities have in their own communities and create options for improvement. Without opportunities people resort to disobeying the law. These minorities in Baltimore are individuals who do not have the same opportunities as wealthier people and their families do not have sufficient financial means to support them. This can cause people to lead lives of crime, which includes drug trafficking. Therefore, Obama claims that violent riots and civil disobedience are not solutions for solving the issue of discrimination. It is necessary that all citizens take these minorities’ lives into account and that the State provides them with the education they need to help them improve their lives. In addition, the President states that police officers often interact with poor African American individuals in an anarchic manner. For this reason, Obama emphasizes the need for “soul-searching” for new requirements for policemen. All that heroic individuals who were protesting wanted was answers to the question of how this incident happened and was there equality in the treatment of this individual. However, their needs were not being acknowledged by the State and consequently these protests grew into aggressive riots, which originated from "individual heroes" as Thoreau mentioned. “Peaceful, organized demonstrations rarely get attention from the national news media until they turn ugly, and then it becomes about people who decide to destroy, vandalize and loot rather than the reason they are doing it.” (Gray, 2015). According to Thoreau's theory, a few individuals in society who actually serve the state with their heart often have to go against the interests of society and the country, so these individuals are considered as heroes but are often treated as enemies and end up brutal. However, in my opinion, I disagree with the author’s argument because when following the line of above thought, if the act of disobeying the order becomes universal, the country will fall into anarchy and will soon decline. At first glance, the reasoning for this law seems plausible
because people can mimic disobedience to paralyze state management and stagnate the state in all aspects of politics, culture, economy, and society. In addition, if disobedience becomes a universal rule, the change in laws and policies of the state towards disobedience will no longer significant. At that time, no one respected the state's law and people could disobey the law at any time. In the work of Harlan Ellison, “Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman, (1965) a character named Everett C was also place in this classification and in the end he was mistreated that he was killed by Ticktockman, who was the supreme representative in the enforcement of justice by the authorities.
Every society exists injustice. All societies - past or present - are characterized by social differences. It is a process in which people create distance due to different behavior by different positions, roles and characteristics. The process of social difference does not require people to evaluate the specific roles and activities that exist as more important than others; However, social differences prepare for social inequality, a condition in which people have an unequal opportunity for the use of wealth, power and prestige. Social inequality is not a phenomenon that exists randomly between individuals in society. Society has inequality when some social groups control and exploit other social groups. Different societies exist different systems of social inequality. Social inequality is a central issue of sociology, which is crucial to the stratification of social organization.
Annette T. Rottenberg. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2000. 676-693.
Repent Harlequin - Essay
Course: Critical Thinking, Literature (ENGL G110)
University: Golden West College
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