Henry David Thoreau

Spencer Lambert
ENGL 48A
Journal for Henry David Thoreau
October 21, 2009

"I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think right."

Internet Quotation: "I wish to show that Thoreau, though brusque on occasions, was refined, courteous, kind and humane; that he had a religion and lived up to it." - Edward Waldo Emerson

Summary: I very much like this quotation because when speaking of government, or many traits of so-called civilization for that matter, we can sometimes forget that we are human beings. Instead, we are looked at as faceless, anonymous "subjects" to play with, coerce, send to war, et al by the government. This is not so, and Thoreau recognizes this in this quotation. We need to regain our manhood, to use a somewhat sexist term, and understand that this manhood comes before anything else. Who we are cannot be forgotten.

The second is interesting because it comes from Edward Waldo Emerson, a son of another eminent writer of the time whose name I'm quite sure you can guess. The greater passage from which this quotation comes is an account of Thoreau from the young Emerson, and it paints a portrait rarely seen of the man, or any writer for that matter. I think that while the quotation certainly applies to the person, it also applies to the philosophy. It is radical, blunt, and "brusque." But there is real substance to Thoreau's writing, and he stuck to it.

My Ideas: Government seems to be an problem that will never be solved. We humans just can't seem to get it right. Thoreau throws his own thoughts into the pot, some of which are fine suggestions when dealing with an unjust government.

I wonder in what ways we could use Thoreau's ideas today, which have influenced Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr., to name two of the more successful in their endeavors of civil disobedience. There remain problems with our society that the government seems to do nothing about; war, poverty, corruption in the public and private sector, and unequal rights for gay and lesbian couples instantly jump to mind. While they are perhaps not as horrific as the slavery Thoreau attacked so vehemently, they are still major problems that need fixing. By not taking major, revolutionary action, we are becoming complicit in the government's actions (or lack thereof). There is something terribly, terribly wrong with this.



We become part of the machine that Thoreau talks of, moving along as a "mass of men serv[ing] the state." To act as a counter-friction to this massive machine, we must resist, realizing that only by removing ourselves from the machine can we escape the wrongs perpetuated by the government. Revolt and become a man again. It all sounds so brilliantly immediate, doubtless Thoreau's aim.

But not everything sits well with me. The famous "that government is best which governs least" line is one that I disagree with. If the recent financial catastrophe has taught us, it is that we need more, not less governance. Regulation of certain sectors of life is necessary to stop the seemingly inherent evil in those parts. Man can be a greedy animal, and when faced with doing the right thing or making loads of money, I think many would choose the latter. And those that would not choose profit over people would think for a long time about their decision. This reality necessitates some sort of watchman, which is best provided in the form of a government with real authority and power.



But, as another famous saying goes, who watches the watchmen? Thoreau's statement, in so many words, is that we do. We the people are responsible for maintaining a watch over that entity which is above all others -- government. I think that is what Thoreau's best lesson is. It isn't about subscribing to any ideology, following any set rules about what taxes to accept and decline, or anything else like that. It is to understand your power as a human being and citizen to resist against injustice. If your government is committing atrocities, fight back with what you can. It is difficult to do, as money usually equals power. But with a massive motivated force, I believe that not even the well-financed interests can silence the voices of the true and the just and the right.

It all sounds oratorical, all grandiose and majestic, which is what Thoreau used to get his point across. As a speech, a call to action, this essay is incredibly effective. Personally, whenever I'm called a machine I tend to get installed stirred up into a fit. I am not, I say, slamming my Norton Anthology on the table, upsetting my coffee cup. I remember that I am a man first. Which is why I find so much right with Thoreau. His halfway-there anarchism, if I could call it that, isn't my personal political ideology, but his declarative statement that we are people, not subjects is one that I can easily stand behind, voice raised and flag held high. Government will not watch itself; we have over two hundred years worth of it in this country alone to prove that. We must watch it, as men and women tuned to the divine goodness and desirous only of justice.