RE: Thread for the Analysis of Henry David Thoreau's Writings
July 21, 2019 at 8:51 am
(This post was last modified: July 21, 2019 at 9:02 am by Alan V.)
As I think I said, I am not criticizing Thoreau in this instance except in his self-righteous misrepresentation of ordinary people, who he thought of as imprisoned by conformity. "Why oh why can't they see how brilliant my simple solution to a complex problem is!" It's not at all clear that passive resistance could have ended slavery, and I have no doubt that many people ignored the law about escaped slaves.
Thoreau would have been more effective in conveying his messages if he had actually tried to understand and address the motivations of ordinary people.
Of course, passive resistance is a good tool to have in the toolbox since it works in certain situations. For that I give Thoreau credit.
Thoreau would have been more effective in conveying his messages if he had actually tried to understand and address the motivations of ordinary people.
Of course, passive resistance is a good tool to have in the toolbox since it works in certain situations. For that I give Thoreau credit.
