Read this excerpt from Henry David Thoreau's "Resistance to Civil Government": The mass of men serve the State thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. . . . Such command no more respect than men of straw, or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Which statement best describes Thoreau's rhetorical style?
Answers
The statement which best describes Thoreau's rhetorical style is:
Thoreau uses simile and metaphor to show how little the government values its citizens.
Henry David Thoreau's argument in the “Resistance to Civil Government” was that the citizens of a nation need to disobey the laws implemented by the state if the laws are unjust. He speaks about his experience when he protested against slavery and the Mexican War by refusing to pay taxes. He adds that there are two types of laws, one is made by God and the other by the people. The laws made by God is about humanity and is higher than the laws made by men. He adds that if the laws made by men prove to be unjust and are against humanity then the people should have the right to disobey them.
In this excerpt, Henry David Thoreau casts aspersions on people who serve the state and does not question its policies or intentions.
He even goes on to compare them with dogs and horses.
There is a feeling that he does not think highly of them as he calls them mere machines to carry out tasks allocated to them.
In the end, he says that people like these are usually called as good citizens by the state.