Civil Disobedience

Essay | Henry David Thoreau
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Brief Questions Civil Disobedience

Brief Questions Civil Disobedience 

  • What is the conclusion of the motto “That government is best which governs least”?
Ans: The logical conclusion is “That government is best which governs not at all.”
  • What was happening with the American government in Thoreau’s time?
Ans: It was losing integrity and moral strength day by day.
  • Why are the majority allowed to rule?
Ans: Not because they are right or just, but because they are physically the strongest.
  • What kind of worth do men who serve the state have?
Ans: Their worth is like that of dogs and horses—they obey without conscience.
  • How do heroes and reformers serve the state?
Ans: They serve it with their conscience, not merely with their bodies.
  • What do all men recognize?
Ans: All men recognize the right of revolution.
  • What should a man do regarding a wrong?
Ans: He should not support or take part in it; he must wash his hands of it.
  • How do feelings about sin progress?
Ans: First comes shame, then indifference, and finally sin becomes accepted as normal.
  • What is one sign of an unjust law?
Ans: The punishment for breaking it is far harsher than the offence itself.
  • What should be considered as bloodshed?
Ans: The wounding of one’s conscience should be regarded as bloodshed.
  • When does a man meet an everlasting death?
Ans: When his conscience is wounded and his true self dies.
  • To whom does a small tax appear large?
Ans: To poor labourers who work hard for little, any tax feels excessive.
  • What did Confucius say about government?
Ans: If a state follows reason, poverty is shameful; if not, wealth is shameful.
  • How many years did Thoreau refuse to pay poll-tax?
Ans: He refused to pay it for six years.
  • How did Thoreau regard his imprisonment?
Ans: He found it foolish that the state tried to imprison his body, not his mind.
  • Why was Thoreau imprisoned for one night?
Ans: Because he refused to pay the poll-tax.
  • How was the night in prison for him?
Ans: It was an interesting and reflective experience.
  • Who introduced Thoreau’s roommate in jail?
Ans: The jailer introduced his roommate to him.
  • What did the roommate do after the door was locked?
Ans: He showed Thoreau where to hang his hat and how he lived there.
  • Why was the roommate imprisoned?
Ans: He was accused of burning a barn.
  • What is Thoreau’s opinion about taxpayers?
Ans: They indirectly support injustice more than the government itself.
  • Why does Thoreau mention Orpheus?
Ans: To show that real change, like Orpheus’s music, takes time and patience.
  • What did Thoreau say about Daniel Webster?
Ans: Webster was wise for lawmakers but never thought about true moral reform.
  • Who stand by the Bible and the Constitution?
Ans: Those who don’t seek the real cause of evil in society.
  • What does Thoreau say about legislators of genius?
Ans: He says no true genius in legislation has yet appeared in America.
  • What kind of state does Thoreau imagine?
Ans: A just state that respects every individual and allows moral independence.
  • How do reformers serve the state?
Ans: They challenge existing laws to improve society.
  • How do most men serve the state?
Ans: Like machines, without moral judgment.
  • Who serve the state with conscience?
Ans: Only a few—heroes, martyrs, patriots, and reformers.
  • Who are the enemies of the state, according to Thoreau?
Ans: Heroes and reformers who oppose injustice.
  • What results from blind respect for law?
Ans: Armies of soldiers who follow orders without thinking.
  • When do men have the right to revolution?
Ans: When the government becomes tyrannical or unjust.
  • What action is truly revolutionary?
Ans: Acting from moral principle rather than blind obedience.
  • What is Thoreau’s opinion of voting?
Ans: He calls it a kind of gambling with moral issues.
  • When is a minority powerless?
Ans: When it blindly follows the majority.
  • Why did Thoreau refuse to pay the tax bill?
Ans: To withdraw his support from an unjust government.
  • Why was Thoreau jailed for one night?
Ans: For not paying the poll-tax.
  • What was the topic of Thoreau’s lecture at Concord Lyceum?
Ans: “On the Relation of the Individual to the State.”
  • What is Thoreau’s dream of an ideal state?
Ans: A state that treats every person with justice and respects personal freedom. 

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Henry David Thoreau
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