Thoreau and Gandhi

David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi were both people that wanted to persuade others to follow their causes, and they did so in different ways. While there are mainly differences, there are some similarities as well, so they are good things to compare and contrast. Thoreau wrote a small essay called "Civil Disobedience" which discussed his issues with the government and the night that he spent in jail because he refused to pay a poll tax (Thoreau). Gandhi gave a speech titled "On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March" which tried to persuade people to follow his point of view on getting rid of the salt issues that his country was having with Britain (Gandhi). They had similarities in their works in different ways. They both were going against their government, but trying to be peaceful about doing so (Thoreau) (Gandhi). They were both standing up to their government, and Thoreau was doing so by not paying a poll tax, while Gandhi was doing so by trying to get his own salt from the oceans instead of needing to buy it from Britain (Thoreau) (Gandhi). They were both against violence and did not want anyone to be hurt by their actions, but they both also wanted their opinions to come out into the open and be known by everyone around. They had more differences than they did similarities, though, and I think that is because they are from different time periods, so they had different styles of writing and speaking. Thoreau wrote his essay more as a story than as a persuasive essay, even though they had some of the same qualities (Thoreau). He was explaining a lot of the details of his time in jail and described many of the little, unimportant things that had been happening around him (Thoreau). He talked about the point that he was trying to make in the very beginning of his essay, but he quickly lost his point in the details (Thoreau). He was more worried about explaining how his night in jail was not terribly hard and how it was even pretty fun and not that difficult for him (Thoreau). He claimed that he might not have even had that hard of a time staying there for quite a long period of time (Thoreau). Gandhi was different in his speech, because was more inspirational to others than Thoreau's essay (Gandhi). Gandhi was trying to motivate other followers that shared his belief (Gandhi). He was trying to tell everyone else that the tax that the British were imposing on them was wrong and that it should be changed (Gandhi). Gandhi was explaining to the other followers that even if he and other people should get arrested while they were protesting the tax, the other people should keep going in their fight so that hopefully they could eventually get the tax lifted so that it will be gone (Gandhi). Thoreau only explained that he protested the United States being involved in wars and slavery, but he did not say that much about how he protested, which was by refusing to pay a poll tax, which seems to have very little relevance (Thoreau). Gandhi and Thoreau both wanted to protest something that their government was doing or was allowing others to do, but they did so in very different ways, and they also documented it very differently.

Thoreau, Henry D. "Civil Disobedience." The Transcendentalists--including Ralph Waldo Emerson--David Henry Thoreau--Others--Dial Magazine. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. http://www.transcendentalists.com/civil_disobedience.htm.

Gandhi. "Famous Speeches of Gandhiji: On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March." Mani Bhavan--Gandhi Sangrahalaya: Mahatma Gandhi Museum & Reference Library. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/gandhicomesalive/speech4.htm.