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.