Thoreau vs. Ghandi

Personally, I think "Civil Disobedience" by Thoreau and Gandhi's "On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March" are two incredibly different works. While I did find both writings interesting, I do not think the mindset was necessarily the same. Although the overall meaning was remotely similar, Thoreau and Gandhi are two very different people.

In Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," Thoreau told the story of a time in which he was thrown in jail for a night because he refused to pay his taxes. He did not feel as if the government was right; he thought it was corrupt and wanted to express his disapproval. Since he did not pay his tax to the government, he was thrown in jail for a night, and he wrote "Civil Disobedience" about his night in jail. While I think it is interesting the way he described it, I also think he kind of just sounds like a new age hippie. Plus he really made no impact on anyone besides himself by doing this. I think he believed he was making an impact, but truthfully I think it was pointless. For example, he states, "Is it not possible to take a step further towards recognizing and organizing the rights of man?" (227). By saying this, it makes me believe that Thoreau thought he was taking the step further; he was showing the government what he thought to be the right of a man. Put into a bigger perspective, though, he was just one man spending one night in jail. The government most likely did not care at all.

What I thought made Ghandi's writing so much different from Thoreau's is the fact that it actually did impact other people in the world. "On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March" is written about Ghandi's testimonial with his followers; it is about how he wants them to make the government see their point of view even after he is gone. Ghandi's plan was to have his followers "protest the salt monopoly" (229) in order to open the eyes of the government. The government would have to notice this being done; they would have to step in and take legal action. Although Ghandi knew he was going to get in trouble for this, he was doing it anyway. He did not do it to find a peace or oneness with himself like Thoreau; he was doing this to make a change in the lives of the people to come after him. One thing Ghandi said that I really thought added to his speech was, "This is my hope and prayer. I wish these words of mine reached ever nook and corner of the land" (229). By saying this, I really think it shows how important it was to Ghandi to get his message across. Yes, I do think that Thoreau was a good man and that he was doing all that he could to go against the government in order to make it less corrupt, but he really did not do much to impact the community as well. He did write this passage, but actions speak louder than words, and I think his actions were more of a whisper than a shout. Ghandi, on the other hand, was shouting to the high heavens. He had come up with a plan that would cause actual tension on the government and would enable a change to actually potentially occur. While Thoreau and Ghandi had the same general idea in mind, Ghandi definitely made a stronger physical impact than Thoreau.

WORKS CITED
"Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau." The Transcendentalists - including Ralph Waldo Emerson - Henry David Thoreau - Others - Dial Magazine. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

"Famous Speeches Of Gandhiji : On The Eve Of Historic Dandi March." Mani Bhavan - Gandhi Sangrahalaya: Mahatma Gandhi Museum & Reference Library. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.