Blog 5: Thoreau

Thoreau is a very opinionated man. Through out the text he voices his opinions about the government and the Mexican War both of which he strongly opposes. Although he opposes the government, he seems to understand that there must be one. He just wants a better one, one that is there as an expedient. I think that the Mexican war is a big issue with Thoreau because to him it was unjust, his country was the invading army bullying a weaker a weaker nation, and that men should no longer submit to being small moveable forts apart of this government he calls a machine. I think that Thoreau has a point when he says that a man would be one step toward obtaining the type of government he wants by making known what kind of government commands his respect, because if a person doesn’t voice opinions then nothing will be changed. In the text he speaks of how Paley often speaks of inconvenience, but knows that what’s just must always be done. As an example he spoke of wresting a plank from a drowning man, but knows that he has to give it back, yes, it would be inconvenient but he knows that he couldn’t, in good conscience take another mans plank, leaving him to drown, just to save his own life.