Herbert 1
Cameron Herbert
Professor Kenneth Brady
English 1B
3 November 2023
To Be A Rebel Or A King
Examining the works of Henry David Thoreau's essay “Civil Disobedience” and Martin
Luther King Jr.'s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” unveils a profound exploration of civil rights,
justice, and individual conscience within the context of societal constraints. While both authors
grapple with the notion of resistance against unjust laws, they do so from distinct vantage points
and historical periods. Thoreau's essay, written in the mid-19th century, reflects the philosophical
underpinnings of transcendentalism and critiques a government's authority in the face of moral
imperatives. King's letter, on the other hand, composed during the mid-20th century civil rights
movement, grapples with the immediate urgency of dismantling racial segregation and systemic
oppression. This analysis will delve into the contextual features of each work, illustrating their
respective socio-political landscapes, and subsequently draw parallels and distinctions between
their thematic approaches, employing textual evidence to support the evaluation.