Most recent public comments by Martin Laugesen https://nowcomment.com/users/89988 https://nowcomment.com/documents/236669?scroll_to=2168866 https://nowcomment.com/documents/236669?scroll_to=2168866 This sentence reveals Thoreau's main grievance under government rule. He states that the only reason the majority rule is not that they are more just than the minority but that they have the power to seize control. The main implication in this claim is that the majority ruling due to power makes them unjust, which ties to the romantic ideal of the importance of the individual. This pure focus on individuality leads to self importance, sometimes beneficial and others not. Because an individual is more important than a rule they deem to be unjust it is impossible to operate within a society governed by said rules. The motivation for Thoreau's protest of majority rule is somewhat questionable, as his main action against injustices was refusing to pay taxes. Taking issue with ways our country is operating is common and necessary for improvement, however the actions taken to correct these issues must be more than a social or political statement to avoid self-indulgence. It is not rare for people to have legitimate grievances with the world that affect not only them but many others and naturally gravitate towards only addressing the parts of these grievances that affect them. Often an effective way to deal with this is pushing for impact rather than simply messaging. Sun, 22 Nov 2020 17:28:19 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/225798?scroll_to=2051361 https://nowcomment.com/documents/225798?scroll_to=2051361 It also hints at the idea of how little time they spent on that land, which comes up in a later sentence. Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:32:32 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/225798?scroll_to=2051337 https://nowcomment.com/documents/225798?scroll_to=2051337 I agree and also think it shows the attitude towards the land the indigenous people have. The white men would have very little attachment to the land as they viewed it as materials and were only there for a short time, however because of how much the indigenous people cared for the land it possessed great importance regardless of the time spent there. Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:26:39 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/225798?scroll_to=2051308 https://nowcomment.com/documents/225798?scroll_to=2051308 The choice of using hallowed to describe the importance of their land is a fairly interesting one. In this context it portrays the importance and sanctity of the land to the indigenous people. Given the context of the speech it is also heavily implied that the Chief does not believe the white men have this same respect. Another interesting aspect of the diction in this speech lack of certainty behind it. It was a reconstruction from "admittedly incomplete" notes so we are relying in the interpenetration of the translators to get the true meaning across. Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:07:42 -0400