Comparing The Works Of Thoreau And Martin Luther King Jr.
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What exactly is an effective piece of writing? One might say an effective piece uses diction and syntax to its advantage and all kinds of strategies to present its position; another may configure that an effective piece understands, weeds out, and gives plenty of information surrounding the topic; it may even be said that a piece such as this will open up the mind of the reader and aid in their journey in seeing the world with a new perspective. Although these ideas are fair, an effective piece of writing is simply any that fully convinces the audience. In order to achieve this, an author uses a considerable amount of rhetorical strategies. Because there are multiple ways to make a piece effective, some authors, such as Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr., persuade more successfully than others in certain pieces.
Thoreau is an important figure in the world of effective writing; he has left behind several legendary pieces including On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.…show more content… His key rhetorical strategy was to appeal to pathos using certain literary devices such as anaphora, personification, imagery, parallel structure, italics, syntax, similes and metaphors, and narration; his comparisons and narrative impacted the most. Specifically, Thoreau stated that men serve states as machines and that the government views them as nothing but lowly laborers; “[they receive] no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt” (942). These comparisons allowed the audience to easily identify what Thoreau said and cleared up any confusion. Also, Thoreau’s narrative that described his night in jail proved the futility of government rule; several prisoners, such as Thoreau’s jail-mate, were locked under unfair judgment. Even so, the prisoners were well treated (951). Using personal experience also reminded the audience of Thoreau’s