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The connections with Karl Marx, Martin Luther King Jr. , and Henry David Thoreau can be summarized as similar and contradicting. Each individual are similar, because they all have their personal view in regards to human society. However, with their new and unique views entering the human society, not everyone will accept and follow it. Therefore, it causes conflicts and contradiction among the people. To demonstrate these connections, I’ll use specific examples from their works. They considered similar in having unique personal views.
In Letter From a Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. states: “Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. ” (King par. 3) Than in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail Thoreau states: “Common good be damned! Give me something magnificently uncommon! ” (Lawrence and Lee pg. 14) Also in Karl Marx writing it states: “It is not consciousness that determines life, but life that determines consciousness. ” (Harkin par. 7) The examples above represent they are similar in having their own beliefs.
From King’s justice, Thoreau’s individualism, and Marx’s Marxism it only considere personal beliefs, which have no effect on society unless they take actions. Also their personal views are considered contradicting issues. When Marx introduce the Marxism idea it was aim to improve human society and to challenge Capitalism. Therefore, Marxists and Capitalists went into numerous conflicts one of the example would be the Chinese revolution. (Harkin par. 9) Also King and his people gain no civil rights with all the non violence protest, because of the unjust laws.
In the Letter From a Birmingham Jail King states: “An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself. “(King par. 18) Despite the fact that King in his letter point the unnecessary of unjust law, the government still ignores the issue and continuous to practice unjust laws. In result, King and the government officials have some major contradictions. Than Thoreau’s individualism was different from everyone else during that period.
In The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail states: “I will not pay one copper penny to an unjust government! I wouldn’t pay the tithe and tariff to the church, so I signed off form the church! Well, I’m ready right now, Sam, to sign off from the government. Where do I sign? Where? “(Lawrence and Lee pg. 60) Thoreau does not believe in paying taxes to the government will improve anything, so he sent to jail for his own beliefs. If individualism spreads it will causes major conflicts in human society, because with so many individual beliefs the nation will never be unites.