“The preachers and lecturers deal with men of straw, as they are men of straw themselves. Why, a free-spoken man, of sound lungs, cannot draw a long breath without causing your rotten institutions to come toppling down by the vacuum he makes. Your church is a baby-house made of blocks, and so of the state....The church, the state, the school, the magazine, think they are liberal and free! It is the freedom of a prison-yard.”
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Analysis of Quote from Henry David Thoreau
In this quote by Henry David Thoreau, he criticizes the institutions of church, state, school, and the media, likening them to fragile structures that can easily be brought down by a free-spoken individual with sound lungs. Thoreau suggests that these institutions, which claim to be liberal and free, actually restrict true freedom and act as barriers to progress. He uses vivid imagery to convey the idea that these institutions are not as sturdy or secure as they may appear, and that they are ultimately oppressive rather than liberating. Through this quote, Thoreau challenges readers to question the authority and legitimacy of these institutions in order to strive for true freedom and liberation.
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