Thoreau compares the American government to a wooden gun "to indicate that it has only the appearance of power." The comparison suggests that the government may seem functional or authoritative, but in reality, it lacks real strength and effectiveness, much like a wooden gun would be ineffective in actual combat.
Read the passage.
This American government—what is it but a tradition . . . It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves; and, if ever they should use it in earnest as a real one against each other, it will surely split.
In this excerpt from “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, why does Thoreau compare the American government to a wooden gun?
to indicate that it is likely to burn to the ground
to indicate that it has only the appearance of power
to indicate that it can harm others easily
to indicate that it is a part of nature
1 answer