Question

resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. but it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. it makes it worse. why is it not more apt to anticipate and provide for reform? why does it not cherish its wise minority? why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them? why does it always crucify christ, and excommunicate copernicus⁷ and luther,⁸ and pronounce washington and franklin rebels? 5 one would think, that a deliberate and practical denial of its authority was the only offence never contemplated by government; else, why has it not assigned its definite, its suitable and proportionate, penalty? if a man who has no property refuses but once to earn nine shillings⁹ for the state, he is put in prison for a period unlimited by any law that i know, and determined only by the discretion of those who placed him there; but if he should steal ninety times nine shillings from the state, he is soon permitted to go at large again. 6 if the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance¹⁰ it will wear smooth — certainly the machine will wear out. if the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, i say, break the law. let your life be a counter - friction to stop the machine. what i have to do is to see, at any rate, that i do not lend myself to the wrong which i condemn. 7 as for adopting the ways which the state has provided for remedying the evil, i know not of such ways. they take too much time, and a man’s paragraph 6 3. the phrase “the machine of government” shows that the author thinks injustice is… - usually carried out routinely by well - meaning citizens, on behalf of the government. ⁷nicolaus copernicus was a renaissance - era mathematician and astronomer whose work generated only mild controversy during his lifetime. ⁸martin luther was a german professor of theology, priest, and monk whose rejection of several practices of the catholic church led to his development of the ninety - five theses and, subsequently, his excommunication by pope leo x. ⁹a former british monetary unit equal to one - twentieth of a pound ¹⁰perhaps analyzing the author’s point of view: excerpt from “civil disobedience” unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the cc by - nc - sa 4.0 license.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the phrase "the machine of government" and the options:

1. The phrase uses a metaphor, comparing government to a machine. A machine operates with routine, mechanical processes. The author’s discussion of "necessary friction" and the machine "wearing smooth" or "wearing out" implies injustice is part of the government’s routine, mechanical functioning.
2. The option "usually carried out routinely by well - meaning citizens, on behalf of the government" does not fit. The metaphor of the machine focuses on the government’s own routine operation, not citizens acting on its behalf. (Note: If there were other options, we’d eliminate them similarly, but based on the given option and the metaphor, we assess its accuracy.)

The phrase "the machine of government" is a metaphor. A machine functions through routine, mechanical processes. The author’s references to "necessary friction" and the machine "wearing smooth" or "wearing out" suggest injustice is part of the government’s routine operation. The given option's claim about well - meaning citizens acting on the government’s behalf does not align with the metaphor’s focus on the government’s own routine functioning. (If this was a multiple - choice with this as an incorrect option, the correct reasoning would show why this option is wrong based on the metaphor’s implication of the government’s routine, mechanical operation of injustice.)

Answer:

The option "usually carried out routinely by well - meaning citizens, on behalf of the government" is incorrect. (If this was to identify the correct idea from the phrase, the correct idea is that the author thinks injustice is part of the routine, mechanical operation of the government (the "machine").)