Thoreau begins Civil Disobedience by saying that he agrees with the motto, "That government<span> is best which governs least." Indeed, he says, men will someday be able to have a </span>government<span> that </span>does<span> not govern at all. As it is, the </span>government<span> rarely proves useful or efficient.</span>
Answer: The mast looks like it imprisons the moon, like the British imprison the colonists.
In this passage, the "phantom ship" is described. The text states that the mast and spar of the ship look as if they were imprisoning the moon. Therefore, the author compares this to a "prison-bar." It is possible that this is a reference to the way the British imprison the colonists.
Romeo and Juliet wrote this poem.
