Barbara Kingsolver And Our Flag Was Still There “Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”, once again the words of the late reverend Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind. Although written 150 years and worlds apart the eternal principles of justice and freedom contained in the works of Barbara Kingsolver and Frederick Douglass are emblazoned throughout the world of English literature. There is a common clamor found in the writings of these authors regardless of their space and time, “Voices and Images That Call for Response!” I was somewhat at a loss for words after reading “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” A very powerful piece then, as today with stunning resonance. “And Our Flag Was Still There”, also a powerful testimony to the reality as Aldous Huxley succinctly put it: “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” Margaret Atwood’s A Letter to America and her disillusionment also came back to mind in all this. Throughout my penmanship this season I have profoundly expressed and found a sharing in the ‘eternal principles’ and ideologies with minds of the past and present; or as Kingsolver stated, “Dissidents innocent of any crime greater than a belief in fair treatment of our poorest and ill-treated citizens have died right here on American soil for our freedom, as tragically as any soldier in any war.” Reading takes you places. It allows you to meet others that came before you that share common values and perspectives. It makes you see that we’re not alone. There were many connections I was able to make between the two very thought provoking arguments. There are expressions of appreciation for th... ... middle of paper ... ... of our freedoms and civil liberties, we’ve seen the limitations on government whittled away, and we have seen this erosion to the point where today it seems nobody does care. Just like empires of antiquity, our nation is in a state of decline and if we don’t wake the masses from their decadent trance heading towards a fall of the republic. People that are knowledgeable know, that the fight that this country’s been waging since its inception, is for the central bankers not to take over the country—‘Taxation without representation’. There are those that side with destroying the United States and are working hard to bring it about. The engine of America’s greatness is in not just its liberties but the people’s willingness to fight to keep them. “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”—David McCullough.
Beard, Charles Austin. An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed February 23, 2014
The “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” is a text directed to all of America in 1963, written by Martin Luther King Jr., during his stay in one of the of Birmingham’s prisons. His intention of writing an open letter was to tell the world the injustice “the white people” had done not only to him, but to all Afro-Americans. The main stimulus was a statement made by a Clergymen naming the actions and the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as unwise and untimely. However, the purpose of this letter is to show that those actions are totally wise and timely.
It leaves the readers in an awe of silence as they deliberate and take in the powerful message of Kindred. Octavia Butler extablishes the site of trauma as adaptation and the cause as the inhumane act of slavery. Butler led her audience to question the equality not only of the past, but also the present. Developing and critically thinking about the world around us is the message that Butler wanted to convey. Are black people really free? Have blacks gained all the right that are reserved to them by constitutional law? Those answers are to be decided by each individual, but in the words of Jesse Williams, “the burdened of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. If you have no interest in the equal rights for black people, then do not make suggestions for those who do. Sit down.”
As an abolitionist and previous slave, Frederick Douglass comprehended that the way to opportunity and full citizenship for African American men walked strai...
In this story it clearly shows us what the courts really mean by freedom, equality, liberty, property and equal protection of the laws. The story traces the legal challenges that affected African Americans freedom. To justify slavery as the “the way things were” still begs to define what lied beneath slave owner’s abilities to look past the wounded eyes and beating hearts of the African Americans that were so brutally possessed.
King’s critics wrote that he was “unwise and untimely” in his pursuit of direct action and that he ought to have ‘waited’ for change, King explains that “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’”. This short statement hits home especially when followed up with a lengthy paragraph detailing injustices done towards African Americans, including lynching and drowning. In his descriptions King uses familial terms such as ‘mother’ and ‘father’, which are words that typically elicit an emotional response from an audience, to picture ones family in such terrible situations would surely drive home the idea that the African American community cannot ‘wait’ anymore for a freedom that will probably never be given to them
After reading Frederick Douglass’s narrative of slavery, I couldn’t help but stop and try to gather my thoughts in any way possible. It was not the first time I had read the narrative, but this time around Douglass’s words hit me much harder. Perhaps, it was that I read the narrative in a more critical lens, or possibly it was just that I am older and more mature now from the last time I read it, but whatever the reason, I can confidently say reading the narrative has changed my heart and opened my eyes in many ways. I have always been aware of the injustices that slavery encompassed and of course like many other people, I have been taught about slavery in a historical narrative my entire life. But, Frederick Douglass’s narrative does more than just provide a historical perspective in seeing the injustices in slavery. His narrative asks the reader to look directly into the eyes of actual slaves and realize their very heart beat and existence as humans. Douglass humanizes the people of whom the terrible acts we acted upon that we learn about as early as elementary school. It is because of this that I decided to write this poem. Reading the narrative made me really think about Douglass’s journey and the story he tells on his road to freedom. I felt as if he was really speaking to me and, and in turn I wanted to give Douglass a voice in my own writing.
Today’s America has a magnitude of issues, spanning from social (gay marriage and abortion) to political (immigration and Obamacare) to economic (tax cuts and higher wages). Problems have been accumulating over the years and we yet do not know the solutions to any of them. But, some of the answers may have been already addressed by our founding fathers, especially to the controversial NSA Surveillance in the United States. As one of the Founding Fathers, Patrick delivered the “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, expressing his view on the topic of autonomy and freedom therefore; he would discourage and fully go against the NSA surveillance in the United States today.
King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from the Birmingham jail.” Why We Can't Wait 1963: 77-100.
The United States Constitution is arguably considered one of the nation’s most influential documents in America’s history. This centuries old document has not only guided the United States to becoming a successful society, but has also helped other nations in the forming of their own governments. Although, there has recently been a great deal of controversy as to whether the Constitution is still valued today. America has changed greatly in the time since the Constitution was first ratified, it is argued that the older views of the Constitution don’t necessarily reflect the views of today’s society. When the Constitution was created the delegates understood that there would be problems as the young
Although Thoreau and King both correspondingly address these topics of morality and justice throughout their essays, their essays are in no way similar in writing styles, tones, and/or goals. King speaks to his readers about the injustice that is being served to African Americans specifically. He uses an emotional appeal as he pleads his readers to take action to end segregation. This emotional appeal combined with his optimism for freedom sets him and his writing different from that of Thoreau’s. Thoreau’s essay on the other hand, is largely critical of the unfair American Government. Unlike King, Thoreau worriedly speaks to his readers in a distressed, aggravated tone as he reprimands them for following unjust laws. Thoreau’s essay is also different from King’s because he presents more than one goal. Not only does he describe the government’s unfair laws, but he also teaches his readers how and why to revolt, and tells them to bring an end to the ongoing M...
King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from the Birmingham jail.” Why We Can't Wait 1963: 77-100.
... and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" are very different in terms of literary technique and approach, the two works bear some uncanny similarities that yield some surprising likenesses in many aspects. The comparisons and contrasts drawn here highlight the most significant of those features with respect to the works of two men who are both revered for the virtues they espoused during their lifetimes.
Recently you have received a letter from Martin Luther King Jr. entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In Dr. King’s letter he illustrates the motives and reasoning for the extremist action of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1960’s. In the course of Dr. King’s letter to you, he uses rhetorical questioning and logistical reasoning, imagery and metaphors, and many other rhetorical devices to broaden your perspectives. I am writing this analysis in hopes you might reconsider the current stance you have taken up regarding the issues at hand.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King is able to effectively argue against criticisms through the use of passionate and calm tones, vivid metaphors, and biblical and historical allusions. King uses numerous biblical allusions to resonate with his clergymen audience and to make them realize that they were condemning a righteous movement. The vivid language in metaphors captures emotion and expands understanding. Mr. King was able to do anything to end the injustice in Birmingham and his commitment was shown in his tone.