Rebellion and Civil Disobedience In Albert Camus’ book chapter “The Rebel,” from the book The Rebel, Camus provides a clear definition of what characterizes a rebel. In their article “Teaching About Civil Disobedience” educational professors J. Clark, Thomas Vontz, and Kristoffer Barikmo differentiate between what is, and what is not civil disobedience. The theories and definitions raised in these texts can be used to explain the actions of the youths in the Jonathon Kaplan directed teen rebellion cult film Over the Edge, as well as the actions of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt and Mohandas Gandhi campaigns in India. By applying the ideas from the texts, rebellion is exhibited by the teenagers in Kaplan’s film; however, civil …show more content…
As Camus explains, “… the movement of rebellion is founded simultaneously on the categorical rejection of an intrusion that is considered intolerable and on the confused conviction of an absolute right …”(Camus 13). The youths in Over the Edge feel oppressed by the local sheriff who constantly harasses them in their daily activities. When the adults decide to close the recreation center, the only place the youths can express themselves, the local sheriff Doberman goes to accomplish the deed. The recreation center counselor, Julia protests that he can’t come inside without a warrant, but , Doberman bullies his way in any way. He arrests, one kid over drugs and tells the rest, “ I could search any of you if I wanted to.”(Over the Edge 1:31:51). Doberman’s power abuse outrages the kids who in response start to protest outside the recreational center. In addition, as the adult’s focus on the prosperity of the community and not the lives of their children further infuriates the youths in New Granada. As their acts of rebellion increases the chaotic violence that came with it escalates too. The violent nature of the scene at the ends of the movie falls short to be qualified as civil disobedience. According to Clark et al, ““… civil disobedience is an overt act of nonviolent defiance that is designed to promulgate the injustice of …show more content…
The Egyptian January 2011 revolution initially created hopes that a genuine process of Egyptian democratization would take off under the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious, political and social movement. The June 2012 presidential elections, brought the group’s candidate, Mohamed Morsi, in office. While in power the Muslim Brotherhood kept and enforced many laws and articles from the old regime to maintain control of the country. The continuation of torture and murder behind bars under the Muslim Brotherhood disqualifies it as a rebellion as Camus clarifies, “to exist, man must rebel, but rebellion must respect the limit it discovers in itself”( Camus 22). On June 26, 2013, El Nadim Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, published a report in which it described torture during the first year of Brotherhood rule as “widespread and systematic.” “ The report documented 359 cases of torture and 217 cases of torture-related deaths over the period from June 30, 2012, to May 31, 2013” (Selim 193). The transgression in Muslim Brotherhood regime through the use of violence to punish it opponents oversteps the boundaries of a rebel. The main complaint of the Egyptians citizens was that the Muslim Brotherhood failed to live to its promise to get rid of authoritarianism and put Egypt on a path toward democracy. Under
Society’s norms change generation by generation. Every once and a while, someone will break the rules of society. Sifting through history, there are outcasts and rebels that went against what society thought was the right thing to do. Jesus Christ is among the most famous rebels in society. His rebellion against the religious establishment at Jerusalem created a large following of Christians after his resurrection that threatened Judaism. Christianity spread throughout all countries of the world. Jesus Christ was not the only non-conformist in history. On October 2, 1869 another great rebel was born. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was raised in Porbandar, India. Gandhi studied law in London, England but traveled to South Africa in 1893. Here, he spent twenty years opposing discriminatory legislation against Indians. Returning to India in 1914, Gandhi remained to follow his civil disobedience campaign. Even after his death, Gandhi’s commitment to nonviolence is living. The next famous rebel in history, became one of the world’s most influential men to ever live. Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American non-conformist during the civil rights era. King led one of the most suc...
Civil disobedience is a main focus of discussion in chapter six of James Rachels’ The Elements of Moral Philosophy; this can be defined as a usually peaceful, but powerful act of protest against a law or demand from the government. Normally when one would non-violently refuse to obey a certain law, they would see that the law was unjust to them.
The book Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion (New York, Ny: Harper Perennial, 1990) by Stephen B. Oates portrays a slave rebellion and uprising in the 1830’s. Oates has written many books on American history and his style of writing makes his books readable and popular. He has become a unique storyteller of his time, in his book he tells of a transformation that changed the city of South Hampton, Virginia forever, an unspeakable action heard throughout the whole nation and insurrection. What is an insurrection? It is a rebellion, revolution, mutiny and uprising, a concept that has never lost hope in African-American slaves.
A Rebel Without A Cause is a movie directed at the young adults of the 1950s. Teenager, a new term for young adults, is brought about within this film as a way to describe the character of the young adults. The movie was directed towards the teenagers because of their growing population and use of money for fashion and entertainment. However, within this movie, some of the most important understandings about family life during the decade are manifested. The issues of teenagers erupt because of family and school life, and as a result, the teens took drastic actions. The use of tobacco cigarettes and dangerous car races are two of the evident examples within the film.
“Who gets killed in the case of violent revolution? The poor, the workers.” he states. By providing this, he shows how cases of violence can cause even the lowest classes to result in misfortune. Because of this, the audience is left with an emotional appeal to the ones effected.He also uses Gandhi's solution to fight peacefully, which was the boycott. “The boycott, as Gandhi taught, is the most nearly perfect instrument of nonviolent change, allowing masses of people to participate actively in a cause.” he adds. By using a historical figure, the reader feels moved and inspired. As a result, the act of protests and boycotts are looked upon and
According to Morris Liebman, author of “Civil Disobedience: A Threat to Our Society Under Law,” “Never in the history of mankind have so many lived so freely, so rightfully, so humanely. This open democratic republic is man’s highest achievement—not only for what it has already accomplished, but more importantly because it affords the greatest opportunity for orderly change and the realization of man’s self-renewing aspirations.” What Liebman fails to realize is that while the United States of America has made improvements, the United States still has a far way to go before it can be considered a fair country. Liebman also states that “The plain fact of human nature is that the organized disobedience of masses stirs up the primitive. This has been true of a soccer crowd and a lynch mob. Psychologically and psychiatrically it is very clear that no man—no matter how well-intentioned—can keep group passions in control.” While disagreeing with the first example from Liebman, it would be difficult to disregard the way that many protests seem to spiral out of control. Peaceful protest for the most part remain peaceful, however some may turn violent very quickly. Liebman also believes that there is no such thing as “righteous civil disobedience” as men and women are deliberately disregarding laws set in place to protect the country, and regards it as deplorable and destructive(Liebman). To combat Liebman, a new age of civil disobedience is rolling in, a more inclusive type. With various social media platforms, word of walkouts and peaceful, with an emphasis on peaceful, protests are spread more quickly. These student led activist groups are popping up more quickly and are not lacking in passion. Many students of today are tired of being told their too young and inexperienced to be taking
Ridel, B, 'The real losers in Egypt's uprising', The Daily Best Online, 13 February 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011< http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-13/al-qaeda-absent-in-hosni-mubaraks-fall-and-egyptian-revolution/>
In this story “Two kinds” by Amy Tan it shows the great expectations of a mother, who wishes for her child to be famous and a genius. The mother coming from a society that is very hard working and obedient trying to instill the upbringing she had I her life. The child Jing-mei is a typical example of a child rebelling against their mothers wishes no matter how hard the parental figure tries, the child wishes to perform things in their own way and use their own freewill and to do things in there own timely fashion.
Civil Disobedience is a paradox. Civility and disobedience diametrically oppose one another; civility implies politeness or a regard to the status quo while disobedience is a refusal to submit to the standard. When these words are coupled together, however, they compliment one another. The purpose of Civil Disobedience is to disregard the obligation of observing a law with the intention of highlighting a need for change. Morality, Religion, and Ethics often play into the decision to willingly break a law which creates more depth behind the practical meaning phrase, because those three tend to emphasize a respect for authority and integrity. When people break the law in the name of civility, they often are asking questions like, “What must I
The extremely simplified definition of civil disobedience given by Webster’s Dictionary is “nonviolent opposition to a law through refusal to comply with it, on grounds of conscience.”
In the Theory of Justice by John Rawls, he defines civil disobedience,” I shall begin by defining civil disobedience as a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government”.
Early 2011 uprisings swept across the Middle East and North Africa, and many rebellions are still going on today. The Arab region has seen revolts and conflict since the 1800‘s, but only recently have these revolts been redirected to the problems of Arab society (Ghannam, J. 2011 pg 4-5)The Arab Spring Uprising was first sparked in Tunisia and eventually struck Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and then spread to other countries. Citizens throughout these countries were dissatisfied with the rule of their local governments. Issues like human rights violations, political corruption, economic decline, unemployment, extreme poverty, dictators...
The definition of civil disobedience is a form of protest in which protesters deliberately violate the law (Suber, 1999). Civil disobedience can be shown in many different ways and is also used for many different reasons. Civil disobedience can be caused by democracy, used for murder excuses, government hacking, deportation and equal rights. Some say there is no way to justify civil disobedience while others think it is necessary in some cases. People choose civil disobedience because they feel it's the best way to get the attention they need for their cause. These people see it as the practical way to go about fighting for their cause without actually using violence. While some people who act upon civil disobedience do turn to violence, that doesn't mean that want to, they just think it's their only option.
The 1955 film, Rebel Without a Cause is a seminal film for its period, not for its cinematic or literary excellence, but for what it conveyed to post-war adolescents embarking on a trajectory of shifting social mores, namely a paean for emotional expression and acceptance of social outcasts. The story fearlessly exposes elements of the dreaded rebellious adolescent; an age group alienated by parents and family, seeking greater meaning and value through questionable means, lacking confidence, and only acquiring validation and acceptance from peers. The writer/director of the film seems to take the point of view of a juvenile delinquent, constructing a sympathetic portrait of maladjusted youth rather than that of standard 1950’s middle class adults. The story does not condemn nor promote the wild behavior it depicts, but rather holds it up to an ambilivent kind of scrutiny. Subjected to widespread censorship, the film was daring for its time for failing to uphold production code standards in its representation of criminal behaviors that go unpunished. More importantly, Rebel Without a Cause struck a chord for many teenagers who were moved by honest depictions of irreverent adolescents empowered to stand up against the hypocrisy of an older generation. The story models a level of compassion and sensitivity for the human condition that allows the viewer to question social prejudices of the time and the moral courage it takes to face down those prejudices.
Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation, characterized by the use of passive resistance or other nonviolent means. The use of nonviolence runs throughout history however the fusion of organized mass struggle and nonviolence is relatively new.