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Martin Luther King's Philosophy
Martin luther king analysis
Martin luther king analysis
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Martin Luther King Jr. is considered to be one of the most prominent human rights’ defenders of the XX century and the speaker for non-violent social change. He believed that building power is the most important task facing movements for human progress because the human progress comes through the tireless efforts of people, who should use powerful and true weapon – non-violence – in order to achieve positive effects. King managed to achieve brilliant success in the battle for the liberty of blacks and not pour the way to freedom by rivers of blood. The leading item that is noticeable, when scientists try to provide with a broad description of the King’s activities is, of course, his role in the formation of unpretentious racial impartiality in the United States. The practice of establishment lasted for a …show more content…
King has identified six main points of his doctrine. The first item King argued that passive resistance is not cowardice, but the group of strong people. Another highlight for the characterization of non-violence is that using it does not pursue to overthrow or shame the rival, but try to win his companionship and consideration. The next feature of the idea of nonviolence is that it is directed against evil, namely racial discrimination, not against the people standing on its defense. The fourth point here is the desire to make the supporters of King suffering without retaliation. Fifth paragraph defining the non-violent resistance is that it can help to avoid not only outside physical violence, as well as inside violence of spirit. That is, an adherent of non-violent resistance has neither right to cause physical pain to the enemy, nor to hate him. The principle of love is the center for non-violence. Six main characteristic of non-violent resistance is an understanding that justice is on the side of the world. Therefore, those who believe in nonviolence deeply believe in the future (King,
Conflict theory details that specific groups of society benefit disproportionately from established social, economic and political arrangements, prompting the advantage to employ necessary means in maintaining said inequality. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement, “We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” it is the societal imbalance between the white majority and individuals of color that Dr. King Jr. seeks to address and transform. Conflict theory is rooted in the principle that conflict is the energy of change, supporting Dr. King Jr.’s message that access to education, economical advances and freedom can only occur through the effort of the
Martin Luther King Junior was a charismatic leader, never using violence to put a stop to inequality. He followed the ways of Mahatma Ghandi, to which both of them were peaceful. Boycotts, protests, marches, that were effective, putting an end to racial discrimination. He proved that a peaceful approach to social inequality was possible, and made a goal to change the American Society. He completed numerous achievements,...
Martin Luther King Jr. is considered the formative figure in the modern fight for the civil rights movement and fought for racial equality with something much stronger than tolerance. He fought for the equal rights for all people of every background. Being a leader of racial equality and spoke up for the wrong doing of society, but also the peoples' actions towards making America a better place and equal opportunity. The reason he is so unique is because he was non-violent in his goals. King had great moral and philosophical purposes by speaking out in the public of the conflicts that was going on during that time and finding ways to overcome those conflicts in a peaceful
The Civil Rights movement was an event that made drastic changes in America. Labor union organizer and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez made rhetorical choices to develop his argument on nonviolent resistance; focusing on helping those in need. Cesar Chavez principles on non violence stood upon historical figures with the same values, logical support, and contrast. Cesar believed nonviolence was the key to victory.
Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful protester that used words to lead to a positive impact on a free society, which guided the United States government to change. He stated, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” Mr. King is known for peaceful protests in the 1950s and 1960s. He unlike Malcolm X and others who used violence to try and get change; that lead the society to be angry at these type of protesters. Martin Luther King Jr. used words to persuade the federal government that there needed to be changes. If peaceful resistance to laws negatively impacted a free society, nothing would get accomplished; whereas peaceful resistance to the
Martin Luther King Jr was one of the most beloved and one of the most hated men of his time. The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is embodied in these two simple words: equality and nonviolence. He believed that Gandhi’s method of nonviolent resistance was the key to overcoming evil (The Archive, 1968). King was involved in many nonviolent protests including the Montgomery bus boycott, The Albany movement, and the Birmingham campaign. He also wrote many speeches and writings that changed the way people thought about others. In one of his most famous speeches, I Have A Dream, King says, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” He is basically saying that anger and revenge will actually do the opposite of setting you free. The hatred in your heart will never satisfy
2 of the most notorious civil rights activists and debaters of the nonviolent vs self defense argument were Malcolm X and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Both of these activists were responsible for several major historical events in which their philosophies on resistance were tested against a way of thinking that has been a part of white American society since its founding. The nonviolent philosophy adopted by MLK was heavily inspired by inspired by the nonviolent actions of Mahatma Gandhi as well as lessons taught in the bible. When asked about the reasoning behind nonviolent resistance during an interview with an African American man who was born under the Jim Crow laws in 1919 he stated “In the bible God tested the faith of Job
Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. As King stated in the letter from Birmingham, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” When Negros were being treated unfairly, Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped in to show people how to peacefully protest and not be violent. The dictionary definition of civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest (Webster Dictionary). That is what Martin Luther King, Jr. did when nothing was changing in the town after the law for public school to be non-segregated. In Antigone, Creon created an edict that states that nobody could bury Polynices’s body because he was a traitor to Thebes and his family. Under Martin Luther King’s definition of an unjust and a just law, Creon’s edict is unjust and degrades Polynices’ right to be buried because of lack of information and favoritism of one brother.
Basically, Martin Luther King Jr. was always for the nonviolent approach of solving the issues that affected the black in America. In sometimes instances during the peaceful demonstration, war always broke as a result of the brutal force from the government officials. Dr. King was always arrested more often for crimes he mocked that he was happy for committing as he believed he was right. The purpose for non-violence action was to avoid confrontation but to pass a message of love to every individual and hating the bad system. The effectiveness of non-violence approach was that it cuts without wounding as described literally by Dr. King. This implied that through dialogue, effective ways of handling the problems the blacks faced could be found
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail gave the people an insight into the mind and his unwillingness to give up on his dream for better life and respect for ‘Negroes’. However, it was not just his mentality we have an insight on but also his philosophy, his mantra. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a devoted Christian and refused to use cruel, demeaning words and unnecessary violence to get his points across to the people. He fought against the injustices brought on upon the black people by the ‘white power’ in Birmingham. Letter from a Birmingham Jail also gave insight into his personality and character. Throughout the letter, he never used cruel words, he never used words that could be taken offensively by the people who he was protesting against, in some cases, what he says can be taken light-heartedly and jokingly, and he always talked with respect. He even apologized to the reader, the ‘white power’, and asked for forgiveness from his God. Dr. King’s philosophy, his commitment to the cause, and his unyielding determination for his dream for the future generations made him a hero among the masses, an unforgettable icon for the Civil Rights Movement. His message, no matter what it was or where, shook the very chains that ‘white power’ still had around the black people. His words added weight to the opposite side of the balance beam, giving strength and weight to the black people. His gospel of freedom through nonviolence was the pillar, the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement and the mantra for people struggling for justice throughout the South. Nevertheless, I ask you, in today’s society, is his message still significant? Is there a way to move people to fight with you without using force? The answer will ...
First one was to resit evil without resorting to violence. Second was through non- violence was to seek to win the "friendship and understanding" of the opponent, not to humiliate him(King, Stride,84) The third was, evil itself, not the people committing evil acts, should be opposed. Fourth those whom commit to nonviolence must willing to suffer with out retaliation as suffering itself can be redemptive. Fifth, nonviolent resistance avoids "external physical violence" and "internal violence of spirit" as well:‘‘The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him’’ (King, Stride, 85). The sixth principle is that the nonviolent resister must have a ‘‘deep faith in the future,’’ stemming from the conviction that ‘‘the universe is on the side of justice’’ (King, Stride, 88). These ideals are direct from Martin Luther king Jr they also show what kind of man he was. To love his opponent and use and teach civil disobedience in this way is amazing. Martin Luther technique was well thought and his commitment to nonviolence was
King’s goal was not to defeat or humiliate the whites, but to win their friendship, Kings nonviolent methods of protest helped him achieve this goal.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the big leaders in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation in America during the 1950s and 1960s. One of the key ideas in his campaign was the idea of nonviolent protest. He held marches and boycotts and other relatively simple rally’s to make a very big difference in the path of our country. He did not want to harm anyone or anything in his fight for equal rights. I, personally, do not feel like I can relate much to Dr. Martin Luther King as a white woman living in the 21st century. I hopefully will never have to know the oppression and segregation that he had to live with on a regular basis. However, I greatly admire the idea of peaceful protests, and standing up for something you believe in. Martin Luther King Jr. provides a great outline to follow for a social issue you may want to change. Though he will be forever written in our textbooks as one of the greatest social justice leaders, you do not have to be written into history to provoke great change. Any change is
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the biggest aspects of the movement, and he went any and everywhere in the U.S. that faced injustice saying “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”(letter from birmingham jail) He not only cared about his own equality, but everybody's, and he believed he could achieve that through non-violent protests.
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s essay entitled The Ways of Meeting Oppression he argues that the only true way to be free from oppression is to employ non violent means. Martin Luther King Jr. is a civil rights leader who led the civil rights movement in the 1960s and was undoubtedly the leader of that era. His work led to great change in the United States for the betterment of all minorities such as the March on Washington and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. His list of accomplishments is nearly endless. His work describes common methods of dealing with oppression on a societal level. He argues that those that chose to merely accept their circumstances as something ironclad, unable to be shaken from its throne of violations of human rights and disregard for life of fellow man. This mindset merely coagulates the oppression in the mind of future generations rather than dethrone it. The other most common method is through physical violence, which leads to the abused people to be treated even worse once the rebellion is quelled. King's use of rhetorical devices as well as their context in his essay paint a strong argument that the way that the oppressed deal with their