His argument is expressed in the story of his life’s journey – a journey that is intellectual, spiritual, physical and political. Douglass’s first realization that having an education meant freedom came during his stay with the Auld’s. Mr. Auld scolded his wife for teaching Douglass how to read. He tells her, “if you give a nigger an inch, he’ll take an ell” (29). This meant that Douglass was on his own to educate himself.
Centuries later the Negro community was still riddled by racial injustice and oppression. These contradictions to the original visions of the founding fathers were still very much in existence when Dr. King made his speech. A scholar who graduated and received a bachelor degree in sociology from Morehouse College, Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” was carefully crafted to encourage and motivate the predominantly Negro audience to take a stand for an equal democracy. “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off… Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” King’s tone when he delivered his speech was derived from the cadence and rhythms of a preacher. His speech consisted of various literary elements such as figurative language and repetitive phrases that painted a vivid mural in the mind of the listener: “My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
These strategies allowed Douglass to tell his story in his own words, words which encompass deeper meanings and messages than the dominant white people comprehend. One strategy that Douglass carries out the narrative is through the progression of the narrative voice and how its advancement into activeness is reflective of Douglass’ own growth in control and influence. Douglass in the first half of the narrative is a ‘[…] silent narrator, Douglass re-enacts the silencing of himself as a slave […] [he] narrates as a voiceless observer […] a passive onlooker, who is excluded from the power system.’ This stance of the silent observer is something that is symbolic of all minorities that are excluded from the prevalent power system. He is powerless to the incidents to which he witness’ and is forced to suffer in silence, much like most inferior groups who find themselves outside the dominant societal control system. ‘The rhetorical strategy of voyeur is even more apt given the historical
This was the last time Amir saw Hassan because after Hassan and his father left, Amir and Baba moved to America. Amir finally grew up and matured while living over there. He was a very good writter and married. He always carries the guilt of all the horrible things he did to Hassan and slowly grows out of being a selfish person into a caring individual. The next time he goes to Afganistan is when he goes to visit Rahim.
Obama goes on to say that his former pastor is a good man, that he just has lived and grew up in a time where segregation and the Jim Crow Laws were very much legal in the U.S. The anger and hostility of not being able to achieve something of oneself is felt not only in the African American community, but also in portions of the white community. Obama’s solution to ending this anger of diversity and discrimination is to work together and to move past some of the terrible things that have happened, and take our lives into our own hands and take responsibility for our own lives. We need to come together as a nation and improve our health care, jobs, and schools. After reading this speech I must say that President Obama definitely has some great points that made me really think about our society and how the older generations have really affected peoples lives today.
Rising Up “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou is directed towards blacks on how to be proud of their ancestry, themselves, and their overall appearance. The poem is a special and motivating poem that African-Americans (and other races for that matter) should read and take to heart. According to African-Americans, Maya Angelou states that no matter what white Americans (slave owners) say or do to African-Americans (slaves) they can still rise up to make a better life for themselves and their race as a whole. One reason blacks should rise above their oppression is so they can better themselves and in turn make a better life for their next generation, just as their ancestors tried to do. “Bring the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave” says Angelou is taking the lessons learned from their ancestors and dreaming and hoping to rise above slavery.
It was of considerable importance to him. That reputation was at stake; and had he sent me-a boy about sixteen years old-to the public whipping-post, his reputation would have been lost; so to save his reputation, he suffered me to go unpunished” (page 395). 3. Frederick Douglass spoke of the advantage of having a non-religious master. “I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes,-a justifier of the most appalling barbarity,-a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds,-and a dark shelter under which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find
Martin Luther King continues by referencing the Declaration of Independence and Abraham Lincoln, stating that great historical figures had realised the need for human rights of all people to be respected, but that the “Negro still lives on the lonely island of poverty”. Martin Luther King states that he felt this historical act was, in a way, a promise to all of mankind that equality would be met but “America had defaulted on this promissory note”. Mr King continues through this part of the speech with the belief that “justice” needs to be met and that this will enable the black community the “riches of freedom”. Martin Luther King continues, asking for these promises to finally be upheld or expect consequences from the black community, stating that it would be “fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment...And there will be neither rest nor tranquillity in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights”. Mr King then makes a plea towards the black population, asking them “not to be guilty of wrongful deeds”, to be disciplined and have dignity while this process played out.
King delivered one of the greatest speeches in American history. His speech has made a strong impact on the hearts of Americans about how badly African-Americans were being treated. King’s purpose of the speech is to provoke America to give African-Americans their promised freedom. Within the speech, King uses word choice, repetition, and metaphor to promote his main ideas. King uses word choice to contrast the negative past and present that the African-Americans have faced with the positive anticipated future.
How does Miller present Joe Keller as a tragic hero In All My Sons? Joe Keller is a man who loves and values his family very much and has sacrificed everything, including his honour, in his struggle to make his family prosperous. He is a self-made business man, who in spite of his humble beginning, has managed to work his way up in the business world and become a successful manufacturer. Joe perfectly fits into the category of tragic hero. Unlike Greek plays, where main characters were kings and nobles for they were thought to embody the whole community, modern tragedies present an average leader of a family, neither completely good nor completely evil, whose mistake leads to his self-destruction.