Summary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “The Ways of Meeting Oppression” In an effort to delineate the history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and specify his preferred method to deal with the unjust laws against the Africans of America and the oppression in general, Martin Luther Jr. outlines, in a speech excerpt entitled “The Ways of Meeting Oppression,” three distinguishing methods used by the oppressed to handle their oppression: “acquiescene, physical violence or nonviolent resistance.” First, Luther explains the method of “acquiescene” in which the oppressed not only accept their oppression, but also become accustomed to it and, if given the choice, would choose it over the trying experiences associated with freedom. King notes that the
He explains that whenever someone decides that racial comments has to be accepted, we are asking people to accept the hurt of racial comments for everyone else. Lawrence closes out his argument by stating that arguments about the First Amendment and racist speech, without having a better and full understanding of what it truly means and the harm of what it does, makes the First Amendment a weapon of mass destruction rather than a “vehicle of
When he refers to the Constituition and Declaration of Independence and says "This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ", his crediablty shows. This is when King's arguement of equality is evident.(King). He goes on to defend his arguement when he states "It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. ", claiming that equality is not being met.
Douglas developed his own doctrine of letting the people decide the question of slavery. He ridiculed Lincoln about his idea of state uniformity rather than domestic institutions and accused him of promoting a war of sectionalism. He also mocked “black Republicans” who he accused of demanding racial equality. Overall, he believed in the Southern interest, but supported popular sovereignty and ultimately alienated Southern voters. On the other hand Lincoln shared some Southern attitudes towards slaves as he agreed with the Dred Scott decision that slaves could not be citizens and refused to support the Fugitive Slave Law as well.
In DuBois essay “Oh Mr. Washington and others”, DuBois expressed his beliefs. DuBois believed that Washington asked blacks to give up political power, insistence on civil rights, and higher education for African Americans youth. He believed that Washington’s policies had directly or indirectly resulted in three trends: the disfranchisement of the African Americans, the legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for the African Americans, and steady withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of the African Americans. DuBois disputed that Washington accepted the alleged inferiority of African Americans. Expressing the feeling of the radical civil rights advocates, DuBois demanded for all black citizens 1) the right to vote, 2) civic equality, and 3) the education of African Americans youth according to ability.
Du Bois and Booker T. Washington have many conflicting views. For instance, they both believe that African Americans deserved egalitarianism, but Washington felt that the way to accomplish this goal would be through education. He felt that the establishment of Tuskegee Institute would allow African Americans to utilize education to infiltrate the work force and attain economic equality. Washington’s ideology advises Negroes to compromise by surrendering their civil rights, political rights and higher education for the Negro youth in exchange for a larger chance of economic development (p. 30). As a result, Du Bois says that Washington’s philosophy helped with the prematurely accomplished the disfranchisement of the Negro, the legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for the Negro, and the steady withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of Negro (p. 30).
Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience accepts the idea that one can hold one’s own morals over the restricting boundaries of the law. It criticizes American policies, most notably slavery and the Mexican-American war. James Baldwin’s A Talk to Teachers criticizes the American education system. It also identifies the paradox of education in a society as well. However, both men seek these things for the benefit of civilization.
The main purpose of direct was to aware white leaders and citizens that African Americans refuse to stand down until negotiation was taken place. In the letter it states “Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.” This statement was related to King’s motive and the cause of his motive. As the statement says because of racism and prejudice among people it is only right to proceed in a nonviolent resilient. The effectiveness did indeed alert the people of Birmingham that African Americans are not waiting no longer for negotiation. This action demonstrated how powerful and untied African Americans were and how they were dedicated to fight for
Jamie Anderson Mr. Nate Engl. 0700.101 16 Sep. 2013 Final Draft Rhetorical Analysis Essay I Have A Dream In I Have a Dream, told by Martin Luther King Jr. he discussed the Civil Rights matters in hoping all racial relations would be equal and giving the black activist hope for the future. In this speech King Jr. appeals to the different types of audience, with the three rhetorical modes of ethos, pathos and logos. There are three types of audience this speech aims at; blacks who are discriminated against, whites who harbor thoughts at that time, blacks and racist people who argue that blacks are evil and the civil rights movement is violent. Martin Luther King Jr. made an assertion that “We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies,
Unwise, and Untimely? : A Rhetorical Analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In this passage taken from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. writes in response to white religious leaders’ criticism detailing that the protests in Birmingham were “ ‘unwise and untimely’” (163). However, King was not hindered by their statement, but instead adamantly challenges the religious leaders to reexamine their moral principles. From this passage, King effectively employs rhetorical techniques, such as addressing counterarguments and employing a neutral tone in effort to appeal to ethos, utilizing powerful narrative examples and strong word choices to appeal to pathos, and logical reasons to appeal to logos to persuade the white religious leaders that their non-violent protests were not only reasonable but timely. At the beginning of this passage, King appeals to ethos by addressing their counterargument stipulating that their direct nonviolent protests were “‘unwise and untimely’” (166) using a neutral tone.