Martin Luther King Image Analysis

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Oral Production: Image Two Doctor Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist from the early 1960’s and led the way for change in the treatment and equality of African American citizens. King had a profound affect on civil rights in America and as seen in this image, gained large support from the public. The purpose of this image was as an illustration in an article reflecting King’s achievements on the fortieth anniversary of his death. In his lifetime he had great influence but also stirred great controversy sparking many groups that opposed his method of achieving equality in American society. Some of these groups and people included ‘Malcolm X’, Rosa Parks, and ‘The Black Panthers’. Malcolm X saw King’s campaign as trying to persuade the African American citizens to forget the days of slavery, and forget what the white men had done to their people. His stance was passive/aggressive and wanted equality by any means, including violence. Malcolm X was assassinated by a white supremacist during a speech and died of bullet wounds. Also, ‘The Black Panthers’ were a very violent group and saw King’s campaign as time consuming and feared it being forgotten in the process. The group called for a revolutionary war against authority, but it never happened and there are many conspiracy theories as to why the group ended. King was later assassinated at his hotel, showing that his race was still not equal, and some people still looked down on African Americans and didn’t like the change. Although all of these activists had the same idea and values, they had very different ideas of how to achieve their ideal society. Doctor King, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers all contributed to the major changes of society’s attitudes towards the African American people by targeting very different audiences in society. This image has used multiple elements of construction to
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