February 28, 2011
World Literature/Ms. Mc Dowell
The Living Dream
The living dream is a substance for to be hoped for by the people, to bring equality. In this case, the people have yet not made the decision in effect. In history, instead of society being equal in order for all races to be treated the same; one is treated with respect, while others are treated so poorly and degrading. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. chose a path where people can fight for equality in order to gain respect and dignity. Many speeches were made from King to be heard to make a difference in society. In Dr. Martin Luther King’s sight, he saw not just in one race, but all races to have equal opportunity to work, to give point of views, to vote, and to have the freedom as any other race in the nation. Dr. King came up with a method called the six principles to help resolve social, economic, and political conflicts, reconciling adversaries and advancing social change in people’s communities and the nation.
Principle #1: Nonviolence is not passive, but requires courage Principle #1 explains that any man can fight, but it takes an even bigger man to walk away and do something about the problem other than fight. Stand up for your rights, use your mind to defeat a person that are against you; that shows courage. Dr. King used this principle by expressing and acting upon his actions towards the problems that Blacks were going through. He used speeches and had the people march for their rights, in place of fighting, to take a better approach to something so big. Now in Malcolm X’s eyes, he felt that violence is sometimes necessary in order to accomplish a task. He agrees, but also disagrees to what Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about to the people. He believed that freedom could be won by using guns. It seemed a as “thus Malcolm and King each became a focus of one of the opposing wings of the movement for equality that swept Black America, and the country, in the middle of the last century.”(Dr. Arthur N. Lewin)
Principle #2: Nonviolence seeks reconciliation, but not defeat of an adversary. Principle #2 explains that violence is not the key. Coming to a mutual understanding against an opposing opponent helps a situation to be better. By not using violence and reconciling a situation, it makes both sides come to an agreement. Dr. King basically had to come up with strategies to bring equality for blacks and whites. In the words of (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding, and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” tells of when wanting to fight for something of the matter, violence is not the key. For using nonviolence, it wins a battle in a way of knowledge from the noble mind. The leader that best describe this principle, is Queen Nzingha. She was the formidable sister of the Angolan King. It was a major problem dealing with the Portuguese badly treating blacks. When Queen Nzingha became queen she plotted a plan in order to change that. She betrayed the Portuguese and then convinced them to follow what she say in order to stop the cruelty that was done to slaves. This connects to her because Queen Nzingha did not use violence at all. She used her mind in order to stop something that she knew was wrong. After reading her biography, it shows that “Queen Nzingha was one of these few, remarkable women.”(Lian Slayford-Wei)
Principle #3: Nonviolent action is directed at eliminating evil, not destroying an evil-doer Principle #3 explains that a person does not have to be hurt in order to prove a point. Just because they have killed doesn’t me one has to do the same. You can destroy a person by taking a stance against the wrongs that has been committed. When using nonviolence in a way of not letting what another person say or do affect one’s action, it will show more action by walking away. Dr. King used this principle by motivating his listeners to take a higher path, then to act upon another one’s ignorance. When accepting ignorance to come in one’s life, it shows that “nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”(Martin Luther King Jr.)
Principle #4: A willingness to accept suffering for the cause, if necessary, but never to inflict it Principle #4 explains in words that not letting a situation succumb you, but understanding that to defeat the situation there will be ups and down with fighting for something that is known to be right. Victory might not come when you want it, but don’t give up on the situation. Dr. King used this principle by being patiently for things to change. Even though it took awhile for things to ease down, Dr. King kept working hard to get the job done for to have equality.
Principle#5: A rejection of hatred, animosity or violence of the spirit, as well as refusal to commit physical violence Principle #5 explains the idea of not showing hatred towards others when one is hurting one so deeply to the point of using violence. Refuse to do violent matters because that is what is expected to happen. Letting one hurt a person is making the thought of the culprit as winning. Dr. King went through all of the racial sayings that was towards him, and did not let it get to him at all. His strategy for things that happen towards him was to defeat the opposing opponent by fighting with his words and to continue to march.
Principle #6: Faith that justice will prevail Lastly, principle #6 explains that faith in what you do will always carry you through to victory. You don’t get justice commenting violence. Standing up for what you want will work all the time. Dr. King used this principle by never giving up on what he believe. He felt as if equality could come into effect, and for blacks and whites to come together. He kept trying and trying which made what he believe something that more people believed in. Jesse Jackson is one of the leaders, that best represent this principle. He is the kind of man that’s about faith and justice. He preaches about it all the time. In 1988, Jesse Jackson ran for president, and had 1200 delegates. People felt as if the nation is not ready for something like this. People still had bad judgment towards blacks, but "excellence is doing your best against the odds, as I run for President I run against the odds… yet I defy the odds." (Jesse Jackson) Jesse Jackson felt that everyone should get along, because we are all Americans that want to be free in this country. In life people feel as if “people should not be punished for having colored skin.”(Jesse Jackson) By not becoming president, Jesse Jackson is known as a powerful speaker that has a company called Operation Push. Dr. King changed my life totally. He and other people that was on his side made life better for my generation; being able to ride wherever I want on a bus, eat wherever I like, school privileges, etc. Although Dr. King and others have made a way for blacks and whites to live better, racism is still going around. I have personally witnessed a racial act one day going downtown. As I am walking down the street, a white man and a black man were arguing. To my eyes and ears, it seemed as if the black man was saying all of the racist remarks. People fail to realize to we have been through too much in order to get where we are now. By blacks complaining about equality and being treated with respect, I feel as if it should go both ways from both races. In order to get respect, you must give it. People have died to want to see how our society is now living. Why should we kill the living dream? We as people should enforce it more.
Works Cited
Book
King, Martin Luther, and James Melvin. Washington. I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992. Print.
Internet
"MALCOLM X vs. MARTIN LUTHER KING." BlackWebPortal.com The Pulse of Black America. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. http://www.blackwebportal.com/wire/DA.cfm?ArticleID=2541.
Internet
"Biography: Nzinga (Dona Ana De Souza), Queen of Ndongo - by Lian Slayford-Wei - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. http://www.helium.com/items/1551159-nzinga-queen-of-ndongo-dona-ana-de-souza-and-her-image-in-history.
Internet
Jesse Jackson. Web. http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/jesse_jackson.htm.
Internet
Walker, Gerald. "Jesse Jackson Vs. Martin Luther King Jr." Useless Knowledge Magazine: Useless Facts And Useless Information. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. http://www.useless-knowledge.com/1234/new/article303.html.
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