Civil Rights Affect on Literature Essay - 1061 Words

Joey Hall P6 4/16/13 Paper 2 What does America mean to you? To most people this question would evoke joyful feelings of patriotism. Most people you would think of freedom, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the belief that in this great nation, people are treated with the thought in mind that all men are created equal. However, until very recently in this country this was not the case. African Americans in this country were the subject of vicious, hateful, racial discrimination. They were treated without a hint of human decency and were segregated from the rest of American society. The South’s â€Å"Jim Crow Laws† forced blacks into â€Å"separate but equal† schools, forced them to eat in different restaurants, stay in†¦show more content†¦Literature such as this book was an eye opener for many people. Without writings such as this, many Americans would see parts of the civil rights movement as a gathering of militant African Americans willing to kill for their freedom. The fact that this man showed his open mind, and the fact that he came to the understanding he had to change, helped turn many people to the cause of black people’s freedom. Another important aspect of writing during this movement, was that for oppressed black people, it could offer an alternative to violent revolution. Just as black people had done with slavery years ago, they needed to write, speak, and preach their struggle, not just rebel without explanation. (history.com) African Americans at the time also needed inspiration from promin ent leaders to find the courage to stand up for their rights. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 book: â€Å"Why We Can’t Wait†, King includes a letter he wrote in a Birmingham jail, after he was arrested for organizing a non-violent protest in the area. (history.com) The letter tries to incite a sense of responsibility in the black community, and preaches that good people can’t stand idly by while injustice reigns. In the words of Dr. King, â€Å"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about whatShow MoreRelatedWhitman s Influence On Society And The Lives Of Authors And Artists Who Came After Him Essay2202 Words   |  9 Pagesnude dancing as a form of art to express freedom and democracy for women. To analyze Duncan and her approach, I will use My Life, Duncan’s autobiography, â€Å"My Idea of Dancing† and â€Å"The Freedom of Woman†. Next, I will ’ll move into Baldwin and the Civil Right’s Movement in the 1960’s. I’ll talk about his main ideals of democracy and freedom and how they derived from Whitman. I’ll use My Dungeon Shook — Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation, from The Fire Next Time. BaldwinRead MoreThe American War On Terror Essay2407 Words   |  10 Pages(2014) in investigating how fear is constructed, harnessed and us ed to serve the American imperial interest, that the role of religion is immensely central in the construction of an affective fear industry. Additionally, the nexus between Massumi’s affect theory functionality (2002) and Marx Engels’ concept of ruling class and ruling ideas (1970), will inform my analysis of the religious ideological factor’s centrality in conceptualizing the war on terror. To publicly talk about the connection