...Civil disobedience is the act of refusal against laws, taxes, or demands by a government usually staying peaceful in nature. Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone implement civil disobedience to defy unjust law; however, both approaches used to go against the wrong laws are different. Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader for the civil rights movement to put an end to segregation through civil disobedience by stressing the importance of peacefully protesting; while Antigone purposely went against the law, knowing the consequences, to follow God’s law instead of man-made law in a holy effort to bury her late brother Polyneices. Martin Luther King Jr. goes against unjust laws through civil disobedience by initiating peaceful protests. He believed that using nonviolent tactics are better at showing the immorality the unjust laws’ and calls for black people to fight the long battle against segregation. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, he reveals the unjust treatment going on in Birmingham and why it is important for him to be there helping, “Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already...
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...caucasian ethnic background. They have all already read “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and very good background information on the topic. They all know Martin Luther King pushed for equality in a nonviolent way. Kanny and Mariah are both writing their own essays over the selected core reading. They too will be summarizing...
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...English 100 March 17th, 2014 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Question 6 on page 177 Have you ever thought about integrity? We all have at some point in our lives. The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest or fair and the state of being complete or whole.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stephen L. Carter spoke about this and defined it in their own ways. Stephen L. Carter wrote in “The Rules about the Rules” that “integrity requires 3 steps: (1) discerning what is right and what is wrong; (2) acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost; and (3) saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong.” During a major protest of unfair business practices in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested and put into jail for his actions. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he gave evidence of Stephen L. Carter’s definition of integrity. “Discerning what is right and what is wrong.” In 1954, the Supreme Court came to the decision to outlaw segregation in public schools. Even though this was Federal Law, the community still chose to obey the city ordinances of segregation. Dr. King stated that for the African-American people there was “grossly unjust treatment in the courts, and there were more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any other city in the nation.” Despite strong efforts made from the leaders in the African-American community...
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...Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., presents a well-constructed critique of the white church in the 1960s. In his letter, King skillfully composes an argument utilizing ethos, pathos, and logos to call the church to action. He remarks, “I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership” (King 5). King’s letter, addressed to his fellow clergymen, describes a Civil Rights Movement that Jesus himself would have likely participated in: “Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists” (King 4). Furthermore, King’s frequent reference to scripture and citation of the...
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...Ivyanne London Dr. Bryan English 2010 7 December 2012 The Bhagavad- Gita: Influence on Civil Disobedience Advocates Civil disobedience can be described as the nonviolent means of bringing about social change. The Bhagavad- Gita is a philosophical poem that attempts to ask difficult questions of universal issues that deal with the topic of civil disobedience. The messages that are told throughout the poem have had major influences on civil disobedience advocates such as Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. This work offers explanations that can be applied to dilemmas that can’t be resolved with a simple form of action. According to the Theosophical Society of America, The Bhagavad- Gita, commonly known as the “Gita” has been passed back and forth between America and India through these civil disobedience activists. They each had influences on each other along with the Gita. Some reoccurring themes that may have influenced Thoreau, Gandhi, and King include questions about the right way to live, seeking higher knowledge, and how no action is still a form of action. The version of The Bhagavad- Gita that is told in The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 3rd edition, begins with the moment of crisis in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna is the middle son of his five brothers who are apart of the Pandavas. He is apart of the warrior caste and is the most skilled and feared archer of his time. They are about to engage in war with their cousins, the Kauravas, because the...
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...A Little Jail-Bird Told Me The pen is mightier than the sword. This saying emphasizes that words are stronger than violent actions. Martin Luther King Jr. believed strongly in this saying. Being a leader of the civil rights movement, King believed in peaceful protests over violent protests. He was a kind hearted man peacefully fighting for equal rights of black and white people. At one point, his focus was Birmingham. Birmingham was thoroughly segregated and treated blacks worse than most areas. While in Birmingham, King was arrested. While in jail, King wrote a letter in response to criticism he received from white clergymen. In this letter, Martin Luther King Jr. uses a friendly, non-hostile tone mixed with a list of undisputable facts to calmly, yet assertively point out his issues with racial dilemmas. Right in the intro of the letter, King starts with a friendly and hospitable tone. He respectfully states, “…since I feel you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” (King 1). Here, he keeps a calm tone, but his use of the word “hope” can be inferred to show that his letter may at some points become stern and serious, showing that he isn’t going to easily budge on his stance on the civil rights movement. Right away he makes it clear he is not hostile at all. He speaks respectably in order to be respected, which is not exactly common for a black...
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...throughout their lives have helped set an example to the generations to come. Each person has different backgrounds, dreams, and ambitions, yet they still have a way of bringing about change in the world. Take for instance Mother Teresa, whose compassion towards others inspired many of those who had the chance to meet her. Or Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., who stood up for what they believed in, no matter the consequences they faced afterwards. Many of these model figures came from different parts of the globe, and their messages have inspired those all over to bring about positive changes, in...
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...“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality” (Desmond Tutu). Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. were two men who were very passionate in what they believed in. Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, and historian. He is well-known for his essay “Civil Disobedience”, where he expresses the need for more people to be individuals and think and act on what they believe in. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist in the civil rights movement. King was known for his writing, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” where he, similar...
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...” by Toni Cade Bambara, does not necessarily have to do with the racial oppression King describes, as Bambara tells a short story expressing how a group of children living in poverty view the richer lifestyle, but some of King‟s categories of dealing with oppression can be seen in how Bambara‟s characters react to what they are observing. At the start of Bambara‟s “The Lesson,” Sylvia expresses her dislike and almost hatred for Miss Moore. This is made obvious by many of the statements she makes when introducing the characters and story: “I‟m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree,” and “though I never talk to her . . . I wouldn‟t give the bitch that satisfaction.” Hatred is often the first step in acting violently, one of King‟s ways of meeting oppression. While Sylvia, or anyone else at any time during the story, does not actually act violently, their thoughts and feelings show signs of possible violence in the future. Not only do Sylvia and the children show a tendency of hatred towards Miss Moore, but to each other as well—especially aimed at Mercedes. The reader can gather that Mercedes‟s family has a little more money than the rest of them and Mercedes has no problem rubbing that fact in. When standing outside the store, Mercedes brags that her father would buy her the expensive toy boat if she wanted it, and Rosie responds by showing her some hostility: “Your father, my ass.” While the little disputes between the children are very likely just...
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... and gives a mental vision of how society has changed since then. It’s very difficult when people have decided your verdict by just seeing the color of your skin. People shouldn’t be judged by how they look; in the end we’re all human, nothing more nothing less. There are different types of courage shown throughout the book. It ranges from how courageous a kid could be and an adult too. Society has come a long way, and it has changed for the best. When you realize in the book how society was, you think to yourself how could people be so cruel? Although years after, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself said, “…I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…” (King). To Kill a Mockingbird, teaches racism better than any textbook, “I thought it taught things about racism and tolerance better than a history textbook,” (Oakley Ebscohost). Even though racism is a sensitive subject to some, people of today’s world need to know what kind of cruel things used to happen, that way we know it’s wrong and how much people suffered. People say the colored had the chance to learn and better their selves, that’s not true, because of their skin color they were automatically thought they wouldn’t be able to learn anything. By the way Atticus took up the case into his own hands teaches, “Sometimes we will have to stand alone like Atticus...
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...MGMT 341 - Ethics in Business Professor Gini Fall 2014 Final Study Guide Prompt #2 • What is leadership? • How would you define a leader? • In your estimation, what are the five key jobs, tasks, and/or responsibilities of being a leader. • Besides B. Clinton, A. Lincoln, G. Washington, or your parents give me a personal example of a good leader. • Why is the Enron case a bad example of leadership? • Why is the Malden Mills case a good example of leadership? Outline What Is Leadership? • Leadership is about inspiring others with confidence to accomplish the vision of the leader, organization, and community. • There is no correct definition of leadership. Leadership is a concept that we are fascinated by yet it is one of the least understood phenomenas of humanity. • Leadership is a trait that can be learned and enhanced with experience, however it is not something that can be just given, otherwise it will lead to failure. Leadership is a talent, like playing the piano, it takes time to cultivate leadership to become effective at inspiring others, much like it takes time for a pianist to be able to stroke the keys perfectly to Mozart’s Requiem. • “Putting a man in charge and calling him a leader is like giving a man a Bible and calling him a preacher. Bestowing the title, doesn't bestow the talent.” - Price Pritchett How would you define a leader? • Leaders have an ability to influence their followers with confidence through effective communication. • Leaders are teachers that set...
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...The famous civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemy but the silence of our friends.” This seems very relevant to what our society has been in the past as well as how it is in the present. As history depicts, conformity has allowed many actions and events that would be frowned upon, with very few challenging, condemning, or actively speaking out against it. For example, take a look at the many genocides that have been allowed to occur. When a person or group of authority establishes an idea, very seldom do people challenge to defy or deter. Literature, which lives forever as a critique of our past mistakes and errors, reveals the negative consequences of our conforming...
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...There is something really important I have to tell you. Yesterday I watched a speech that is going to change all my future decisions and I am sure once you watch it yours as well. This speech is conducted by an animal liberation activist Gary Yourofsky in Georgia Institute of Technology. As of January 1, 2015 Gary Yourofsky has given 2,660 lectures to more than 60,000 people at 186 schools in 30 states and several Israeli cities/schools, including the U. of Alabama, U. of Florida and Georgia Tech. The latter has been translated into more than 30 languages for over 10 million YouTube hits. This speech is the most viewed speech in Israeli history. Lecturing is a softer approach for Yourofsky, who has been arrested numerous times for random acts of kindness and compassion, and banished by five countries from...
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...who gives the most money? People like Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, my grandmother or Jesus? Are these people examples of what “good” is? Author Flannery O’Connor gave an idea on what exactly “good” is in her short story “A good Man Is Hard to Find”. We learn about what “good” is through the grandmother in the story. We get the idea in the story that the grandmother is almost better than everyone else or at least she thinks that she is better than everyone else. Changing vacation plans because she doesn’t want to go to the original location, smuggling a cat even though she is told not to, lying to get what she wants. To most this does not sound like “good”. I think that grandma believes that this is “good”. Grandma is under the false impression that she is good. She gets what she wants acting how she is, so she thinks nothing of the way she acts. We again learn about good at the gas station when the clerk talks about how people didn’t pay...
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...Morals are supposed to bring good but there are circumstances where a moral action might bring damage. Due to this premise I feel as though it is not always right to do the duty that is expected. I also believe that if a duty is imposed on us, the fulfillment of that duty will not make us any more ethical. To explain my universalizability statement, Immanuel Kant believes that acting immorally is unreasonable because it is inconsistently unfair and unjust towards whomever it may have a negative impact on, even though that person may not know. According to Kant, an action is morally right if its maxim is universalizable. In which a maxim is a “principle of action you give yourself when you are about to do something” (162), and universalizable means that your acts of your maxim would be supported by everyone. According to Russ Shafer-Landau in The Fundamentals of Ethics, Kant believes that, “the morality of our actions has nothing to do with results. It has everything to do with our intentions and reasons for action, those are contained in the principle we live by” (163). Morality relies on people acting out with a good intention, but the action has to be universalizable, and if it is not, we are being inconsistent. Being inconsistent contradicts the reason of the action and therefore the immoral act is irrational. According to Russ Shafer-Landau in The Fundamentals of Ethics, “Kant thought all moral duties are categorical imperatives” (168), and “categorical imperatives are rational...
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