Cyber Writing Assignments 1-3 January 17-24
Visit these websites and read three speeches by Dr. King over the next week. Write a summary/analysis of each speech. You can choose any speech except: “I Have a Dream.” Each response should be minimally 250 words of one typed page (double space.) Post it on the blog. Respond to one student essay. Read the essay first, and then respond.
http://www.mlkonline.net/
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/contents.htm
http://members.aol.com/klove01/martinsp.htm
Visit these websites and read three speeches by Dr. King over the next week. Write a summary/analysis of each speech. You can choose any speech except: “I Have a Dream.” Each response should be minimally 250 words of one typed page (double space.) Post it on the blog. Respond to one student essay. Read the essay first, and then respond.
http://www.mlkonline.net/
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/contents.htm
http://members.aol.com/klove01/martinsp.htm
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 1:09 AM
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Melissa Tinkelenberg
English 1A 9-10 Mon-Thurs
I first chose to read this speech as soon as I saw the title. In fact it called to me. Loving
my enemies, it’s something I strive to do almost every day of my life. Martin Luther
King Jr. talks about the importance of these words. He shows us how to live up to them. He quotes Jesus in saying “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and prey for them that despitefully use you……” He addresses the two big questions of: How do we love our enemies? Why should we love our enemies? This speech truly spoke to me. MLK Jr. always had a way with words.
People may say that it isn’t possible to actually love the people that show them hate. I completely agree with MLK Jr. in feeling that we should strive to live by these words, we NEED to live by these words. When I make a true effort to really love my enemy, I’ve realized that I am actually a happier person. As MLK Jr. points out, hating changes the hater as well as the hated. It makes you blind. It makes you act in ways you normally would not act. Hating also cause a chain reaction, and just brings more and more hate into the world. We as people need to strive to let go hate, and learn to love.
I love his metaphor relating democracy and communism to ourselves and our enemies. Showing us how we tend to be able to see all the little faults in the others, yet we can’t see the huge faults in ourselves. When he says, “If the opportunity presents itself to defeat your enemy, don’t” I related this to my philosophy of being the bigger person. I find that if I consciously let go of anger, and try to understand the person I can usually see what makes that person act a certain way towards me. I can find the good in them, and I actually usually feel better.
To me this speech reminded of why I work so hard to keep the peace with the people in my life that bring me conflict. Why I try so endlessly to rise above feeling hate. Why it’s so important to love.
Deon Johnson
English 1A 8-9am
Cyber Writing 1-3
“Our God Is Marching On!”
I think it goes without saying that every time you read anything that Martin Luther King Jr. says, you slowly, or rapidly, but certainly take on his voice and rhythm; “Our God is Marching On!” was no excepting. “Our God Is Marching On!” was another ardent speech, that no matter who you are, you had to appreciate.
Once again, I have to express, that this speech, delivered on March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama, easily could’ve been delivered in this twentieth century. I’m starting to think Martin Luther King Jr. knew who he would become, and prepared his speeches so they can be timeless; for and generation, during any century.
Even though this is the second speech I’ve examined, this one has to be my favorite, so far. I wonder does anyone in my class feel the same. Two of the many reasons why I enjoyed the speech so much were because of its phrases, and his overall message. “Our feet are tired, but our souls are rested,” one of the few phrases Dr. King made to acknowledge the passion and dedication the people needed while marching on; very powerful to me. “How long? Not long,” one more admirable phrase I loved; also appropriate. It reminds me when I was little, and my mother and I would take long trips, I would always ask, how much longer mommy, and her response would be, not much longer baby. Now, it wasn’t an illuminating answer, but it was just enough, enough for me to stop asking, for awhile a least, and get the satisfaction that yes, we’re almost there. In a way Dr King was there father, and those people were his baby.
Mainly this speech, made March 25, 1965, was a “campaign in Alabama…centered on the right to vote;” however, I felt they got much more. They got something like a pizza, full of toppings. Reliability as the crust; honesty as the chesses; determination, strength, encouragement and etc as the many toppings we love to eat. Throughout me reading this speech, I’m was amazed at what one BLA CK man can do when he puts his mind to it, made me think about what I can do with a delimit mindset.
Professor Wanda Sabir
Kenton Low, 1A
Cyber Writing 1-3
MLK: Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
18 January 2008
It comes to mind when Dr. King expected the award of the Nobel Prize he fought hard for all the African Americans for the right to vote, the right to set in front of the bus. It great that Dr. King, Jr. achieved the rights to people because when they no rights the people would still be struggling and violence will still be going till today. When I say Dr. Martin Luther fought for the Africans he fought for every African American to have rights. It was the inspiration and the hard work that he put his hart into give freedom for everybody. The saying that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.said that he fought for the civil rights and the African Americans had faith in the movement. This way I’m liberal today and a Democrat because of the rights that I support for the African American like help the low income families that live in the projects and help them out by in like a giving them a room and board to stay shelter to sleep at stay at.
Professor Wanda Sabir
Kenton Low, 1A MTWTR 8-9am
Cyber Writing 1-3
MLK,Jr.:"Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech"
18 January 2008
It comes to mind when Dr. King expected the award of the Nobel Prize he fought hard for all the African Americans for the right to vote, the right to set in front of the bus. It great that Dr. King, Jr. achieved the rights to people because when they no rights the people would still be struggling and violence will still be going till today. When I say Dr. Martin Luther fought for the Africans he fought for every African American to have rights. It was the inspiration and the hard work that he put his hart into give freedom for everybody. The saying that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.said that he fought for the civil rights and the African Americans had faith in the movement. This way I’m liberal today and a Democrat because of the rights that I support for the African American like help the low income families that live in the projects and help them out by in like a giving them a room and board to stay shelter to sleep at stay at.
Melissa Tinkelenberg
English 1A 9-10
“Address delivered in acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize”
This speech, like all of the others I’ve read, really showed Martin Luther King Jr. as being the wonderfully optimistic man that he was. Yes, he was optimistic about rights of blacks and minorities yet, he was also unbelievably optimistic about world peace in general, the kind of world peace that most people can’t even imagine, “And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together.” I feel that MLK Jr.’s vision is a beautiful one, however I fear it is dream that will never become reality. In some ways sure we’ve come a long way since his day. Minorities now have the same rights as white people, acceptance into colleges, the right to vote, even the right to run for president. Sure people in America aren’t openly as racist, but hatred and anger seems to forever be a part of human nature. A perfect example being 9/11. I myself worked as a midwife, so I had clients of all different races and cultures. I had quite a few Muslim couples as clients, and some of the horror stories I heard about the brutal things that happened to our dad’s to be……random beatings, being arrested for no reason, being forced to be stripped searched at airports, the stories went on and on. People eagerly started hating Muslim men. If you ask me it gave people somewhere easy to direct their anger. I feel that racism and discrimination come from two major places within a person, fear and anger. Until man kind is able to rid itself of fear and anger, we won’t be able to rid ourselves of hate. It’s beautiful to see the optimism MLK had, yet I find myself unable to share it with him. I have hope, and desire, yet I can’t seem to have the faith that MLK so powerfully expresses. I hope that man can prove me wrong.
Melissa Tinkelenberg
English 1A 9-10
“Paul’s letter to American Christians”
“Paul’s letter to American Christians” was probably my favorite speech of MLK Jr. It was such a powerful speech, and brought up so many points about America then, and sadly stuff that still applies to America now. I completely agree with the points he makes about how scientific advances have increased dramatically while morality has lagged behind. Civilization has made us lose our culture. People’s greatest concern is to be accepted socially. People don’t want to stand up and be different, fight for what’s right. I’m not Christian, but when he was calling out to Christians and telling them “if any earthly institution conflict’s with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to take a stand against it,” I was completely moved. I feel Christianity as a whole has wonderful beliefs and morals and teaches you how to be a good and caring person. You need to look within self and not allow things that you know are unmoral to continue because it is “right” to society. Making a living has become more important then living an ethical life. People need to stop judging their success by the quality of their lives and start judging it by the quality of their humanity. These are some of the important points he makes in this speech. One thing that unfortunately hasn’t changed since the day of MLK is the economic differences of the classes. Still today, our wonderful country’s economic system is such that it is beneficial to the few and a struggle for the masses. Another thing that has not changed is the segregation of churches. There are still churches that black people attend and churches that white people attend. Even in communities that are diverse, they still stay segregated in their place of worship.
What I truly love about MLK is his very peaceful approach to trying to change the wrongs in America. I have never understood how people could act violently in the name of peace or God. MLK teaches people how to go about forcing change peacefully. “As you press on for justice be sure to move with dignity and discipline using only your weapon of love, let no man pull you to hate him.” Those are such powerful words. He really and truly teaches that love is the answer. That’s what I love most about MLK.
Deon Johnson
English 1A 8-9am
Cyber Writing 1-3
“Speech at the Great March on Detroit”
“Speech at the Great Mountain on Detroit,” which was delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. on June 23, 1963, was the third and last speech I’d examined. Unannounced to me; not planned, it also was one of his earliest speeches, from the other two I’ve read. Honestly, by doing that, in somehow it made me understand the struggle blacks along with other minorities had. By reading the speeches from recent to earliest was the best way for anyone to understand how far blacks and the movement came, from where it started.
This speech was another eye-opener for me. Being a young black male, raised in a predominately white neighborhood, categorize as upper, not high class, made me not focus on the past, in some way, I felt it was a sign of having a grudge. Maybe it was denial, but to read, now how and what Dr. King and my fellow ancestors went through and did was a far distances of reality for me; in the back of my mind if at all. I knew about Martin from school and television, but I never took the time to know of him and his dreams. He was spoke of so highly, and now I can be one of those people to speak about him highly also, not because he was a legendary black man making a different, but because he was a person with excellent wisdom and he wasn’t egotistical; he exposed his knowledge to the world, beginning with his “people.”
This speech didn’t lack what I’ve grew to love in Dr. King’s speeches; analogizes. “For the hour is late. The clock of destiny is ticking out, and we must act ne before it is too late,” was one of my many favorites from the text. I felt it was the perfect way to describe the waste in time his people were using. “Segregation is a cancer in the body politic, which must be removed before our democratic health can be realized,” another analogy that I’d loved. In fact, that whole quote, including the sentences before that one was something that made me go into deep thought. The beginning of the quote states, “For we have come to see that segregation ids not only sociologically untenable, it is not only politically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful.” I quickly thought how big it was of them to stay “nonviolent in this struggle,” which was expressed by Dr. King himself. I also played with the thought of, if it was I, if I was about of that struggle, could I or would I stay nonviolent, or would I be on the side along with Malcolm X.
As I move towards my conclusion, I have to question us as people. Our ancestors marched for “all,” “here,” and “now,” but do we live day-to-day as such, do we acknowledge that indirectly or directly everything we move to the back of the bus, or take advantage of all are rights. It’s clear our ancestors wanted all of our rights, they even wanted them here, and they most certainly wanted them now; but do we?
Jade Epps
January 17,2008
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Address to First Montgomery Improvement Association
December 5 , 1955 Montgomery, Alabama
On December 5, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech using Rosa Parks and her arrest on the bus as the fuel to the smoldering, yet peaceful inferno of oppression. Dr. King, throughout his speech discusses the effects of being oppressed while advocating and promoting the fight for equal rights among all American citizens.
Dr. King was actually relieved that Rosa Parks, who was an exceptionally decent citizen, was the one to be arrested for such an unjust crime. His relief came from the fact that her previous and continuous non-contestive nature made the arrest even more unjust. Rosa Parks was just as much a participating member of the uprising of her fellow African Americans as any other, but a firm believer in following certain peaceful and necessary precautions in order to obtain the rights alloted to the African American community simply because they were citizens.
Although Ms. Parks was arrested as an individual, the African American community as a whole was inspired to take action under the direction of Dr. King. He catered to the fact that Ms. Parks was one of the most peaceful Christian women in the entire city of Montgomery as well as one of the last citizens to contest with the law.
The law as it was written, according to Dr. King, has always lacked a true definition of the rights that African Americans had. He frequently stated that African Americans were “tired” of being oppressed. To add insult to injury, the entire community was well aware of the lack of a defined law that denied them them same rights, equal opportunities and treatment that the Caucasian community claimed..
However, Dr. King was obligated to bring a gleaming light into a seemingly dark situation by implying that it is necessary, even in the midst of a an endless struggle to advocate peace between seemingly unequal parties in every way possible. Dr. King stressed that through trying times and wreckless oppression, the voice of a single proud man (in this case woman) is capable of being more powerful than the violence of hundreds.
According to Dr. King. It is necessary to obey certain rules and guidelines obiding with the law to insure a just and fair decisions at the end of a troublesome war. Rebelling would not allow any of these accommodations the community desired to be met. Due to the fact that African American were citizens of a “free and democratic nation” blacks were entitled by the constitution rights and priviledges as equal citizens for obiding by the same law and constitution as white citizens.
In closing, Dr. King demanded that his audience adhere to the fact that no one fighting for what is right should fear being wrong; through unity, all things are possible; and if an entire nation can be enslaved through unity, then an entire nation can rise from the shackles of oppression through the same concept of unity and love.
Erica Marshall
english 1a M-Th 9-10
Dr. MLK
"I've Been to the Mountaintop"
I have seen this speech through documented material given many times, as have many of us I'm sure. And I'm fine with letting you all know that this is indeed the first time that I have sat down and actually read one of his speeches word for word. I am a not suprised though, at the fact that his speeches are just as powerful and inspiring read as they are given. What is the sad truth about this speech is that we as a society can still relate to the problems Dr. King was tackling. I know that freedom doesn't come for free. You always have to fight to keep your freedoms, because the second you stop fighting for them, someone's always there to take them away. Dr. King, through his speeches, gave that imparative knowlege. Listening to his speeches is like taking the most inspirational intriguing Political Science class ever...assuming the class is being held from a liberal viewpoint. He was able to get the masses to put aside differences in a time that it seemed virtually impossible. The world truley misses his inspiration and courage, but we can be thankful that his genius still lives on.
Sean W. 9-10
“I have been to the Mountain Top”
Before today I can’t remember ever reading any of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s
speeches in full. Today I read “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” a speech given in
Memphis Tennessee on April 3rd 1968. The fact that this was the last speech he would ever give made it even more powerful to read. I am truly moved by Dr. King’s love for all brethren regardless of the color of their skin. I always knew that Dr. King was at the forefront of the civil rights movement, but today I feel he gave his life fighting for equal rights for all people.
I believe that when he spoke of God posing the question “In what age would like to live?” he was stressing the importance of each time period throughout history being as significant as the next. Each of these periods, whether they’ve been marked by strife and suffering, or creation and progress, represent the continuing evolution of all mankind. Despite the violence, poverty, and injustice in our nation, Dr. King preached of the positive changes the people have seen and forward movement for Human rights. His message of Hope sharply resonates when he says “But I know somehow that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars”. These dark times the nation was struggling with forced us to see the changes that needed to be made. He spoke of the importance of unity and non-violence which is as significant to our future as it has been for our history.
Though Dr. King died the very next day from an act of hate, the words he spoke and the momentum of his work promised us that the civil rights movement would not stop with his death.
Rudy Gonzales
8-9am Mon-Thurs
Cyber Writing 1
Speech: “Rediscovering Lost Values”
I feel the “Rediscovering Lost Values” speech of Dr. King is as germane today as it was back in February 28, 1954 at the Second Baptist Church in Detroit. Dr. King said, “There is something wrong with our world,” and how we cannot make excuses, instead change our problems by looking inside ourselves and reacquainting ourselves with “moral foundations.”
The world he lived in was filled with hate and inequality. It is admirable that Dr. King spoke in a positive attitude moving towards a better tomorrow and not complaining about the past or the present. There are a couple of great points that I would like to talk about in his speech; the first being, we cannot make any excuses because we have accomplished so many great feats already such as flying internationally. This is the part that Dr. King discusses getting to China in less time than it took a letter to cross the United States in the early 1750’s. In other words, an excuse such as not having time to meet my neighbor creates no changes at all; in fact the avoidance prolongs any betterment from happening. If we have the time to build planes and develop new technology we have the time to better communicate in our relationships. Dr. King proclaims, “[Hate] always has been wrong,” and anywhere you are or whoever you are around, hate will always be wrong. I believe this statement is powerful because it uses such strong words such as “hate” and “always.” I hope it makes us think about using the word hate unless we really mean it. I do agree with his proclamation.
I like how he suggests that change lies within each of us. “Sometimes, you know, it's necessary to go backward in order to go forward.” This latter quote struck a chord with me because it is timeless. Everyone, including myself, gets caught up in their everyday life trying to get ahead that most of us lose sight of what truly is important to us. Fortunately, we share similar morals as a people and understand that each of us contributes to making the world a better place to live. This speech makes the reader/listener really analyze themselves to see if they are going down the path that they want to walk. This was truly an eye-opening speech.
Corey Jelliffe
English 1A 9-10am
Until today I did not realize that Martin Luther King Jr. took a stance on the war in Vietnam. I read his speech “Beyond Vietnam”, and was blown away by his ideas about America as a whole. What impressed me was that you could apply the things he was saying as much today as you could then.
He spoke towards the beginning of his speech of the need to speak, the need to state your opinions even when they may not be what people want to hear and even when they do not reflect the policies of our government. The comment which struck me most was that “the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony”. History shows this to be true. Change in our society has always come from people challenging the status quo, and those that speak out for change are often criticized and punished for doing so. We’ve seen it recently with people who have spoken against the war in Iraq; we’ve seen it in the student protests in China. From the Civil Rights Movement, to the Holocaust, women’s rights, and our many wars, there are examples of people fighting against conformist thoughts and demanding change. Standing up for what you believe to be right does not always gain you popularity, but is necessary to enact change.
I believe that Dr. King’s greatest message is that we all have a voice. We must use our voice, appropriately, and with conviction and we must remember that silence mirrors acceptance. Today in America we have the same use of our voice as Dr. King did then, we have the right to protest, and we have the right to speak our beliefs. Though what we say may not always be what people want to hear, we should cherish these rights and use them.
Rudy Gonzales
8-9am Mon-Thurs
Cyber Writing 2
Speech: “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech”
Dr. Martin Luther King’s acceptance speech resonates what he stood for in his movement of peace. In the beginning, he accepts the award begrudgingly. He almost does not understand why he is getting this award for leading the civil rights movement which has not yet, at that time, been realized. He delivers a great line which is, “Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize.”
I almost wish that he would have ran with this idea to possibly not accepted the prestigious award. I feel that it could have possibly made a larger statement to say that he would not accept this award until the essence of The Nobel Prize was realized. I feel if he would have made this fasting move that his message would have been stronger in attaining brotherhood.
Alas, he did accept the award with pride and as a symbol of the peace he stood for and hoped for the future. I really appreciate Dr. Martin Luther King’s truth to reality of the harsh brutality that was happening between men yet he kept a positive non-violent outlook. “I still believe that we shall overcome,” is a message of hope to everyone that this peaceful man with every fiber of his being believed that there would be a better tomorrow, and through non-violence and love would achieve this new civility between white and black alike.
Michael Dacoron Jan 22, 2008
Cyber assignment
9-10am
I chose Martin Luther King, "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam" I listen to this speech. This speech goes well in hand with our situation with the war in Iraq. I like the way he addressed how $500,000 is used for each enemy soldier killed. When $53 is funded for each person who is classified as poor and most of that $53 is used for the salaries of people who are not poor. Wow back in the day that was a lot but imagine how much more is funded for the war in Iraq, millions and millions of dollars. Times are changing but we are still stuck with the same problem we had before.
I liked the way he explained in the speech how people were doubting the non-violence protesting but at the end it all worked out how he was getting phrases by the press. He would get praise by the pres when he asked to be non violent toward Jim Clark a segregationist sheriff but would stab you in the back when you tell the press to be non violent toward little brown Vietnamese children. I like the way he flipped that around and made the media and press look really ignorant. I like the way King wrote and expressed his speeches, it gives you like a motivation to fight for what you believe in and what is right. He talked about how the government is corrupt and inept. Which I agree on but to a certain exception because the government does help us out as much as they can. We have so many problems in the world today and war should not be one of them.
Text
http://husseini.org/2007/01/martin-luther-king-jr-why-i-am.html
Rudy Gonzales
Response to fellow student
Melissa T., I read your response to MLK’s acceptance speech and I felt that you were being a realist. I think that is very rational of you and I can understand your point of you. There is so much hatred and anger left in this world it seems completely hopeless to think that we can get rid of all of it. However, I would like to focus on the optimistic man that you described. You said that Martin Luther King was “unbelievably optimistic” and that was probably true during this time. Here we are decades later, and we have seen change blacks and minorities can vote etc. etc. I believe we can change, not to say that it is not hard, but we cannot expect change in a day. I am reminded of the story of eating the elephant. If you had to eat an elephant you could not do so in one bite, the elephant is too big, but if you cut it up into pieces to eat it that way then you will eventually eat the whole elephant. All I am trying to say is that we have to see how this one man was so optimistic, you say because he had faith. Now I am asking you, where do we get that faith? If we can find out where that kind of faith comes from we may be able to eliminate such hate and hunger in this world. I am not sure where to find faith, but I do suggest that we look deep within ourselves and we will find something there.
Erica Marshall
English 1A M-Th 9-10
Dr. MLK "Beyond Vietnam"
This is a speech that I picked to read because I've never heard of it. One of the things that strikes me every time I hear his thoughts is how he is totally void of any kind of alienating vibes. He is able to capture the attention of not only African-Americans, but he ties the problems that we face together and includes anyone, no matter their race or origin, who is going through struggle. He literally spoke up for everyone very successfully in a time of serious peril. His ability to do that task alone, as a "black" man in the sixties, and relate not only different "races" to each other but also religions and cultures is absolutely genius. It's like he never skipped a beat and reading his speeches makes me wonder if there will ever be another as inspiring and with such strong leadership skills as he had.
Yolanda Gil
Professor Wanda Sabir
1A hours 9-10
Cyber writing 1-3
“Loving Your Enemies”
On November 17, 1957 Martin Luther King gave a speech title “Loving Your Enemies”. When I read the titles of the speeches Martin Luther King gave, I couldn’t decide on which speech to read first. I read a couple of them but the one that I enjoy reading the most was about how and why to love our enemies.
I found it very interesting to find out that one of the first steps to succeed to love our enemies is to look at one self before making an attempt of loving others. The reason is one must has to accept ourselves with all the virtues as well as our turpitude. Once that is accomplished then the journey to love others are not as difficult. The second step an individual must do is to find out positive aspects from the enemy instead of focusing in the negative aspects. In this way, by knowing that a person has a good side, it will change the way one can approach towards the enemy.
The question to why to love the enemy instead of getting in more conflict is to avoid evil. One of the examples Martin Luther King gave on his speech, was when he was with his brother driving and discourteous drivers didn’t dim their lights; his brother wanted to do the same but he told his brother be polite. The grounds for him to the avoidance of doing the wrong thing will escalate to a continuous wrong doings and building an extreme dislike of the enemy. Another factor to consider is that nothing positive is accomplished by hurting others. Not only that, but the individual doesn’t live in peace. Love is not only about a family relationship; love is imaginative, in which a full understanding of human kind necessities is required to accept in life
http://www.mlkonline.net/enemies.html
Alana Chambers
English 1A
MTWTh
8-9am
When I sat down to choose a speech to review the title "Eulogy for the Martyred Children" touched my heart. This speech was given after the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. Four young girls died in the explosion. It reminded me that people actually died for the freedom that African Americans have now. The freedom that I so often take for granted. I was saddened by the fact that children had to die for Dr. King’s dream to live. It reminds me that freedom is not free, it comes with high costs.
This speech was given towards the end of the civil rights movement and by the language that Dr. King uses one can conclude that it was given to a crowd that had grown weary. He is speaking to a crowd that is questioning if their struggle is worth it. He has to remind them that they have already paid in blood and if they give up now it would all have been in vain. He tells them, "Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream". It shows them that although it’s hard they can’t give up.
Everybody can relate to this speech on a human level because the bombing was senseless and it murdered children. I don't even think that white segregationist wanted to see this happen.
This speech is timeless because the message is that from darkness there can be light. It shows us that no matter how hard it gets you can’t give up.
Corey Jelliffe
English 1A 9-10
Response to a fellow student.
I have read all the essays posted thus far and think there are great thoughts and views being expressed here.
When I read Yolanda's essay on "Loving Your Enemies" I was really moved by what she took from the speech. I especially related to her comments on why we must look for the positive aspects of our enemies in order to change our approach. I don't remember where I heard it, but someone said that if we were forced to spend a day with our enemies, watching them care for their families, work, put their children to bed, we might never find it within ourselves to go to war.
I thought Yolanda hit on some very important aspects of this speech such as the fact that when hurting others we are not living in peace. It was obvious that she put a lot of thought into what Dr. King was trying to say and truly analyzed the message. I love the line she used about love being imaginative and feel we should all push our boundaries on what loving your enemies truly entails. Great job Yolanda!
Corey Jelliffe
English 1A 9-10
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on September 18, 1963 the “Eulogy for the Martyred Children”. I am not ashamed to say that while reading this eulogy I cried. The American Heritage Dictionary definition of “martyr” is “1. One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles. 2. One who makes great sacrifices for a cause. 3. One who endures great suffering.”, and interestingly enough is the very next entry after “Martin Luther King Day”. This speech was sad on many levels, for the children and the families, but also in the fact that it was so applicable to his own death.
Throughout this speech Martin Luther King spoke about the redemption of “unmerited suffering”. He spoke of God being able to wring good out of evil. It was so reflective of his own life and death that it was almost eerie. His message was so powerful and so forgiving. He wanted us to look not just at the act of violence itself, but at way of life and the thought processes that would allow something like this to take place. He wanted to be sure that instead of focusing on the tragedy, we would look deeper into ourselves and our society as a whole to realize why this took place.
I was most deeply moved by his statements about death being the true democracy. No one escapes death; it is an experience we all must face. The challenge, I think, is to focus on the life lived, to see the works and actions of the man or woman or child. To dwell on the fact of death would be to ignore what the life meant.
Yolanda Gil
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A hours 9-10
Cyber writing 1-3
“Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech”
On December 10, 1964 Reverent Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was in Oslo, Norway accepting the Nobel Price. King was selected by the Nobel Prize Committee as the furthermost apostle of peace at the time. The speech King delivered was exceptionally touching due to the continuous effort to overcome oppression and aggression without using violence.
The way King consider himself as a trustee of all men who love peace and brotherhood shows that he had a great kindness and a great respect for all men. King states in the speech that “ I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits” (King 110). In this quote King expresses the social justice of having equality for all men not only for Americans but for people from all over the world. King believed that one day all the social injustice will come to an end and that’s when everybody can live in peace. But meanwhile, the only way to achieve peace is by a constant unity to battle evil.
It has been a repeated battle to gain peace for all men. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the same battle is going to be fought for generations to come. The actions that have been taken towards justice of human kind haven’t been in vain. Those actions have served as samples to follow to conquer the peace we all thirst from. The social justice will be achieved until everybody accepts that it is the only way to be able to live in peace.
King, Martin Luther Jr. I Have A Dream (Writings and Speeches that Changed the World)Washington 1st ed. 1992
Rudy Gonzales
8-9am Mon-Thurs
Cyber Writing 3
Speech: Letter From A Brimingham Jail
Dr. King’s “Letter From A Brimingham Jail” was very thought provoking, very long, and filled with undeniable truth. I decided to read the letter because I thought it may be different from a speech that he would give. I must admit that the other speeches that I responded to, I read them aloud to see if I could evoke any feeling that Dr. King might have expressed when saying them. I am not sure how long it took him to write the speeches he gave or if he just prepared notes, but the letter was written over some time on several sheets of paper that he acquired while in jail. He agrees himself that the letter is long and much thought was given to it and I believe that the thoughts in this piece, due to the situation Dr. King was in, express raw emotion and maturing ideas.
I applaud Dr. King in the fact that he did not just make memorable inspirational speeches, but was also a man of non-violent direct action. He went to Alabama to protest with many others and suffered consequences as well. I can see how so many could look up to a person who truly practices what they preach. Moreover, Dr. King points out in his speech that doing the right thing is always the right time. He further mentioned that he could not be the on the side that became complacent with segregation nor on the side that was filled with bitterness and hatred. He took a firm stance between the two and took direct action (the bitterness side) of non-violence (the complacent side.)
Many people have said that he is considered an extremist by doing such a thing. Later in his letter he embraces this fact and alludes to many other well-known extremists because it is “not whether we are extremists or not, but what kind of extremists we will be;” ones that love in Dr. King’s case. In the beginning of his letter, Dr. King his explaining and describing why he did what he did and you can imagine him actually defending his gut instincts. Over the course of his letter you can see how his ideas matured and he began to accept what is truth and not back down from his moral foundation embedded in faith. I have great respect for Dr. King.
Bibliography
Cyber Response 1: King, Martin Luther. “Rediscovering Lost Values” http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol2/540228- Rediscovering_Lost_Values.htm
Cyber Response 2: King, Martin Luther. “Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech” http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/acceptance_speech_ at_nobel_peace.pdf
Cyber Response 3: King, Martin Luther. “Letter From A Brimingham Jail” http://members.aol.com/klove01/jailltr.htm
Alana Chambers
English 1a
8-9 MTWTh
"Beyond Vietnam"
I feel that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "Beyond Vietnam", has the most current social relevance. Although this speech was written over 40 years ago it is still valid. Our country is now, as it was then, torn by war. This speech addresses the damage that war can cause this nation. Its topic is timeless and it is as necessary for the people of the United States to hear these words now as it was then.
As I continued to read this speech it hit closer and closer to home. Dr. King questions why we were fighting in Vietnam to insure their liberty and most Americans are not afforded the same liberties at home.Why were black and white men sent to fight and die side by side in Vietnam and in Georgia they could not go to school side by side.
While most Americans thought that we were in Vietnam to spread freedom and democracy, there was a darker side. Dr. King states "They watch as we poison their water, as we kill a million acres of their crops", with this quote alone, he strips away the glamor and heroism attached to Americas role in the war and exposes a ugly truth, that we were doing more damage than good.
Dr. King went further than to just to show us that in a war, even the winner loses. He planned out a good exit strategy and showed us ways to repair the worlds view of Americas. These ideas are just as useful now as they were then. We need to hear these words now more than ever. America needs to take care of America before we try to fix the rest of the world, thats just as true now as it was then.
Alana Hoskins Chambers
English 1A
MTWTh
8-9
I chose the speech "Rediscovering Lost Values" because its title also spoke to me. Although the speech is very short the point comes across very strong. What i took away from the speech is that people need to stay humble. I never that you can be a genius but if you have no integrity, no moral code, it doesn't matter. I love that in this particular speech Dr. King didn't use 15 words for something that can be said in 10.
Out of the three speeches I chose to read I like this one the best because Dr. King points out something as simple as "Rediscovering Lost Values" and takes it from a universal to a personal level. He shows us that the country needed to rediscover its values and it also showed us that the country is nothing but a reflection of the people in it and so for America to have some great discovery Americans would have to have some self discovery.
Makda Andargachew
English 1A 9-10am
"Loving your Enemies"
I find this speech teaching not only motivating. It's hard to get over a dispute between friends and at times you may never speak again.Keep in mind that this is with a friend, someone you know well inside out. Sometimes it gets so hard to see passed a fight with a friend.
When MLK spoke of "Loving your Enemies" he broke it down for all of us to see what we fail to do from time to time.
As babies take their first step in to walking, our first step in to success is loving our enemies. In order for us to love others we must accept ourselves with all our virtues and turpitude. Then loving others should come easy.
To find ourselves thinking positively helps us in many different ways. It is also our second step to loving our enemies. To find out positive asspects from the enemy helps us to see passed the focused negative aspects and that there is a good intention of a person. Such acknowledment changes our approach towards our enemy.
Why should we love our enemy? Simply to avoid evil. Little things here and there add up and cause great conflicts. If we are consumed in our hate we lose our purpose. No matter how glorious our purpose may be no good will come from doing bad on others. By doing good we give ourself the gift of peace within. A simple act of kindness changes the fate of a man.
Melissa Tinkelenberg
English 1A 9-10
I have read most of the students essays up here. It's wonderful to see how moved everyone was by the speeches they read. I have learned a lot about MLK Jr. I didn't know, and I see him in a whole new light. Sean, you told me the other day in class when we read eachothers essays that you love how I use such powerful words. I must say that it goes both ways. I felt that your essay had very discriptive and colorful words. Corey, I knew he took a stace on Vietnam, but I didn't realize that had said so many eye opening and timeless things. After reading yours, I had to go and read that speech. Deon, I just need to say that I love that pizza analagy.
Erica Marshall
English 1A M-Th 9-10
"Our God Is Marching On!"
Dr. King is an incredibly important person in American history...and after reading his speeches I can't help but wish that more prople thought like him. I mean, of course we all admire and look up to him-maybe that's a bit presumptuous- but I know for a fact that people are still judging by skin color, class, social standings...you name it. I myself have been caught in the middle of many different stereotypes. I'm not only a broke student living on section 8, I'm also a "white" looking creole female in an interracial relationship, unmarried and with a child. You'd be suprised at the confusion when people try to categorize me! Anyhoo...Dr. King was a person who wouldn't have cared how much money I have or that I'm of mixed descent. That feels really good when you run into someone with those values. If we acted a bit more like that on a daily basis, maybe we won't compete so much and be so against each other at times. I said earlier in one of my blogs that Dr. King accomplished something virtually impossible at the time by bringing people of all races together, and I truely think it was his absolute lack of judgement that was able to do that. Now, let's stop judging each other so hard! Dr. King knew to pick and choose his battles, and instead of choosing to fight the next guy who came around with the newest Cadillac, shoes and outfit to match, he fought the right fight...the one that actually matters. Once again I always have had nothing but admiration for the man, I've always been moved by his speeches and even recited "I Have A Dream" for my parents as a child as an attempt to stop their bickering...it worked! :)
Erica Marshall
English 1A M-Th 9-10
Respnse to all
I'm glad that I wasn't being presumtuous when I stated that we all admire and look up to Dr. King.
I've read most of the responses and am completely reassured that people are very caring and want to do the best for all. Having a great leader softens those rough edges that sometimes make it hard to get along. I'm glad we can all be inspired equally, as diverse as we are, by one man.
Corey Jelliffe
English 1A 9-10
In 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. accepted the Nobel Prize for Peace in Oslo, Norway. He spoke that day of the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. It was only four short years later that he was killed and that need was ignored. Dr. King’s acceptance speech and his collection of speeches overall are that much more moving when reading them now, because of what we know happened next. It would be easy to let his murder shake our faith in mankind ever reaching the “bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood” that Dr. King imagined for us all.
Faith was a very strong message in this speech, the overriding theme. The faith that he had in God, in mankind, and in himself was truly amazing. He said that he refused to “accept the idea that the “isness” of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching for the eternal “oughtness” that forever confronts him”. I constantly hear from people that violence is bred into man, that hate is a part of our nature that we cannot change. The funny thing is that I always hear that from non-violent, loving people whose faith has just been challenged. I know we would all like to see these things happen within our lifetime, I know Dr. King would have loved to live to see a day when all of mankind could live together with “nonviolent redemptive goodwill”. But I also think that he was a realist, and that he knew that this was an ongoing battle.
It would be easy to just throw your hands up and say, “There is nothing I can do, we are who we are.” Dr. King challenged himself and all of us with the idea that we can overcome our common problems. That if we challenge ourselves to have faith and believe in the goodness of mankind, we may just live to see it.
Kenneth Mitchell
English 1A 9-10am
“I See The Promise Land”
Reading This Speech Connected Me To The Times That Blacks Were Going Through. You Could Feel The Passion That Raced In The Body Of Dr. King. Although That Speech Was Presented In 1968 I Am Not Surprised That Some Of The Same Issues Are Still Very Much Alive Today. What I Am Most Inspired By Is His Faith And Willingness To Stay Committed To A Cause. His Nonviolent Approach Was One Of Excellence. He Knew How To Get Change Immediately In This Country, The Economic Market. His Strategy Was Thought Out And Prepared For People To Follow. His Leadership And Dedication To The Cause Is On That You Can’t Help Be Apart Of. The Tenacity That He Showed In A Nonviolent Way Was More Powerful Then Any Punch Could Have Been. I Can Imagine Sitting There Listening To Dr. King Deliver This Speech, Listening To His Voice Project Through The Speakers And Getting A Feeling Of Inspiration. A Feeling That I Can Make A Difference, I Can Live A Life Of Prosperity And justice. His Speech Even Now I Feel Has The Same Effect That it Did Then. Just By Reading It I Feel Like There Is So Much More Than I Can Do To Improve This World. I Think Today There Is To Much Division Inside Of Races, especially Amongst Blacks. Dr. King Made The Point That We Have To Be Unified, We All Know That There Is Power In Numbers. Society Praises Personal Growth And Success Which I Think Makes People Selfish. There Is Nothing With It, But It Has Brought Division, It Makes One Person Push The Other One Down Instead Of Working Together. I Strongly Agree With Dr. King When He Said, “We Are Masters In Our Nonviolent Movement”. That Statement Is One That Is Still Alive Today And Should Be Thought Of As We Go Thought Are Movements As Individuals And Most Importantly As A Nation.
Yolanda Gil
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A hours 9-10
“The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
In my opinion, Reverent Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a short but very significant speech in regards of Africans to feel pride of their heritage no matter what class they had at the time. Throughout the modern industry era such as automobiles, the sad time of the Great Depression, and the world war one; they had the opportunity to move from the south to the north due to the fact of new job opportunities. As a consequence, many of Africans Americans had the chance to move from working to middle class by working in the all the new jobs available and from taking the jobs that were vacant during war one.
The new opportunities for African Americans to have a higher education were greater when they knew that life quality can be improved by receiving a higher education. Another factor to raise racial consciousness was the decision of the Supreme Court to outlaw segregation in the public schools. An increased of the economy contributes to the new opportunities offered to African Americans in which that help to the rise of racial consciousness. Many other factors contribute to the rise of racial awareness in which Kind covers in the speech. It is a great speech to read and take in to analyze. I found the speech the book title I Have a Dream in which the writings and speeches that change the world are noted.
Christina Thoss
English 1A 9-10 A.M.
“I See The Promised Land”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, “I See The Promised Land” is a very powerful and sincere proclamation of his views and opinions on the unjustly ways people of our nation were being treated. He believed that there was a “Promised Land” and if we followed what God wants for the people then we would reach the “Promised Land”, where eternal equality and fairness between all races, genders, and ages exist. Martin Luther King Jr. also says that we must stop at nothing, and to never give up in what we believe is just, and if we do we will reach our goal of defeating those who caused us to be victims of their harassments and prejudice. And in doing so, we will influence and inspire others to follow in our footsteps. An example of this from his speech would be “Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren’t going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.” This showed Martin Luther King’s determination to win back the rights he felt that they possessed, and the thoughtfulness he had for his nation and it’s suffering people. MLK also mentions that after being stabbed by a deranged woman, that if he had sneezed he would have died, for the blade had hit his main artery assuring fatality. He recalls receiving a letter from a young white girl simply stating that she is glad he had not sneezed and that it should not matter what she thinks solely because she is white. This shows the great impact that Martin Luther King Jr. had on the youth of the nation. The young girl looked up to this man, she didn’t care or let what others thought affect her because she knew his intentions were good.
Source: http://members.aol.com/klove01/promland.htm
Sean Watson
English 1A 9-10
“Our God Is Marching On”
The Civil Rights Movement was not so much a movement against hate, but one against ignorance. Dr.King’s non-violent protests, marches, and speeches transformed the country by giving the injustice of racial segregation ultraviolet visibility. Part of his work was picking up where the populist movement had left off- uniting the powerless many so that the powerful few would take notice. And take notice they did.
Dr. King explains in his speech, the real roots of racism as we know it did not simply linger after slavery’s end. Populism in the late 19th century had sought to unite the poor majority against a government that catered to the wealthy. Lawmakers fought back with the Jim Crow laws of segregation to split that united front right down the middle. Poor blacks were left chained to the status quo. With segregation signs everywhere whites were spoon-fed the notion of superiority. And it worked well, with poverty in abundance to generate indignity, and color lines drawn so clearly that no one could forget whom to hate.
“We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man.” Dr.King’s message remained to be one of non-violence despite all the hatred, violence and brutality that the Movement had endured. We are all God’s children, and if we stand together in the sunlight of the spirit there is no limit to what we can endure. We were all created in God’s image, so like him we must march on.
Christina Thoss
English 1A 9-10 A.M.
“Our God Is Marching On”
I must say that I truly enjoyed and was greatly inspired by Martin Luther King’s speech “Our God Is Marching On”. Imagining all that they had gone through, I would have given up hope if a black American living in that time of injustice, but hearing Mr. King’s thoughtful optimistic words would surely provide me with hope.
Martin Luther King Jr. speaks of a time where blacks and low class whites came together. This became known as the Populist Movement. Unfortunately soon enough segregationists stepped in to put an end to this movement practically by brainwashing the poor white society that it was absurd for they and the black Americans to live equally, and therefore it became a crime for a white and a black American to unite as an equal. It wasn’t before long then that the Populist Movement, as they knew it came to a dying end.
It was now up to Martin Luther King and his fellow hopeful allies to start a movement like the Populist Movement, to unite blacks and whites once again in an equal, friendly society in a nonviolent way. Not looking for defeat, but looking for companionship and reconciliation amongst the white man. Reading his speech, King’s gracious and inspirational words still stick to me as if I were right there taking in everything he spoke. “Yes, we are on the move and no wave of racism can stop us. We are on the move now. The burning of our churches will not deter us. The bombing of our homes will not dissuade us…” King’s words show that he is a true freedom fighter willing to do what it takes to achieve justice for his people once and for all and for good.
Source: http://www.mlkonline.net/ourgod.html
Daniel Palmer
Eng 1A
9:00-10:00am
01-24-08
“Eulogy for the Martyred Children”
Eulogy for the Martyred Children is a sermon that was delivered at a funeral of two young girls. On September 15, 1963 a bomb went off during Sunday school taking the lives of these two young girls.
This sermon is full of hope, turning a usually tragic event into a powerful, life changing event. Martin Luther King began his sermon describing how the girls lived their lives very well with in the time they were given to live.
Dr. Martin Luther King goes on to say that these girls in their unfortunate death there is something to say too all who turn away and flee from serving right fully deserved justice. What the girls are saying to us is that we should not be concerned with the person who killed them but with the system in America has set up to put a killer like this in our world. And that to make the American dream come true for all we must work hard.
Next Dr. King mentions that the girls death may bring people to see the injustices and bring out light were there is dark. He says a quote from the bible,
“A little child shall lead them.”
King goes on to a talk about how we shouldn’t have bitterness and want to react with violence but to have faith in their white brothers. He says death comes to all. All types of people rich, poor, sick, well, guilty, and innocent.
Martin Luther King says that that in the Christian that death is not the end. After death there is eternal life.
Christina Thoss
English 1A 9-10 A.M.
“Eulogy for the Martyred Children”
After reading the “Eulogy for the Martyred Children” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. I found it to be quite touching and considerate of King to pay such a powerful tribute to the young respectable children who were killed for attempting nothing but expressing their feelings for equality and compassion towards one another for who we are as human beings and not by the color of our skin. These courageous children did no harm but speak their minds and in return received fatality. It was very thoughtful of Martin Luther King Jr. to display his respect for these young girls, which showed what a concerned and selfless man he truly was taking the time praise these children and console their distraught families.
Throughout his speech King talks about death and how it is common and inevitable among all ages, genders and social classes, and how it does not mean the very end to a physical life, but that it is a continuation to eternal life after death. Calming the idea of death gave consolation and faith to the families in extreme affliction that their children are in a better place kept safe by God; a place where they can now say what they feel and be who they wanted to be free of judgment. MLK says in his speech that they may have died young, but the lives they lived were meaningful and they died with great nobility.
Martin Luther King did not want anyone to give up hope after the unfortunate death of the young girls, he wanted them to keep on going, and that the children’s death could cause a change in their society for the better; showing that a tragic event such as this could possibly turn into a life altering experience for them. “The spilled blood of these innocent girls may cause the whole citizenry of Birmingham to transform the negative extremes of a dark past into the positive extremes of a bright future."
Sources: http://www.mlkonline.net/eulogy.html
Sean Watson
English 1A 9-10
Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech
Jan 24,2008
“I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement … which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize.”
On December 10, 1964 Dr.King reminded us in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize that peace had not yet been achieved by the Civil Rights Movement. He was careful to point out that to accept an award of peace was not the same as “mission accomplished”, that churches were still burning and citizens of our nation were still victims of brutal violence.
How does Dr.King reconcile these opposing concepts, the prize being a symbol of peace and the reality being a culture of violence? He calls upon the innate ability of man to love each other when he says “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality”
Dr.King accepted the award in honor of the Movement and the many lives of the known or unknown, who have united for the greater good of the people. He uses the speech as a vehicle to recognize the many ordinary citizens who have risked all and suffered greatly for the cause of peace. He accepts the award as a “curator” on behalf of all of those people. He reminds us with his own selflessness the loving nature of mankind.
Sources: www.write spirit .net
Kenneth A. Mitchell
English 1A 9-10am
“Eulogy for the Martyred Children”
It Is Amazing To Me How Dr. King Could Take Something So Tragic As The Death Of These Children And Turn It Into Something So Positive. I Could Never Imagine And Hope That I Will Never Have To Go Such A Thing As The Parents Of These Children Had To Go Through, But I Believe That Through The Speech They Felt A Little Better. I Believe That That Shows The Type Of Man That Dr. King Was. In The Midst Of Chaos He Was Able To Stand Strong And Lead People. In Many Cases For Someone To Talk About Anything But The People In Remembrance At A Funeral Would Be Consider Rude. Dr. King Had A Way Of Making Everything Seem Alright, He Knew Just What To Say And When To Say It To Make You Feel Calm And Relaxed. Nothing That He Did Was Forced Upon You, Everything Was Done With Love For You And Love For A Cause.
Dr. King Was Able To Take A Experience And See The Good In It. From Each Experience He Was Able To Think About The Big Picture. Like In This Speech He Said “Indeed, this tragic event may cause the white South to come to terms with its conscience.” How Crazy Of An Idea Is That? Whites Had Been Killing Blacks For Years Now, And What Makes Him Think That They Would Stop Now. I Think That He Knew That The Times Where Changing And Even Though Killing Blacks Wasn’t Something New, It Was Something About These Children That Was Different. Something About The Time That They Were In That Made These Children Special.
Kenneth A. Mitchell
English 1A 9-10am
“Loving Your Enemies”
I Almost Felt Obligated To Read This Speech. I Have Heard These The Words Love Your Enemies So Much Throughout My Life. After Reading This Speech I Get Even More Of A Understanding Of Dr. King. I Start To See That He Was A Teacher, A Man That Showed You The Way By Telling You And Living The Example. Dr. King Was Very Well Educated And Took You Back To The Beginning To Explain What You Have To Know. In Most Cases When I Hear That You Should Love Your Enemies It Is To Protect Yourself From Being Hurt. No One Really Refers To Loving Your Enemies Because It Is The Right Thing To Do. I Thought It Was Very Powerful How He Explained That To Love Someone Else You Must First Love Yourself. You Must Look Inside Yourself And Correct Whatever Might Be Holding You Back. Once You Have Done That Then It IS Easy To See The Good In Someone Else. When You Are Able To Get Hatred For Yourself Out Of Your Heart I Think That You Cant Help But See Others Good. It Is Much Easier Said Than Done But Still Very Possible. I Agree That We Should All Reach For Agape Love, A Love So Strong That We Love People Despite What They Have Done. I Have Been Faced With Situations Where I Could Have Returned A Mean Gesture Or Retaliated Toward Someone, But Instead Showed Them Love. When I Did That They At First Denied It But Then They Couldn’t Help But Change. I Have Became Great Friends With Some Of Those Same People. It Is True That Love Can Cure All Even Evil And It Is Our Duty To Do Our Best To Love.
Professor Wanda Sabir
Kenton Low, 1A
MLK: “A Call to Conscience:
“The Landmark Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.
24 January 2008
The speech that Martin Luther King calls for everybody to come together and tell the people of color it is time to not fight but to us words an like in Montgomery of the boy. Where Ms. Rosa Parks sat in front of the bus and did not get and that started the civil rights. I did now the movement went this fair. I was pound that the movement took place and that Martin Luther King, Jr... I like the way that Ms. Parks stood up for she and that she did not move back to bus until the bus driver told to because of a white woman wanted to set in the front. I also liked how that Dr. King, Jr. walked a live time before he was killed by white person.
As a person I’m glad that Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first person to do the Civil Rights because otherwise we will not have civil rights like today. The examples are like the right to have a lawyer present at a trail and a fair unbiased jury pool, the right to seat in the front of the bus and etc... These rights where not fair to the African Americans. I felt like he was a hello to the African American because he helped a lot of African American folks in gaining the rights and getting it passed as a law.
Marty Burgess
English 1A 9-10 Mon-Thurs
Beyond Vietnam
I was drawn to Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech since my father served in the war. I learned more about Vietnam by reading King’s speech than I ever learned in school. I always wanted to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the war due to my dad’s participation. King went into the details of who and why and what happened in chronological order. He even came up with a solution composed of five steps. These steps essentially came down to America’s withdrawal from the war and provision of aid to Vietnam.
I found this speech to be very relevant to the war in Iraq today. The points King brings up about the United Stated forcing itself on other countries and pushing its power around is exactly what seems to be happening now. He says, “The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit”. I agree with this statement wholeheartedly and I hope that this war in Iraq ends better than the one in Vietnam.
Marty Burgess
English 1A 9-10AM, M-Th
Loving Your Enemies
Loving your enemy is often a difficult philosophy to follow. It is often the case with family however, to love one another but to not necessarily like each other. My mom has always encouraged me to find some good in others, especially if I can’t stand them. She has always practiced this as well as preached and I try to follow her example. Dr. King’s speech about “loving your enemies” reiterates what my mom has always taught me. He also brings up another point about hate. He said, “The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil. And that is the tragedy of hate . . . it only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe”.
I have learned through personal experience that it is much more stressful physically, as well as emotionally, to hold a grudge or to dwell on dislike than it is to forgive and move on, even when you can’t forget. Though the opportunity to “get back” at someone may present itself, by letting go and not taking that negative action, the chain of hate is stopped.
Marty Burgess
English 1A 9-10AM, M-TH
"Give Us the Ballot"
A lot of people today seem to have forgotten the importance of a vote for creating change. People used to fight for the right to vote, as King discusses in his “Give Us The Ballot” speech. Today’s voters don’t always turn out to vote and often don’t seem to feel that any difference will be made with their vote. What they fail to take into account is that when a large portion of the community feels the same way, that can have a dramatic effect on the results of an election. The views of every one of those individuals is going unexpressed.
I have registered as a non-partisan and with the election of a new president my vote is not requested until the final election. It is discouraging to me to be forced to wait until other people have narrowed down the selection before I can put in my vote. It has been tempting to not vote when I feel like my vote isn’t wanted. I haven’t stopped yet though, because every once in a while, an election is decided based on only a few votes.
Deon Johnson's revised essay
English 1A
Cyber Writing 1-3
“I’ve been To the Mountain Top”
I started off telling myself that I wasn’t going to listen to the speeches, rather read them in full texts. After reading “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top,” and the overwhelming emotions that came over me, I quickly rushed to the computer to hear the audio. I wasn’t aware at how emotional I would get just by hearing his voice say his words. Reading the text than hearing the speech was the best way to get the point that came from his infamous last speech.
“Been to the Mountain Top” was Martian Luther King Jr. last speech on April 3rd, before he died the following day. I didn’t know and was even startled that he died short of his 40th birthday. Wow, he was so young!
The Mountain Top Speech was very alluring to me. I felt like Dr. King could had easily been talking to today’s twentieth century crowd, which is alarming since in that same speech he talks about asking, the “Almighty…to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century.” I recognize this isn’t the second half of the twentieth century but, when he express, “Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around,” made me wonder did he predict the further or has is it that nothing’s really changed; it also makes me think, has there truly been a change from than to now, because there is trouble and confusion in our world today.
I exclusively agree with Dr. King when he made the statement, “it is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; its nonviolence or nonexistence;” which could’ve applied to this twentieth century. I believe the speech was a vocalization of support. To tell people, whomever the people are, not to settle. Justice needed to be won, and they shouldn’t stop until that had happen, and once that happen, not to stop there either; move on to the next hostilities, and another and another to free rights was triumphed. He boastfully animated that they can do it, in that speech; all it took is unity. I knew that’s what Dr. King was trying to get across when he was using the phrase, “But I wouldn’t stop there.”
Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his “Been to the Mountain Top Speech,” that his “eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” In fact, that’s how he ended his speech, so if Dr. King was here in the twentieth century, I would ask him, has the Lord come yet?
I have also enjoyed reading student responses to King's speeches and essays. I liked the surprise and wonder that greeted certain students as they too became members of the King fan club. Proudly sporting their badges, students now understood what made this man so awesome, despite his infidelities and indiscretions. No one is perfect and given his youth, King certainly did a lot with 8 years of service to humanity, something we are still grateful for.
I liked reading your responses to each other. The reflections read like a good book, many of you selected similar speeches. I'm glad Rudy read King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." I went to see a play last year about a young woman who spent over 3 months in a bathroom with others during the Rwanda massacre. She read to stay sane. I think King wrote.
In the bathroom, a small bathroom, the size of a closet, the women tried to remain optimistic when they came so close to being discovered by someone in the house or one of the vigilantes who were murdering Tutsis.
I gathered from some responses the early stages of bonding between students. I am happy you are taking the initiative to support one another's writing. Continue to give specific and detailed support to one another, especially commenting on what works. You want to be able to replicate your successes.
Many of you are great writers. I noticed that some of you know how to document sources; others are well-versed in using signal phrases to introduce quotes. Still others know how to put page numbers at the end of the sentence in parentheses when referencing text.
Keep up the good work class. This is a great start.
Bianca Jauregui
English 1A 8-9am
Loving Your Enemies Nov.17, 1957
The speech starts off by saying that in the 5th chapter of the gospel it says ‘Thou shall
love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.’ But Martin Luther King is telling us to "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." Dr. King says that it's a hard thing to do, to love our eneimies but says that, loving our enemies is the only way to help our civilization survive! Dr. king also spoke about steps to reaching our goal to love our enemies. First we start off by looking at ourselves and analyzing the situation and why we see our enemies as enemies. We have to realize why we feel that way towards a person and then understand that other people might hate us for similar reasons just like we do to them.Then the second step to loving our enemies is to see the good in the person. Instead of judging them by their flaws, we should pay more attention to the good qualities in them.Then the other step is for when we see an opportunity to defeat our enemies, to not go threw with it. Let the retalliation go. Dr. king also broke down the reasons why we should love our enemies. He said that first because if we keep hating our enemies we're spreading the evil in the universe. If we dont stop the hate it'll just keep going on. It'll be a never ending cycle. Another reason why we should love the enemy is because when we choose to hate, we start to do many thing that we normally wouldn't, hate will begin to take over our own selves. Always see the brighter side of a situation and not be blinded by the hatred! Dr. king wanted us to understand his point of loving our enemies and take it in, and actually do something about it so we could all move forward together and better ourselves and our surrondings!
Bianca Jauregui
English 1A 8-9am
Give Us The Ballot, May 17, 1957
Martin L. King gave this speech 3 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education. This day was the day that African-Americans were given more freedom, and released from captivity. This speech was for the president and the rest of the congress to allow african-americans to vote. Dr. king was saying that by allowing them to vote, there would be no more fighting for rights, that by them being able to vote, they would become citizens and make the best out of justice. He spoke about how the government needed more leadership. They needed to be commited and do what was best. In heis speech he also spoke about how all there struggle wasn't to defeat the white man, or become greater then them. It was too be seen and taken into concideration. For all to have a word in the say of everybodies future. Then when they would reach there goal, to not be satisfied to keep going and fight for other situations. Dr. King said that the struugle for justice would be hard that many will suffer some conciquences but that in the end it would be all worth it for the future generations.That their struggle will be noticed and will be a great part of history!
Bianca Jauregui
English 1A 8-9am
Euology For The Martyred Children, September 1963
The speech was given in honor of the 3 children that died in the bombing of a chuch. Dr. King stated that the deaths of the children had something to say, "They say to each of us, black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution. They say to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers. Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream." The incident was a tragedy but Dr. King said that there is a positive side to the situation. That with the deaths of the children it would "lead our whole Southland from the low road of man's inhumanity to man to the high road of peace and brotherhood." Basically saiying that the tragedy would make them stronger and lead the way to a better and more safer and fair place in the future! The main point to Dr. King's speech was that daeth is not the end. That it's an open door to eternal life.!
English 1A
Joe Ganong
Cyber writing 1-3
1.“Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16th 1964”
In his letter from a now historic Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King chose to reach out with an open hand to his “Fellow Clergymen” inspiring a whole nation with moving and truth laden words. With this single letter King offered a different voice to the men of his own cloth, asking the questions that should have been on every true Americans lips, and soon were after. King went on to not only justify his actions in the peaceful protests, but pointing out the very necessity of his actions being caused by the actions of others. The actions that must be pure, and with out hate, the complete opposite of the actions that forced the conflict in the first place. King eliminates the possibility of argument through a truthful and honest break down of his thoughts and actions. Through a four-step process he showed the American public what it means to take a stand and point out the truth so loud and clear that the whole country has no choice but take notice. In his letter he urged the other members of the Christian faith to be true to the ideals that define that very faith. His bold step from the streets of Birmingham into that jailhouse was the symbol of every person who has struggled to be free, and equal. His letter was the testament to those ideals that changed all our lives for the better.
2. “The Birth of a New Nation”
“… The brotherhood of man.” These words spoken so often by King, and though they are all too few syllables, he has use of the most powerful connotation. Through these words we are ushered into kings vision of the once ruler, the duchess of Kent dancing with the new ruler former peasant, jailed philosopher, now prime minister of Ghana. We are shown an emerging country that has finally won freedom from the oppressing British Empire. This picture of a New Nation shows the world and all its intelligent inhabitants that the fight for freedom will not require violence, but understanding and love shall triumph creating a lasting true peace. The most interesting thing to me now coming from the next generation after this struggle broke down the mental chains that were established so long ago. Would be the living dream that has begun to grow and develop on it’s own. Where children of every color sit down at any table they want just to suite there fancy. A generation that dose more than respect ones own uniqueness but have truly begun to move past the hate, through mutual acceptance of the fact that we are all people and that will never change. Where skin color means no more then the color of ones eyes, a mark of beauty through the uniqueness of the individual. King’s voice has given rise to such great change that, even small towns in the most rural of areas we can find children and adults living, eating, working and falling in love with people of every color and affiliation.
2. Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech.
With this short but very moving speech of King’s we find the center to King’s philosophy, which has been shared by those great men and woman that have made such prodigious leaps in human rights struggle. The understanding that the struggle they fight so ritchously for is not there fight alone but is the fight of every person that holds their freedom drear to their hart. Not just the oppressed, but also the ones who’s freedoms seem not to be in question, but though directly or indirectly is essentially involved in this most important conflict. Because the fight for freedom is not an individuals battle, but the responsibility of the entire nation, and all other nations that claim to hold liberty and truth as just and proper morals to base a country upon. King accepts his award in a manor reflecting the struggle that so many people whom are still struggling for the peace that the very prize is named for. Kings speech is indeed short but what was said had a resinous affect that still reads through today and brings the people and the depth of their beliefs in life. His speech did not shame any one with blame but gave praise where credit was so rarely given, to the common men and woman that bleed and suffered to help change the minds of those complacent majority with the ritous power of god!
Jade Epps
01/20/08
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
The King Return To The Boondocks
To open his speech, Dr. Kingcompletely contradicts his former self by calling the entire crowd “ignorant niggas” and tells them to “shut the hell up”. The crowd, in turn, reacts in obvious awe and falls silent. It was more than clear to the audience that Dr. King is seriously disturbed about something because this type of behavior has never been noted in any of his actions.
Dr. King continues by letting the audience know that he suffered tremendously on many occasionsand has experienced numerous tradgedies in order to give them the rights they deserve as equal citizens. Dr. King was livit because the naiton of people whom he fought so hard to obtain equal and just rights for used these rights to act as though they deserved to be these “ignorant niggas” that the “white man” deemed them to be in the first place.
Dr. King makes reference to a couple of his previous speeches during this time. The first speech he metions is his infamous “I Have A Dream Speech”. He remarks that he did have a dream which consisted of children of all colors “drinking from the river of prosperity” together. Instead , 40 years later he sees a disgraceful union of black people who chose to celebrate their lack of dignity in leu of a wealth of prosperity. Dr. King takes the time to admit that he hates to use the words “nigga” when refering to his fellow African Americans, however, he could find no better word to describe this unsightly mob.
Dr. King justifes his use of the word by breaking down that character make-up of a “nigger” which everyone attending that meeting (in Dr.Kings’ eyes) resembled. Of course, being in the present, he had a chance to watch a little television and he exclaimed with the utmost urgeny that BET is the most repulsive concept he has ever come across. Which is significant to modern day only because the African American idolizes the program.
To conclude his speech, Dr. King refers to the “promise land” that he had spoken of in another speech he had given during his era. However, Dr. King mentions that he sees a new promise land and it is not the same as before. This new promise land was one that Dr. King did not want to have anything to do with.
Jade Epps
01/26/08
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Dr. King uses the first 6 paragraphs of his speech to reflect on the many struggles that nations and communities have been forced to over come. He puts himself in a position to have a conversation with God who is letting Dr. King chose which time period he would like to dwell in. Dr. King tells God that he would rather live in no other time period than the one he is in. He would be more than happy to do so. Dr. King is well aware of the fact that even in his time all is not well in the economy but hard struggles bring forth great outcomes. The outcome in pursuit in their situation being true freedom from all oppression. This is the promise land that Dr. King gives the his community.
Benjamin Herrera
English 1A 8-9
Speech:Letter From A Birmingham Jail
To be honest I was not going to read this speech because of how long it was. Then I realized that it wouldn't hurt to read the first part of his speech so I could have an idea of what the speech was really about. After the first part I read I found it hard to stop reading it because of how interesting it was. This MLK Jr. speech is one of his best speeches if not the best of all his speeches. In this speech MLK Jr. is writng a letter to his fellow clergyman critics from a Birmingham jail cell. He starts the letter off by explaning why he is writing to them from a jail cell. MLK Jr. then goes on to say that he is in Birmingham to help end the injustice that's going on in the state. Then he be began to talk about his nonviolent campaing and that there was four steps to any nonviolent protest. Dr. King then explained his last step more in depth and this was direct-action and its used to create a even more public crisis so that it will open the doors to the people that are in charged, and then to start negotiating with them to stop the injustice in the state. I'm going to stop right here with the summarizing because in the first place I would take more than 250 words to summarize this speech, and because I want everyone to read the speech by themselves because it's really that good. To wrap this up in this Dr. King speech he really exposes to the world his knowledge of many different areas like religion, and his theory on two types of laws, and also about how policemen treated them in the jail cells, and so much more interesting ideas he has on different topics. Finally I personally would recommend everyone to read this Dr. King letter once because it's really worth it at the end.
Sean Watson
English 1A 9-10
As I read my fellow students essays I found it hard to pick just one to comment on. When I was writing these assignments I wondered if other people in the class were as moved as I was by the work of this great man. In reading the work of my classmates I found the answer to the previous question.Amazing is the word that comes to mind when I think of how many people continue to be moved by the life's work of MLK today, some forty years after his death. I feel blessed that my eyes have been opened to the gifts of his works. Do you?
The speech “Give Us the Ballot” was the first to caught attention because I was able to connect the idea of democracy through voting. The struggle for Civil Rights soon pressured the Supreme Court to grant the African Americans the right to vote. Thought, that does not necessarily mean other states agree to the courts supreme ruling. I truly believe that the white Southerners at that time were very closed minded and selfish. They only cared about their benefits and society has taught to hate blacks. I find it ironic that for a nation that functions on the voting system to secretly set obstacles to hinder a black person’s right to vote.
In King’s speech, he addressed the benefits of having the right to vote. Blacks won’t have to worry about their basic rights and are able to fight for justice in legislative halls. King also stressed the fact that people need to be committed for this to work Blacks and liberal white southerners are silent because they are afraid of the consequences for advocating such an unpopular topic. The government also has a crucial role in maintaining discipline and order throughout the states. However, the executive and legislative branches are taking their time to satisfy the whites in order to maintain temporary order. Unlike most conservative groups, King had a vision of a integrated nation where black and white people can associate with one another. His method of approaching this dire situation is nevertheless nonviolence and love. I especially like this quote of his from the speech, “We must meet hate with love. We must meet physical force with soul force” King wants to combat hatred with unconditional love. He knew that the only way this nation is to survive is if whites are able to live with blacks. Violence won’t solve anything because obviously it will lead to a cycle of violence and bitterness. He wants people to keep going despite of the obstacles and just to have faith.
This last speech “Letter from Birmingham Jail” somehow attracted my interests. I recalled reading the Civil Rights Movement What Good was it? That the first clip of MLK on television was him getting arrested for declaring himself as the son of liberty. Alice Walker described MLK’s calmness and peace as he was being arrested by the police officers. This great selfless leader was seen as the one who “disturbs the peace” and needs to be detained away from society from the powers that be. The word Jail caught my interest because at the time Birmingham was the most segregated city in out of all the cities in America. There are frequent bombings of Negro homes that are unresolved, and courts deny the blacks the right to a trial. Demoralizing signs such as “Whites Only” can be seen everywhere and Negro mothers and fathers are lynched and drown, injustice was everywhere. MLK wants to tackle the issue by attacking injustice itself since he stated that evil is a threat to justice everywhere. If I was a black back then, I think I may be complacent on taking direct action and possibly wait and took time for integration to take place. I like one of King’s quotes, “justice too long is justice denied” justice and rights will not be handed over to weak by the oppressor. Rights and privileges must be demanded by the weak and from the abusers. I would assume that some white conservatives would question MLK’s motive for disobeying the law. I was proud of MLK’s answer towards his critics, he said that an unjust law is no law at all, “any law that degrades human personality is unjust” I praise his method of sit ins and direct action such as bus boycotts and etc. In the end, it takes one’s devotion to unconditionally love those who beat them and throw them in jail.
This second speech “Beyond Vietnam” also attracted my attention because it was a topic that had was not directly related to the Civil Rights Movement. It just goes to show that MLK is concerned more than the suffering of his race; he wants social justice to take place beyond the United States. Now as we look back we can say that our war with Vietnam was unnecessary and was a total failure and a waste of money, effort and lives. King is a big supporter of the poor despite white or black and he saw the war as the enemy of the poor. The poverty programs originally started to aid the poor collapse because of the war. I did think it was pretty messed up when they were sending African Americans to Vietnam to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia when they themselves never had a taste of freedom and liberty.
I think King’s religion as a Christian was a solid background and driving force for his humane cause. Usually civil rights and peace do not come together; however, King addressed both these conflicting issues. I believe his intentions is to bring peace and justice to all those who are oppressed and did not had a narrow point of view. MLK perceived the American government as the perpetrators of Vietnam because we placed them in concentration camps, killed their families, millions of kids, poisoned their water, food, crops and bomb their homeland. I also totally agree with King that the only way to combat communism is to fix the issue of poverty, injustice and corruption and faith in democracy. Once again, I think the enemy that King stressed about is not about the different factions such as Communists and Vietnamese, the enemy is war it self.
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