Dear Editor,
Coming from the state of California I find it difficult to see the hard times negroes in the South go through. Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham jail has made me understand the plight of the southern Negroes and has pushed me toward action, making me want to lend my own body to the south.
In his letter he fully explains why he has been pushed towards using direct action through sit-ins, marches and explains that the way to communication is through these methods. By using these methods, the Negros force them into the spotlight, it creates an environment in which we can no longer ignore their demands and needs. I believe we can all agree that when Dr. King states “Freedom is never given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed,” he states a fact so true we see why the Negro is pushed to action. The south will never hand over more rights without a fight. Dr. King has brought a fight that has never been seen in America before. The fists are now will. The damage done is only to those who feel threatened by the actions of these men, and not the physical damage of war.
How could we as people ever live in harmony after a battle of blood? The truth is, we never could. Revenge begets revenge, and hostility creates more blood. It would be an ongoing battle that never ceased, and is the wrong path to take. By taking the path of nonviolent action, Dr. King has proven that once and for all a merging of wills can overcome the greatest power on earth, the power of the U.S. government.
There are few times on this earth where we are faces with the issues of today. When Dr. King speaks, he tells us that even if we aren’t the ones oppressing, the fact that we idly stand by and allow the oppression to happen leaves us partly responsible for the oppression. How can we deny that our inaction is part of the problem? While we ignore injustice we allow that injustice to continue. When that injustice happens right under our noses and we ignore it, we do nothing to relieve the cycle. We must take a stand for those who are weaker than us, we must protect them as we protect our own family, only then can injustice be drowned out by the will of the majority.
These words have called me to action. No longer can I stand by while these men and women are trampled underfoot. The time has come to rise up against the injustices of this world, lest we follow the same path of the Nazi’s. I will under no condition be a part of a society that allows these injustices to happen. This will be proven not by my words, but my actions henceforth. The stirring words of Dr. King has allowed me to see the reason why this matter is important for me, though I might not share in their oppression, I will no longer stand by as the are oppressed.
Bryant, I really liked your take on the “letter to the editor” topic. I also chose this for my topic, except I used Sojourner Truth’s speech. This read like a legit letter that could be printed in a newspaper or magazine. The second to last paragraph has good information. The part - “Even if we aren’t the ones oppressing, the fact that we idly stand by and allow the oppression to happen leaves us partly responsible for the oppression. How can we deny that our inaction is part of the problem?” speaks loudly to the audience. It makes the reader ask themselves that exact same question and ponder about their position in this whole situation. Should they or shouldn’t they join the fight…
ReplyDeleteDr. King’s response “Freedom is never given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed” is an interesting concept as well. If one is oppressed, they aren’t going to gain freedom just sitting around. They have to get up and do something about it. I think Dr. King’s peaceful demonstrations also helped in furthering this freedom. It kept things kind of classy on their part, like “We don’t need to cause chaos to obtain our freedom!” I certainly respect that. This goes off of your third paragraph where you said bloodshed causes more hostility. It certainly doesn’t help their cause.
Your Letter to the Editor is great and covers many points that help one understand how well Dr. King's letter was written. Starting with being from California and having difficulty seeing the "plight" of the Negroes is moving in itself. Seeing such atrocities of others can move one to take action and to help with the fight for the Negroes freedom. Nonviolent methods are far superior to violent means and as you said it is hard to "live in harmony after a battle of blood." The pain caused to all through the use of violence is something that can never be forgotten. The true fact is that the silence is just as bad as participating in the oppression of others and those that remain silent are just of guilty as the oppressors due to that silence. Inaction is not acceptable in society and to turn a head and look away is doing just that. Sometimes, issues get to the point that people need to speak up and demand change for the betterment of society and Dr. King was an individual who knew that more than most of use and taught the world the true power on nonviolent methods to force change.
ReplyDelete