Essay Prompt 3 Inspiring Movies on Social Issues: 1. Gandhi (1982): Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who used the doctrine of nonviolence to help India to gain independence against Britain. It’s one of the finest film biographies from 20th century. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela were inspired by his non-violence act. Inspiring Literature on Social Issue: 2. The Book “Henry’s Freedom Box” by Ellen Levine is an inspiring tells about the true life of a slave who ever dreamt for freedom. There are many serious issues that touched on in this book but older children are sure to understand the lessons of the significance of freedom, justice, and determination. Inspiring Song on Social Issues: 3. The song “Keep Ya Head Up,” a standard
What is freedom? This question is easy enough to answer today. To many, the concept of freedom we have now is a quality of life free from the constraints of a person or a government. In America today, the thought of living a life in which one was “owned” by another person, seems incomprehensible. Until 1865 however, freedom was a concept that many African Americans only dreamed of. Throughout early American Literature freedom and the desire to be free has been written and spoken about by many. Insight into how an African-American slave views freedom and what sparks their desire to receive it can be found in any of the “Slave Narratives” of early American literature, from Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustav Vassa, the African published in 1789, to Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself which was published in 1845. Phillis Wheatley’s poetry and letters and Martin R. Delany’s speech Political Destiny of the Colored Race in the American Continent also contain examples of the African-American slaves’ concepts of freedom; all the similarities and differences among them.
As a result of Cry Liberty and the daring rebellion from so many brave slaves this book paints a visual art in the minds of those who pick this book up. Not only does Hoffer bring us back to the year 1739, he brought me back in time and I felt as if I was one of the slaves marching down Pon Pon street in hopes to make it to Spanish Florida to be set free. I enjoyed the historical adventure and the significant events that lead to what we know now as The Great Stono River Slave Rebellion.
Franklin, J., Moss, A. Jr. From Slavery to Freedom. Seventh edition, McGraw Hill, Inc.: 1994.
During the era of slavery in America, it was common to see slaves being content with their given social ascription of identity. Many had accepted their fate of forever being bound. Madison Washington, the main character in Frederick Douglass’ novel, The Heroic Slave; however, couldn’t come to terms with being denied the inalienable right of being free. This book focuses on Washington and his journey in pursuit of liberty. He does whatever he can to be free from the bonds of slavery, and is fueled by the knowledge that slavery cannot be right or justified.
In this story it clearly shows us what the courts really mean by freedom, equality, liberty, property and equal protection of the laws. The story traces the legal challenges that affected African Americans freedom. To justify slavery as the “the way things were” still begs to define what lied beneath slave owner’s abilities to look past the wounded eyes and beating hearts of the African Americans that were so brutally possessed.
To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...
Often when we think of slavery in the 1800’s we associate the concept with only black slaves. However in the book of Uncle Tom’s Cabin we see that if mister Shelby wasn’t a slave owner and owed the debts to Haley, he has been just as likely to become a slave working for Haley. It is we arrive at the question what does it mean to be free and how do we obtain it. We will be looking at Frederick Douglass’s definition of slavery and how he overcame it through increasing his own literacy as a result of reading.
Freedom is the American ideal. In Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he questions the morality and righteousness of slavery. Douglass, a former slave, is convinced that slavery is immoral and unjust. However, the world that surrounds Douglass disagrees vehemently. In an effort to instigate change and improve the lives of millions, Douglass interrogates the moral conscience of his readers, primarily consisting of Protestant, white, undecided Northerners, by forcing them to question freedom and if slavery fits with the vision of the Founding Fathers. Douglass claims and forces the reader to understand that slavery restricts the principles of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the right
Freedom has been the cause of wars, political movements, and centuries of debate. The concept of freedom is simple. Freedom is the right to act, speak, or think without hindrance. In our contemporary society, the right to freedom is so basic and innate we struggle to even fathom life without our basic rights. However, less than 200 years ago slavery was legal in the United States. Slavery is the antithesis to freedom, depriving people of the most basic rights and placing them at the whim of their owners. Frederick Douglas, possibly “the most famous and respected African American in the United States for much of the nineteenth century,” details his life as a slave in America (Douglas, 24). Douglas goes on throughout his autobiography to detail
Slavery is a term that can create a whirlwind of emotions for everyone. During the hardships faced by the African Americans, hundreds of accounts were documented. Harriet Jacobs, Charles Ball and Kate Drumgoold each shared their perspectives of being caught up in the world of slavery. There were reoccurring themes throughout the books as well as varying angles that each author either left out or never experienced. Taking two women’s views as well as a man’s, we can begin to delve deeper into what their everyday lives would have been like. Charles Ball’s Fifty Years in Chains and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl were both published in the early 1860’s while Kate Drumgoold’s A Slave Girl’s Story came almost forty years later
The issue of Slavery in the South was an unresolved issue in the United States during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. During these years, the south kept having slavery, even though most states had slavery abolished. Due to the fact that slaves were treated as inferior, they did not have the same rights and their chances of becoming an educated person were almost impossible. However, some information about slavery, from the slaves’ point of view, has been saved. In this essay, we are comparing two different books that show us what being a slave actually was. This will be seen with the help of two different characters: Linda Brent in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass in The Narrative of the life of Frederick
Mahatma Gandhi is a well-known Indian, peaceful, protestor that made a substantial impact during the early to mid-1900. Director Richard Attenborough, developed a film of the famed leader of India titled, "Gandhi". The movie "Gandhi" portrays a biography of Gandhi 's life showing the importance of how Gandhi was a normal human being trying to find himself through some soul-searching while also retaining a friendly sense of humor. This movie did a wonderful job of introducing the audience to a side of Gandhi that the public was not aware of, such is how he impacted India through peaceful protests without losing hope, and that although Gandhi was peaceful his words had such might that it built his moral force.
The film Ghandi proved to be insightful, educational, and inspirational. The film traces India's rocky path towards decolonization, led by the "Great Spirit" Ghandi. Mahatma Ghandi led India's struggle for independence from the British Empire before 1948. The trials and tribulations of India and her people touch on many social issues. The film depicts cultural changes, which were brought about by the impact of social and political change during British colonization consequential decolonization efforts. The film itself served many lessons of unity and justness, yet the hero himself was a prime example of courage, humility, and patience.
The movie Gandhi starts off with the assassination of Gandhi on January 30, 1948. He was killed because of the split of Hindus and Muslims into Pakistan and India, instead of trying to keep the country united (which was impossible at the time). The story then jumps back to Gandhi early in his life, when he is a practicing attorney. He is traveling in South Africa on a train and is thrown off because he refuses to give up his first class seat. The conductor wants him to move because he is Indian. This upsets him and he organizes a burning of the discriminatory codes. The protestors are arrested and released.
Gandhi’s concept of nonviolent resistance liberated one nation and sped the end of colonial empires around the world. His marches and fasts fired the imagination of oppressed people everywhere. Millions sought freedom and justice under Mahatma’s guiding light. He proclaimed the power of love, peace and freedom. He fought for the rights of the Indians, for their freedom from the British. His principles surely made a difference in this world. In spite of being treated rudely and paying all sorts of penalties, he was never deterred.