The United States’ nation is built on the fact that “All men are created equal”, words from the Declaration of Independence, meaning that all people deserve equal rights. A topic of debate is whether or not people should be given or demand these rights for themselves. In the selections, “I Have a Dream”, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, “ Reading Lolita in Tehran”, by Azar Nafisi, and “A Eulogy for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”, by Robert F. Kennedy, the topic of equal rights being given or demanded can be explored. Freedom is one of the most valuable elements of the human experience, but doesn’t require a person to demand it. Instead, it should be given because all humans should naturally have their rights, conflicts involving the freedom of the people wouldn’t occur, and society wouldn’t be overall fearfully from the ones who have power over them. A reason as to why freedom should be given is because all humans should naturally have equal rights. The “I Have a Dream” speech, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, helps elaborate on this reason. In the speech it states that, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope…” (King 4-6). Looking at this quote, it is clear that King was referring …show more content…
“ Reading Lolita in Tehran”, by Azar Nafisi, brings light onto this topic of debate. Again, the entire selection serves as a piece of evidence towards the stated reason. The story tells of a girl named Sanaz who lives in Tehran. Iran, and is forced to follow its strict and unfair laws towards women. Young women were forced to hide away their hair, wrists, legs, and avoid showing any form of individuality. Those who disobey these rules would get harshly punished, as the text states, “In the course of nearly two decades, the streets have
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is something that every American should be willing to do anything in order to maintain. We may have weapons of mass destruction, but when it comes to living in a peaceful, American lifestyle, our freedom is our greatest weapon.
Many great minds have discussed their opinions on freedom and or slavery. During the 1800’s, many people, such as Frederick Douglass, became known as abolitionists, or those who oppose slavery. A major speaking point of these abolitionists were the obligations of freedom. Yet, several years later, there was still the discussion of the obligations of freedom. Two men that discussed this topic and made an everlasting impact were John F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy discussed it in his Inaugural Address and King discussed it in his letter, Letter from Birmingham City Jail. In the texts, Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address the topic of the obligations of freedom is frequently noted.
For some, finding the good life requires them to rise above their subjugation, regardless of their consequences. This struggle is illustrated in Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr, who argues the necessity of peaceful protest to find a future of equality free from persecution, and in Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse, where a woman must rise above her father’s tyrannical will to find a good life.
As well as by our civil leaders. “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.” (Malcolm X, 1965). As our national creation myth of George Washington and the Cherry Tree reminds us of our integrity as agents of free-will in the “land of the Free and home of the Brave”, to the anthropomorphic metaphor of Liberty that stands on Ellis Island, Americans sincerely believe that these values and attitudes are what make us uniquely American. In fact, these virtual citizenry birthrights (historically excluding racial minorities and women arguably until the civil rights movements of the 1960s, though the case may be made that this fight for equality is still a work in progress) are explicitly stated in the legal framework of our constitution, as illustrated by the following two amendments:... ...
King begins his essay strategically in the sentence “It is the beginning of the year of our Lord 1963” which is a religious as well as an ethical appeal. His essay
Every individual has their own definition of freedom. Depending on time, place, religion, or race, this definition varies, but essentially comes back to one point: all men, regardless of anything, are created equally, and therefore have a right to be free. " The Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" are two works addressing this concern. Although Jefferson and King led extremely different lives over 150 years apart, both faced issues of human equality that drove them to write two of the most influential works in American history.
With such a unanimous resentment, particularly in the dominating religious sect of Iran, it is important to address the ideologies within the religion enforce the country’s patriarchal social structure, i.e. the “form of social organization in which males dominate females” (text 38). Furthermore, with the Islamic Revolution of 1979, these attitudes were the driving force behind many of the discriminatory laws that confined women in Iran to a life defined by its limitations.
Political systems and their consequent removals during this time serve as a flashing indicator towards the power that exists in the mobilization of the people. The Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and the Rights of Man and Citizen, serve as reminders of the revolutionary philosophical and political attitudes belonging to the writers of these revolutionary documents. Even now, the same attitudes of equality and freedom can be seen. Whether it be through movements for racial equality on school campuses, justice for those killed unjustly, or the prevailing ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” for all races and genders, the resounding calls for people to support and affirm their brethren continue to echo (US
Freedom has been discussed and debated for a while now and yet no one can completely agree that it exists. Since the Civil, War America has been conditioned to be divided politically. The conflict over the meaning of freedom continues to exist from the civil war, throughout the sixties and in the present. The Civil War was fought over the question of what freedom means in America. The issue was in the open for all to see: slavery. Human slavery was the shameless face of the idea of freedom. The cultural war in the sixties was once more about the question of what freedom is and what it means to Americans. No slaves. Instead, in the sixties and seventies four main issues dominated the struggle for racial equality: opposition to discriminatory immigration controls; the fight against racist attacks; the struggle for equality in the workplace; and, most explosively, the issue of police brutality. For more than two centuries, Americans demanded successive expansions of freedom; progressive freedom. Americans wanted freedom that grants expansions of voting rights, civil rights, education, public health, scientific knowledge and protections from fear.
This expression clearly shows more ethos by reminding us that the quote of equality is of great importance today as it was the time it was written. In the light of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, which happened on the same exact day as this speech that year, President Barack Obama connected his speech closely to Martin’s, both in the importance of unification and very similar in language and structure. Our president takes us to the past, telling us that freedom was closer to being taken rather than given.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Values some take for granted within this society today were ignored wholesale by a tyrannical colonial authority, and the people of this land rose up, shook off the chains of oppression, and set out to devise a new governmental system under which they could live rather freely. In his iconic “Four Freedoms” speech, America’s 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, outlined said values, stating that all should enjoy “freedom of speech and expression...freedom...to worship God in [their] own way” and “ a healthy peacetime life” (46). The importance of the concept of free speech and equality to the American identity cannot be understated, as it truly the foundation upon which much of this society rests. In the United states, it is instilled in us that from birth each human is bestowed with the same freedoms as all others. However, time and time again, people are denied these freedoms on the basis of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. Luckily, when such situations arise, the core belief that each and every person is owed liberty motivates the citizens of this nation to exercise their rights. With this in mind they speak out, or fight, against injustice, to take a further step towards making that dream of equality and a “healthy peacetime life” for all a
American freedom has faced many tribulations, especially throughout the slavery, segregation, and women’s suffrage eras. However, the ideological belief of individual freedom has always triumphed. From when the first Pilgrim stepped onto American soil to the present day America has been run by a democracy and the freedom that system of government allows its peoples to have. “Americans share a common identity grounded in the freedom — consistent always with respecting the freedom of others — to live as they choose” (Friedman).
The prompt for this essay is, “Does freedom need to be won more than once?” In my opinion, it does and it has to be won with every generation. I think even though there are laws ensuring our rights, they are not always upheld. For example, women and men are supposed to be equal, but in some situations they get paid less. In this essay, I will argue that our freedoms must continually be earned. For instance, the Revolutionary War was fought to gain independence from Britain, the Civil War was fought to abolish slavery, and the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the 1910s to 1920s was aimed to allow women to vote.
In Tehran, how a person's personal and political views can impact their private and public life is that anything that they do, would have an impact on their lives. In the story, Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi he writes about a women's life in Tehran and how the government controls everything there. All of the women in Tehran are segregated and dont have the same rights as other people. The women in Tehran are forced to adhear to the Islamic dress code as said in the background, "The new government passed laws that segregate men and women and that force women to adhere to an Islamic dress code. Iranian women are required to wear veils that cover their hair and neck and coats that cover their arms and legs.
Many people might say that freedom is defined by these famous words of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The United States of America was founded on these principles; however, freedom is not something people get to enjoy all over the world. Ironically and rather absurdly, many Americans don’t even get to experience proper freedom. Whether it is discrimination against certain ethnicities or an entire gender, it is a fact that freedom is not always simply given without a fight. History has proven time and time again that freedom will not be given unless it is demanded.