Resistance Essay

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Simply put, resistance can be referred to as an opposition to something, pushing back, taking an aggressive stand, or willingness to fight etc. It can be to a person, a situation, or even a thing. Resistance is prevalent in our everyday lives, whether or not we realize it. In an argument, you might decide to remain silent, not because you accept or agree with what the other person is saying but because you are hoping your silence will end the conversation – in that situation silence is a form of resistance. As humans, we naturally resist unpleasant or undesired situations.

Over the past few weeks, I have learned a lot of new and interesting things about Black history. However, what shocked me the most was the topic of slavery, not the existence of it but the brutality of it. I always knew slavery was a terrible and life changing period, not only affecting the generation directly involved but also all the generations that followed, but I had very limited knowledge with regards to the extent of the brutality. The first eye opening experience I had on the topic of slavery was the movie 12 years a slave, it was a great movie, but definitely hard for me to watch. It opened my eyes to the extent of brutality and suffering endured by the enslaved Africans.

Among other things, the enslavement period was defined by cultural genocide. The best way to destroy or control a people is by destroying their culture and replacing it with a foreign one (Livingston, Mar 6), and this is exactly what was happening. These enslaved Africans were deculturalized and made to be dependent on their captors’ culture. Cultural resistance was their response. It is defined as the retention, creation and use of culture to inspire and sustain the struggle for f...

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...ings the enslaved Africans did had you lived in such times. I believe that what kept them going as they fought for redemption was hope, that hope allowed them to see the light at the end of the tunnel. One of my favorite quotes goes, “While there’s life, there’s hope” - Cicero. As long as they were alive there was always a possibility for change. Things couldn’t get much worse and if they couldn’t get any worse, it follows that they could only get better. Finally, I am very grateful however, that the people persevered and fought relentlessly until they received their freedom. The beauty of it is that they not only earned their freedom but they also earned our freedom, yours and mine. It is because of them that we are able to walk the streets today without the fear that we could be grabbed off the streets and enslaved at any moment. So yes, I am definitely grateful.

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