Power and Impact of Beliefs: A Comparative Study

Beliefs can be a very powerful thing. Usually we want to think of them as positive influences on our lives, but just as easily beliefs can have negative effects. Examining the latter, Garrison Keillor describes in his work “Protestant” how family beliefs separated him from the rest of society. Arguing the opposite point, Martin Luther King, Jr shows how beliefs can be used to try and unify people in his speech “I Have a Dream”. Both of these works exemplify the power beliefs hold, but the results of their beliefs are drastically different. The difference in results shows the importance of questioning how a belief manifests itself in reality.

Digging into Dr. King’s historic speech, the late reverend references the Declaration of Independence tapping into the beliefs expressed in that document. Specifically, the orator quotes the famous line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (King 919). With this line, Dr. King illustrates how equality for African Americans is one element of the most basic of American belief. From his use of a phrase like, “all of God’s children” (King 919), it is clear to see that King wanted his dreams

However, it is of more importance to focus on how these two texts overlap; their combined coverage of how beliefs are expressed in the larger community. It is clear to see from the events and feelings that followed Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, that his beliefs resulted in the unification of Americans. While conversely, the beliefs that are discussed in Garrison Keillor’s work have a stark difference in how they affect the belief holders. Plainly, the belief in Keillor’s story isolates the author. These two beliefs, both based on a form of Christianity, teach severely different lessons. One belief instills a sense of superiority in its followers, while the other centers on