Not set, depends on a research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Not set, depends on a research - Essay Example It was this pacified demeanor reinforced in King’s speech that I want to give focus to. The speech is an intense argument that delivers its point to persuade others in the pursuit of the objective that the movement aspires to accomplish. The eloquent call of Dr. King to his people was an inspiration that gave face to the diplomatic crusade of the African-American people. â€Å"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred† (King). This was meant to be a reminder against the tendency of those who employ the use of violence to call attention to their goal. â€Å"Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality† (King). This is also recognition on the tendency of others to be consumed by animosity against those who prejudice their race because of the reality that demonstrations could easily turn vicious. Thi s is not the answer, as he reiterates, to be able to achieve true freedom from the existing racial oppression. Much like the crusade of Mahatma Gandhi and his adherence to uphold a passive resistance, ensuring that there is no bloodshed, Dr. King called for the same. A wrong can never be corrected by another wrong and where a victory is sought and achieved through inequitable means then it is a shallow triumph nonetheless. â€Å"He could not see that the fact that a majority was oppressing a minority, even violently, somehow justified the minority's oppressing the majority by violence in turn. Nor could he see that an oppressive minority should be suppressed by a violent majority† (Steinkraus 104). When we look at it, the success of the Civil Rights Movement is even more admirable in a historical point of view because they were able to change the course of future because of the virtue of the people who led them. This is why Martin Luther King is the first person we associate with racial equality. The event itself was a confirmation of the peaceful face of the movement. There was something on that day extremely different from all the riots that are happening in other parts of the country. The people were very calm and though the number of those present was numerous, there was no tension between the police officers and the demonstrators. There were sharing of food and the people were dressed as though they were going to church. The organizers of the protest kept a working relationship with the officers and there was a system created to ensure that everything was orderly. Some participants even went so far as to prepare 80,000 cheese sandwiches in New York (Lei and Miller 84). Warren Steinkraus in his article, â€Å"Martin Luther King's Personalism and Non-Violence,† explores the development of King’s philosophy from the influence of religion from early on up to his acquaintance with various political and social philosophers that shaped his o wn views. This formation of his own philosophy is significant in understanding how he came to impart his own indelible mark on the Civil Rights Movement. â€Å"King's support of non-violence as a method of social change seems to be derived from his view of the nature of the ultimate ground of existence and the place and importance of finite individuals in the universe†