C. S. Lewis On Politics

Meriwether Lewis is the main reason that the United States’ territory extends from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean (“Meriwether Lewis” 2). He has done many great things, but he is best known for exploring the American West (1). He was a great man full of bravery. Meriwether faced tons of dangers in his life but he overcame all of them. Lewis “helped change the face of the United States by exploring uncharted territory- the American West (“Meriwether Lewis” 2).”

Nate Powell does an extraordinary job at putting forth John's words and emotions into images. On page 78 of book one, there is an image that takes up the whole page. Although this image only says “His words liberated me. I thought this is it… this is the way out.” (Lewis and Aydin March 1:78) When you look at the image itself and hear the words it’s almost as if you were to be standing next to John looking at the light feeling the pressure of the decisions he had to make. You can feel the sweat dripping down your forehead and you get nervous, all from a simple black and white image. Prior to page 27 of book two John Lewis was invited to President Barrak Obamas

Standing for what you believe in can be difficult, especially when you 're against the government. John Lewis held a speech during the march in Washington in 1963, where he confronts the unfairness that colored people face needs to stop, and it has to stop now. Lewis purpose is to appeal to the audience and at the same time send a message to the government. At first, he adopts an upset tone in order to show how unfair the government is, however, towards the end he is more encouraging, wanting people to partake in this act to help them get their freedom. He made this speech to encourage people who joined together to fight for their rights, and used these rhetorical strategies to connect to the audience.

In March book 2, author and activist, John Lewis, delivered a speech on August 28, 1963. Before John Lewis delivered his speech, there was a lot of ciaos occurring backstage about revising Lewis’ speech. Mr. Randolph wasn’t pleased with the way John Lewis worded parts of his speech and demanded for him to change it. After Lewis negotiated with Mr. Randolph, Lewis was still content with the arrangement of his speech. Lewis confronts his sentiments to the people regarding racial inequality. He emphasizes on the unfair acts that are implemented among the African American working class. John Lewis states, “While we stand here, there are sharecroppers in the Delta of Mississippi who are out in the fields working for less than three dollars a day, twelve hours a day” (Lewis Aydin 166). In this statement, Lewis explains his reasoning for assembling his speech. His objective was to arouse the public on the realism of the nation’s unjust behavior towards African Americans. Lewis explains the march on Washington is occurring because blacks don’t receive the same wages as whites. Lewis declares, “We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now” (Lewis Aydin 169). He proclaims that African Americans have been fighting for their freedom long enough and they are not willing to be patient. With his skillful use of appeals, Lewis applies powerful logos to illustrate racism, emotional pathos to connect with the audience, and ethos to appeal to the segregation and discrimination towards African Americans.

Everyone in their life experiences a state of hopelessness. Whether it is a big or a small occurrence; it helps us shape up mentally or physically ready for the real world. In March, Lewis talks about the events in his life that we classify as his turning points which caused them to turn their life around. It is true that many events did not increase his will to protest. I think that John Lewis' life was changed by his turning points, there are four turning points what continues to affect him to this day. The four turning points that stand out are his first arrest, Lewis' trip to Buffalo with his Uncle Otis, Dr. King's speech, and when he decided to join the Freedom Riders.

John Lewis has never let his 40+ arrest affect what he stands for. In Lewis’ book March, he tells his story of segregation in the 60’s and the events that shaped his life. From when he was a little kid, to an older adult, March displays Lewis deal with the segregation in the south, and the hard ships others endure. Although he experienced many events in his life, John Lewis used those events to build himself religiously and help others. Receiving his first bible, Jim Lawsons workshops, his decision not to go to college and Martin Luther King’s speech all helped him become who he is.

John Lewis has never let his 40+ arrest affect what he stands for. In Lewis’ book March, he tells his story of segregation in the 60’s and the events that shaped his life. From when he was a little kid, to an older adult, March displays Lewis deal with the segregation in the south, and the hardships others endure. Although he experienced many events in his life, John Lewis used those events to build himself religiously and help others. Receiving his first bible, Jim Lawson’s workshops, his decision not to go to college and Martin Luther King’s speech all helped him become who he is.

Over the course of “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, the author, Martin Luther King Jr., makes extended allusions to multiple philosophers, among them Aquinas and Socrates. His comparison would seem to indicate that he shares an affinity with them. King’s work devoted to a single objective: the protection of civil disobedience as a form of protest such that the Civil Rights Movement could continue in uncompromised form. In this way, King’s letter in fact served a fourfold purpose: to establish himself as a legitimate authority in the eyes of his audience, to show the trials of the black in America, to justify his cause, and to argue the necessity of immediate action.

Lewis mentions, “But eventually I began spending more time doing schoolwork, studying, and my eyes began opening to the world around me” (Lewis and Aydin 1:35). Or another way to say it, he became a student and a protestor, but does he really start opening his eyes to the world? Well, everything happened during his first trip to the north. His uncle Otis invited him to Buffalo, New York, and visit his family. This trip is very important because it helped him to understand the injustice in the south against the Black community and get a clearer vision of what the Black people should be fighting and demanding for in the south. Quotes like, “I was not disappointed” (Lewis and Aydin 1:42) and “… travel was an otherworldly experience” (Lewis and Aydin 1:43). They express his emotions and try to give us a context of how amazing the north was. Lewis tells us, “I could not believe that they had white people living next door to them. On both sides” (Lewis and Aydin 1:43). His first impression was huge, something that was pretty much forbidden in the south was a “myth” in the north. Finally, when his visit to Buffalo ends, he says, “After that trip, home never felt the same and neither did I” (Lewis and Aydin 1:47). I wonder if that is really the beginning of a new John Lewis, the one who does not care how many times he has to go to jail for his

The “social gospel” was the biggest inspiration and influence for Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Which is prevalent throughout the first two books, of the March trilogy, written by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis himself. The Bible made its mark on Lewis when he was young, living on a farm. Leading him to the “social gospel” which started him down the path of nonviolence, and longing not just for personal reform but for social reform. As the Civil Rights movements became bigger, and as the philosophy of which John Lewis taught spread, others were inspired by the “social gospel.”

“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in the margins of a letter posted by the clergymen of Alabama at this time that sparked his interest and while he inhabited the jail cell for parading around without a permit. This time allowed him the ability to respond wholeheartedly to this cynical oppressing. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s and this direct response distinguishes King’s strong points through his powerful writing.  Unethical and immoral mentions came to the attention of the Minister through the letter, and he expressed his differing views and defended his ideals and actions through Aristotle’s three rhetorical devices, ethos, logos, and pathos.

King’s purposeful use of appealing to reason gave him an upper hand throughout his piece, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and established security in his statements. Taking ethos into consideration from Martin Luther King’s text, we saw why he presented himself in such a formal manner. “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (Paragraph 2, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”). By using this appeal to credibility, King earned his audience’s respect and varnished his message. Connecting to his readers, Martin Luther King also utilized pathos throughout his letter to add just another foothold on his audience. “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and

Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s letter was influential in inspiring and ultimately altering societal attitude on racial issues. He used a creative use of language that addresses any plausible audience including: the clergymen, the religious moderates, the equal rights supporters and the oppressed black community. The use of famous icons, religious leaders, and traditional scholars as references provided a multitude of examples that clearly illustrated King’s key points. Moreover, King carefully analyzed the duplicity of racial segregation through examples of “civil disobedience” among important historical icons valued in society (King par 21). In doing this King is able to utilize Luke’s, three-dimensional approach and tilt the power dynamic in his favor.

However, something worth noting before delving into the argument of this essay, is the background of C.S Lewis. Although this is not a research essay, his personal religion does hold some relevance to the context of this essay. Despite some struggles with his belief in religion at an early age, by the time he was late into his adult years, C.S Lewis was a definite Christian. Not only was this his personal religion, but also very publicly so. He wrote novels explicitly outlining his Christian views and gave several

To begin the Letter, Martin Luther King Jr. uses Aristotle’s definition of ethos to “butter up” the clergymen, calling them “men of genuine good will” and declaring “[their] criticisms are sincerely set forth” (165). King takes the high ground instead of getting into a petty name calling squabble to demonstrate that his viewpoint is legitimate and also to open the ears of the clergymen as they are more likely to listen if they feel respected by the writer. King sets his character to one that is equal to his fellow clergymen, announcing his role as “president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.” (165) King cleverly addresses ethos of Aristotle’s triangle first to structure his argument on civil disobedience using other parts of the triangle.