Violence/Nonviolence
Violence is an unjust and unwarranted exertion of force or power. It is a tactic to abuse or violate another being. Many people have thought this notion wrong and used nonviolent methods to go against their oppressor and successfully overcome them. Some of these individuals are Gandhi, M.L. King, and Malcolm X.
Mohandas Gandhi was such a pious individual and used only nonviolence (ahimsa) to gain recognition and defeat his usurpers. His first concept was known as the law of love, "the force of nonviolence is infinitely more wonderful and subtle than the material forces of nature, like, for instance, electricity" (Pg. 626, 2nd paragraph on column 2). Gandhi explains that spiritual love runs like electricity.
…show more content…
All three of these individuals believe that if there is unjust done to individuals, they have the right and take the opportunity to do something about it rather than sit down and do nothing. They all care about individual's rights are willing to show a path for people to follow in order for others to save themselves. Despite their similar beliefs that individuals should win victory over their oppressors, I mostly agree with Martin Luther King's position. The use of agape and an individual being able to win "double victory" is really outstanding and seems very logical. Although King created concepts extracted from the teachings of Gandhi, he had also used methods of Jesus. Gandhi talks about his law of love and cycle of violence, but doesn't stress on the notion of the sacredness of life. King, on the other hand, explains the difference between love and like and how a person disrespects themselves if they cannot respect others. Malcolm X is a whole other story next to Martin Luther King. Both these men have different views on how to approach the oppressor. King believes we must love all human beings even if they commit bad deeds and individuals must think with good means to have better ends. Malcolm, on the other hand, says it's okay to fight back to bring justice if injustice was done to them. I, myself, am one of those individuals who wouldn't act violently towards others even in
Dr. King and Malcolm X strived to achieve equality for blacks under the law, more specifically, voting rights, desegregation, and more representation in government and politics. However, both men differed immensely in their tactics and strategies. For Dr. King, the negotiations could be brought about by the persistence of a nonviolent plan where, the oppressed people’s determination would overcome the will of the oppressor in the hearts and minds of the nation. He firmly believed in the principles of Mahatma Gandhi’s method of nonviolence resistance, which had been successful in driving the British out of India. For example, according to King, one of the resisters, or black mans goals is not to humiliate the opponent, (the white man) but to win his friendship and understanding. Dr. King proposed a passive resistance, based on “the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice” (“Pilgrimage to Non Violence” King, 112). He claimed the center of nonviolence is based on the principle of love, or understanding. Dr. King emphasized that the white man should not be held responsible for the minorities and blacks being oppressed. Here is where the two leaders oppose each other. Malcolm X felt social injustice and racism had endured too long, and it was
Dr. King, Walter Benjamin, and Hannah Arendt all speak of violence in terms of gaining social and political change, Dr. King preaches non violence and loving your enemy
Gandhi, King, and Mandela each fought for their causes with a method that was very rarely used but even less rarely successful. Their efforts at peaceful protest without retaliation to attacks were successful in overthrowing trans-continental rule and ending segregation of races. Gandhi transformed the idea of non-violence into a way to fight for freedom and justice which would ultimately end in success and
The two most influential civil rights activists in American history were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. They supported equal rights for every race, but when comparing MLK’s “I Have a Dream’ and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet,” one sees the similarities in their rhetorical styles and differences in their tone and message. As seen in “I Have a Dream,” MLK has a more civilized and peaceful solution to the nation’s problems; whereas in X’s he has a will to do whatever it may take to solve the problems.
Mohandas Gandhi was the first recorded individual to adopt a non-violent method based form for change. His primary objective was for people of all ethnicities and social class to live freely amongst each other, even those inflicted upon by India’s ancient caste system.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were very significant during the Civil Rights Movement. Both were excellent speakers and shared one goal but had two different ways of resolving it. Martin Luther King Jr. chose to resolve the issues by using non-violence to create equality amongst all races to accomplish the goal. Malcolm X also wanted to decrease discrimination and get of segregation but by using another tactic to successfully accomplish the similar goal. The backgrounds of both men were one of the main driven forces behind the ways they executed their plans to rise above the various mistreatments. Martin Luther King Jr. was a more pronounced orator, a more refined leader, and overall saw the larger picture than Malcolm X.
Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X were very huge leading figures during the Civil Rights movement. Though they had many differences, they had some similarities. Both men’s fathers were preachers and both men were religious preachers themselves. Dr. King and Malcolm X were around the same age and they were both assassinated. Coincidentally, both men had the same number of children and eventually they had the same ideologies for the Civil Rights Movement. However, Dr. King and Malcolm X were different in ways such as Malcolm X wanted black supremacy and Dr. King wanted equality, Malcolm X saw violence as an option to achieve his goals if peace did not work and Dr. King believed in complete nonviolence, and Malcolm X
Violence is one of the most exaggerated forms of physical aggression and it can exist for a series of reasons. It involves a person or a group of persons acting against another person or groups of persons with the purpose to achieve one or several diverse goals. In many cases violence results from individuals perceiving the acts of other people as hostile and thus wanting to act against these people before it is too late. Depending on the situation, more or less individuals might get involved in an act of violence, especially when they consider that it would be essential for them to do so.
Non-violence is a peaceful strategy people used in the 1900’s to revolt against the government. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mohandas Gandhi had the most success in changing the way we live today. How did they get nonviolence to work? Well they were very disobedient, disciplined, and determined to make a change in society.
Unlike King, Malcolm X encouraged his followers to rebel against whites. Malcolm X, for the most part, believed that non-violence and integration was a trick by the whites to keep African Americans oppressed. “Don’t you run around here trying to make friends with somebody who’s depriving you of your rights” (X 1964). He was furious at white racism and encouraged his followers through his speeches to rise up and protest against their white enemies. “They’re not your friends, no, they are your enemy. Treat them like that and fight them”(X 1964). He encouraged African Americans to stand up against the white America that oppressed them.
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X were the two particular most prevalent, most influential individuals of the Civil Rights Movement. Their tactics, ideologies, childhoods, and ideas of freedom differed in virtually every aspect. The ways in which these men sought transformation in society are where the majority of their differences existed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a huge proponent for peaceful demonstrations, silent marches, and nonviolent public sit-ins, where he and his supporters made open, unrestricted declarations for equality and integration. His entire philosophy on optimism and love originated from his Baptist roots and was a direct cause of his peaceful, nonviolent upbringing. In contrast, Malcolm X had a turbulent and traumatic childhood that led to a more forceful, direct form of demonstration that never pushed for peace and love and national social harmony. His religion and main area of support, the Nation of Islam, did not believe a simple sit-in or peaceful protest would create a change in society. Instead, he advocated for Black Nationalism, not for integration. Malcolm X encouraged the black community to become autonomous, to function separately from white society. A number of striking similarities existed between these men, however. Both men were intelligent from a young age, were raised in the same religion, had a staggering awareness of the national racial tensions in America, fought for justice for their people, pushed for social and
Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are notable activists during the civil rights movement in America. They were leaders highly credited by the public. They carried similar, and different views on how to take on oppression in America. “Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom” (1966) by Martin Luther King and “The Ballot or the Bullet” (1964) by Malcolm X had points were they agreed with one another, points of controversy were the did not see eye to eye, and points of disagreement about violence in the civil rights movement.
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
James H. Cone elaborates on his beliefs and understanding of what makes these two men different and why he believes what makes them different from each other, in his book, “Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or A Nightmare”. Cone explains that through their personal backgrounds and religious beliefs, Martin and Malcolm X differed the most. Martin grew up in a stable home with a family that loved and cared for him and was financially secure throughout his childhood. He was protected from racism and was well-educated, which explains his non-violent protest and goal to work with whites of America to improve the lives of all Americans. Unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm grew up in a broken family and wasn’t very well educated like his counterpart. He was not as fortunate as Martin to grow up financially secure and racism
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were leaders with many followers during the 1960’s Civil Rights movement. They were both ministers that had many people already following them and their number of followers only grew with their ideas and beliefs. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had many great ideas on how America should be.While they both led their followers down the path to civil rights they both met their end by the hands of the people who did not want them to continue to make a difference the way they were for African Americans in America. Although Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X both made real changes regarding civil rights, they did not always agree on how to go about seeking out a