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Similarities Between Martin Luther King Jr And Susan B Anthony

Decent Essays

There is an old English proverb that states, you can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. This means that a person can teach or give someone else something, but they can't make them use or believe in it. This proverb originated in 1175 AD, in was in at this time that a homily was said by an unknown author, and thus the creation of the proverb. Society fits this proverb because they neglect others ideas without hearing them. Two people who have lived by this proverb are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Susan B. Anthony. A piece of literature which contains this same theme is Don't Preach to Me Part 2, and a current event which pertains to this idea is the metrification of America.

Throughout Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life …show more content…

Anthony was a profound civil and women's rights activist and brought people to change their harden views on these matters. Anthony wanted change for woman in politics but went about it peaceful. The “Bio” website states that, “Anthony also started up petitions for woman to have the right to own property and vote.” Anthony was tired of the countless laws that restricted women from participating in government, so she decided to act using a peaceful method of collecting petitions. At the time this did little to help her cause but it was instrumental in the creation of the 19th amendment. Anthony never gave up in defiance of steep opposition, this helps prove the proverb by showing her want to help people even if they don't choose to accept it. Anthony had to spread her message so “She traveled extensively, campaigning on the behalf of woman” (“Bio”). Even though she had little success early on, Anthony didn't give up and continued to campaign for women's rights. This never-ending determination shows how Anthony relate the proverb in multiple ways. One of the most important things that the proverb talks about is change undeterred by resistance, and this was absolutely true for Anthony. The “Bio” website also explains how “Anthony was tireless in her efforts, giving speeches around the country to convince others to support a woman's right to vote.” Antony's speeches were one of the main aspects that led to the 19t amendment. Her speeches were bold, powerful, and …show more content…

Humanisms is the contributing factor to this stubborn attitude and is why this piece of literature so closely relates to the proverb. A defining characteristic related to humanism is “Do not preach to me!” (Nelson). Currently, in present day society people don't want to hear what others are saying. The problem with this is that people will unknowingly reject great ideas and innovations. Society is not only disregarding what others have to say but is also neglecting their educations. Refusal is see in this poem as the author says, “And today as we blindly refuse to teach the world population sign language” (Nelson). Refusing to teach the world population sign language is a very real way of resisting learning. To go along with this, Albert Einstein said “Once you stop learning, you start dying” And that's exactly the attitude portrayed in this poem. Though a horse may be brought to water, it is not guaranteed to drink, in a similar way people can't be guaranteed to change. Reflecting on our previous actions is important for humans and this is see in this poem when it says, “And only we can break the cycle of the wars of our fathers” (Nelson). Whenever society knows something needs to be accomplished, it works toward it. Although, even as this quote shows, society acknowledges what they need to fix but don't always, thus proving that a person

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