...Jay Patel Professor David Headman Philosophy of Nonviolence 2-18-13 Is Violence The Answer When we were growing up all we heard our parents say is violence is not the answer and of course they were right, but as we got older we saw changes in the world we lived, which changed our views of if what our parents told us was true. The use of violence shows strength and power of a country or a group of people. The more powerful you are the more people fear you and would not dare to challenge your authority, which in turn helps the more powerful nation get away with a lot of cruelty. Using nonviolence on the other hand shows more of a peaceful way of fighting for what the people believe in without anybody getting hurt physically. Achieving things nonviolently shows others that they are not here to use force or to take over but to send a statement. I believe that both violence and nonviolence is necessary in the world we live in today. Violence is key to survival because it gives us the ability to protect ourselves, and our nation. Machiavelli says that there is no code that can be applied to our nation or leaders because we need power to have protection and control, and to get power one must use violence (Steger 24). I think that Machiavelli makes a great point about using violence to protect the people because having security makes our country what it is today, and the United States is the greatest country because we use violence to protect the people that live here...
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...Secondly, using a nonviolence protest is best choice because the action of nonviolence will not damage anything and cause community or economic problem while the action of riot will do a lot. Additionally, nonviolence is a peaceful action that the force will not take place and it will be much easier for the protest to do without getting arrested by the police. As the Alternet stated, it is “Nothing weakens a nonviolent movement more than the sporadic use of violence by people on its side of the barriers.” This shows that irregular violent protests take away from the message of nonviolent protests. It sounds that the quote is saying that violence is actually harming the goal of both violent and nonviolent protests because people are so focused...
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...The history of nonviolence shows us that is very common that laws need to be broken in order for justice to be achieved. Specifically, the nonviolent campaigns that we read about in chapter 2 and 3 definitely would not have been successful if they did not break the law. Just because there is a law in place does not mean that the law is ethical or moral. In Reverend Lawson’s letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he is talking how the power structure is perpetuating injustice because there are some people that hold so much power and because they do that is causing it to be harder to achieve justice. The power structure could be referring to white people or it could be referring to the government. That suggests that there need to be changes...
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...During the 1960’s, African Americans were trying to win their freedom in any state because they were attacked, discriminated, and killed for no reason at all. There were two ways that African Americans tried to win their freedom, violence and nonviolence. I think that the strategy of nonviolence worked the best. The reason I thought it was nonviolence is because the blacks who weren't involved in violence were involved in protests and they fought for their freedom with nonviolence. “The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in Chicago in 1942 to promote better race relations and end racial discrimination in the United States. One of their first nonviolent actions was a protest against segregation at a Chicago coffee shop in 1943, one of the earliest known sit-ins of that era,”(PBS.org). This may have not been the fastest way to win their freedom, but it was the way that didn’t attack any whites. In Document 8, it tells about the protests that happen in the South and the real meaning behind them. “The deeper meaning of these demonstration seems to show that segregation cannot be maintained in the South,” (Document 8)....
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...Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.” (Web) Nonviolence resistance is an act of non-violent disobedience towards any authority or institution. Usually, nonviolence resistance is part of a well-organized protest created by a leader in the interest of a mass group or population. An example would be Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was an intelligent political campaigner who fought for Indian independence from British rule and for the rights of the Indian Poor. Although changes through history were forced through violent protests and revolution, nonviolent protests seem to be more effective...
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...In his magazine article, Cesar Chavez writes an explanation over the power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. nonviolence resistance in the 1960’s by using diction, appeals, and juxtaposition. The 1960’s marked a time when civil rights, protests, and segregation of blacks and whites stirred up anger and violence in people. Although it is hard to turn away from violence, Chavez clearly shows his audience how it is never the answer. Chavez says that, “Dr. King's entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world.” For Chavez to say this, it shows the impact of Dr. King’s life and the choices he made to the audience so that now they may have a different perspective on things. One of the first things that Chavez does in his article is that he gives the reader no other option but to agree with him by saying, “...men and women who are truly concerned about people are nonviolent by nature.” Chavez put the reader on the spot and they have to agree with him because no one wants to admit that they aren’t concerned about people because that would be immoral. His strong use of diction really helps the reader better understand how important nonviolence can be but even more so, his use of appeals and the connection he has to the reader...
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...Negative nonviolence includes non-cooperation, civil disobedience, breaking unjust laws, declaring and practising autonomy. And positive nonviolence includes clearing the past through conciliation, the present through mediation of dangerous conflicts, and building a future through equitable participation in positive projects. They are not mutually exclusive. Gandhi and Martin Luther King used both. Obviously, both forms refrain from direct physical violence. But negative nonviolence may include symbolic violence like “rude gestures, taunting, haunting officials” (from Gene Sharp’s “The Politics of Nonviolent Action”. Sharp deserves credit for his outstanding work to make such techniques well known -but is it nonviolence?). By contrast, positive nonviolence insists on nonviolent speech and thought, something beyond the psychological capacity of many. How can I be against them and for them at the same time?Yet there is a fifth form of nonviolence, developed by...
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...There has always been a controversy about what type of protesting is the best to achieve the goals that you want. Is nonviolence the best way to protest or is violence more effective? During the Indian Resistance Movement, Gandhi choose to use nonviolence as the protest method to convince the British to free India. For Gandhi using nonviolence was the key to gaining India’s independence from Britain. Gandhi was a staple of the Indian Resistance Movement using nonviolence as his primary tool to persuade the British of the need for an independent India. Gandhi refused to use any for of violence to achieve his goals. He believed that one should exhibit integrity and discipline to show the British they were willing to die for their cause. The...
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...Ashoka Ashoka is a man that we know little about, but he has a lot of stories about him written on stone. The people of India needed a symbol on their flag that represented their culture and values. What they chose was a chakra which was named after Ashoka (BGE). Ashoka also took over the kalinga, which led to them conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Was Ashoka an enlightened or ruthless leader? Ashoka was an enlightened ruler who worked toward nonviolence by using Buddhist values, and his impact has lasted even through the 19th century. Nonviolence Ashoka was an enlightened ruler because he wanted nonviolence. The first reason for nonviolence is he would send his missionaries out so that people would follow the Buddhist values (BGE)....
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...As an advocate for farm workers and opponent of oppression, Chavez is writing to validate non-violence as a vehicle for change. He develops an argument devoted to helping those in need. With "if and then" countering, Chavez relates back to the importance of non-violence. By using the comparison of If and Then, Chavez outlines the cause and effect of nonviolence. In lines 71-72 Chavez says "when you lose your sense of life and justice, you lose your strength." With cause and effect he shows the "If" of losing your sense of life, to the "Then" of what can happen or lead to the outcome of losing your strength. Throughout Chavez's article he uses cause and effect to give emphasis on why people suffer when it comes to violence, vs. how people...
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...On the tenth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, a piece by Cesar Chavez was published in the magazine of a religious organization. Chavez writes this article promoting nonviolence in order to convince those who were protesting at the time to turn away from violence. He uses rhetorical strategies like diction and appeals to authority to create different tones throughout the text. Chavez first creates a negative tone as he talks about violence using strong diction. He describes the impact of violence as having only results of “many injuries and perhaps deaths” or “total demoralization of the workers”. The wording Chavez uses gives his readers feelings of hopelessness as he discusses how violence leads to only poor endings....
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...The article that Cesar Chavez wrote about his argument for nonviolent resistance is filled with rhetorical choices that he makes. The purpose for this article is to persuade the audience to approach the situation of whites against blacks with an attitude that will not influence violent actions. From the ones that he picks, it helps enhance his article and, what I think, pulls the audience towards agreeing with him. One particular rhetorical strategy that Cesar Chavez uses throughout his article is personification. A quote from this article states, “This observance of Dr. King’s death gives us the best possible opportunity to recall the principles with which our struggle has grown and matured.” Cesar Chavez obviously gives the people’s...
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...“The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.” Mahatma Gandhi The real name of Mahatma Gandhi is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He also knew as Father of the Nation, Bapu (Father) and Gandhiji. The word Mahatma (often employed in ordinary journalistic usage without any definite article, as if it were Mohandas Gandhi’s first name) is actually the Sanskrit word for “Great Soul.” Mohandas Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi spent 20 years in South Africa working to fight discrimination. It was there that he created his concept of satyagraha (fast, civil disobedience), a non-violent way of protesting against injustices. satyagraha would resist the injustice by refusing to follow an unjust law. In doing so, he would not be angry, would put up freely with physical assaults to his person and the confiscation of his property, and would not use foul language to smear his opponent. A practitioner of satyagraha also would never take advantage of an opponent's problems. The goal was not for there to be a winner and loser of the battle, but rather, that all would eventually see and understand the "truth" and agree to rescind the unjust law. “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Non-violence is the means of realising Him.” Mahatma Gandhi. While in India, Gandhi's obvious virtue, simplistic lifestyle, and minimal dress endeared him to the people. He spent...
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...Johnson Dec. 9, 2013 Nonviolent Movements, Effective Results Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is a response to criticism from American clergymen about demonstrations in Birmingham. It is among the world’s canon of the most influential writings. He successfully informs his fellow clergymen of the importance of African Americans gaining rights through nonviolent methods. He also speaks eloquently of the difference between just and unjust laws, which lies in the equality of rights. The 1960s were trying times for African Americans due to intense segregation. Despite these difficulties, Dr. King was able to respond with nonviolent methods. These methods are considered very praiseworthy as such a nonviolent response, particularly with such profound effects, is very rare in human society. Dr. King’s nonviolent approach for achieving equal rights, not only helps society make considerable progress on achieving equality, but also enlightens future societies to go for equality in a peaceful manner. According to Dr. King, the difference between just and unjust laws is whether or not everybody has equal rights; similarly, whether or not the law in question uplifts the human spirit. As Dr. King claims: “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” (King 3). African Americans were forced to face intense segregation and had to witness their friends and family members be subjected to abuse and humiliation...
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...Trident University Julia Y. Maldonado Module 1 Case Assignment ENG 101: English Composition I Dr. Joseph “Jay” Avella 18 July 2013 The civil rights leader and activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was most remembered as an effective orator and passionate organizer of social movements. (D.L. Chandler, 2012). His letter from a Birmingham jail written in 1963 explained his ethical, emotional and logical appeal. Martin Luther King was a clergyman and a prominent leader in the civil rights movement. He was an activist and an advocate for the rights of the oppressed African American people and used nonviolent methods in his fight for equality. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a truly emotionally charged, but particularly logical letter. Martin Luther King appeals to the reader in an effort to make them understand what he and the oppressed people were doing was a necessary step and that it was in love, not hate for those that oppressed them. His emotions in the letter do not come across as hateful but more as frustration in an effort to appeal to the reader. He appeals to the emotions of the reader on several occasions by talking about how the “Negros” were treated but perhaps the emotional appeal that stands out is at the end of his letter. He apologizes for the letter being long and assures the reader that it “would have been much shorter” had he been “writing from a comfortable desk”. He states, “What else can one do...
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