...Fighting for Their Rights Throughout The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, characters are constantly standing up for what they believe in. Rosaleen stands up for her civil rights, Lily stands up for freedom from her dad, the Boatwrights and the Daughters of Mary stood up for the equality of women and African Americans. When Rosaleen heard of the signing of the civil rights act, she immediately went to register to vote, and when Lily was acting like she was stupid, she stood up for herself. When Lily’s dad was abusing her and not allowing her to do with her life what she wanted, Lily ran away from home in an attempt to find her own way through life. As African American women, society put the Boatwrights at a lower level than men and white people, and so they create their own organization in which they are special. Throughout the novel, Rosaleen Daise, Lily Owens, and the Boatwrights all stand up for what they believe in, signifying that people can only get past the expectations of society by fighting for what they think is right. In standing up for her beliefs of civil equality, Rosaleen moves past the set place that society has placed her in. Upon the signing of the Civil rights act, Rosaleen spends hours practicing her signature so that she will be able to register to vote without being rejected. When Rosaleen was on her way to vote and she was questioned by racist white men, she retaliated by pouring her snuff juice on their feet. After the white men beat her and...
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...Thoreau’s life—what motivated Thoreau what mattered and what didn’t to him. He believes in what he wants to believe and no one can change his mind. What Thoreau might be trying to tell the audience is they can stand up for themselves and there is equality between everyone. Through out the play Thoreau stands up for his rights. He gets extremely in depth and makes you think about what he’s really saying. He stands up for his rights, but doesn’t care if anyone agrees with him or even likes him, “…to be liked, you never disagree. And if you never disagree, it’s like only breathing in and never breathing out...” (13). Always trying for people to like you, one can almost feel suffocated. If you can’t make yourself happy it’s hard to stand up for yourself. People change themselves to be someone they aren’t just to be liked. Thoreau finds great disgust with going along with others. He expects everyone to “speak out” and not back down from what they believe (85). Thoreau doesn’t care if you’re the President or a beggar on the street. He believes everyone is equal. He believes we are all human, equally and wonderfully made, and no one is better than another. No one should be placed higher than another on the social scale, “I’m opposed to social distinctions…” (77). In society we all need to be our own person, but if we cannot all be equally powerful than we need to “…make the law free” and all men equal (61). In this play, Thoreau states very clearly that you need to stand...
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...Believing In Yourself Effectively Addresses Conflict Have you ever faced a conflict and didn’t know what you were supposed to do? Who is the person that will inspire millions of people to do the same? People all respond to conflict differently. Some face the conflict head-on and some people leave the conflict the way it is. Leaders like Anne Frank from Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl, Sophie Scholl from Hitler Youth, Elie Wiesel form “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech,” Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: A Fable, Winston Churchill from “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat,” and a few other people all responded to conflict by facing it head on and not letting opponents interfere in their ways. Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what...
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...Are you willing to act on something that's currently an unpopular view, even if you may lose a few friends? What would you do if you heard someone say something awful about one of your closest friends? We all want to believe that we would confront that person but would we really? I mean if it was over Facebook or some other social networking site I am willing to bet that you would say something to that person. However, what if you were right there when it was being said, would you have the courage to stand up and confront that person right then, or would you just stay quiet? Nowadays people turn to violence to solve problems. It may not be physical violence but verbal abuse or harassment. If you were to look at the statistics, 75% of school shootings have been linked to harassment or bullying and 56% of students have witnessed bullying. 87% of students believe the shootings are motivated by a want to get back at the people that have hurt them, and about 54% of students said that witnessing abuse at home can lead to violence at school. Nevertheless, what would happen if a few courageous people stood up when they see someone being harassed? I believe it could save lives. Even if just one person was to report the bullying, and that ‘bully’ would have someone that was there just to listen, this would change so many lives! I realize that the idea of a “perfect world” is unimaginable because humans are imperfect beings, but if people could learn to talk things through instead of...
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...Is Colin Kaepernick’s protest right or wrong? Colin Kaepernick has been making a peaceful protest against Trump. People of color are being treated unkindly and something has to change according to Kaepernick. It isn’t wrong to stand up for what you believe in? The answer is no it’s not. Kaepernick is just standing up for something he believes in.Colin Kaepernick was trying to make a change for the better. For example, sometimes the right thing is standing up for what you believe in. In an article by Tim Wendel, it is said that “Gregg Popovich coaches the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s San Antonio Spurs. He said he absolutely understands why Kaepernick and other protestors are doing what they're doing. "The important thing that Kaepernick and others have done is to keep it in the conversation.” This shows that when you keep showing people they have to talk about to make people notice. It also shows that without the protest most would have just passed over the subject. It means if you keep pushing the subject out there it will become more relevant to other people and not just leaving it in the dust. When you leave a subject in the dirt people will bury it. Sometimes making a passed over topic can bring new light....
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...MLK and Cesar Chavez were a great inspiration for people the American history . The people were really moved because how much strength and courage to stand up for what they believe in . MLK Jr would start a boycott and Cesar Chavez would throw everything in the water that they grew in the farms . MLK and Cesar Chavez were never given the opportunity to speak and have rights. One day they had an opportunity to speak of how they felt . And their speech was so beautiful it touched and moved people that day when MLK and Cesar Chavez made a difference for all race and having equal rights for all .MLK and Cesar Chavez were the first of their race to make a huge difference...
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...“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Civil disobedience is part of our culture. People stand up for themselves when laws, rules, or just when things are unfair and unjust. Martin Luther King, Jr is a prime example of civil disobedience. In his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” he describes his own thoughts on civil disobedience through real life experiences. David Thoreau is also a main figure in civil disobedience from his letter, “Civil Disobedience.” He talks about what he did to stand up for what he felt was right. There is a couple of reasons to believe in civil disobedience , one it can bring attention to main topics and also create real change in society. Civil disobedience is only...
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...Imagine a world where no one’s voice was ever heard. We could still be under British rule. There could be no such thing as equal rights. Or we could be living in a society where people are bullied. At one point, someone took a stand and decided to stand up for what they believed in, making our country what it is today and guaranteeing that we have freedom to speak for what we think is right. It is important for people to stand up for what they believe in because it inspires other people to stand up for what they believe in and can help solve problems. When you spread your opinion to others, it can inspire them to stand up for what they believe, and may help them spread the word about what’s right. In the text “ The Hunger Games”, Katniss...
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...I Am Malala Malala is strong hearted girl that will never back down without a fight. Malala was shot for standing up for female education in her hometown of Swat Valley, Pakistan. Even after getting shot, she still stood up and spoke out about neglecting female education. A lot of people who would have gone what she went through would have backed down and gave up on their teachings, but Malala didn’t. She kept on spreading her beliefs and her teachings on what she felt were supposed to be right. I wonder if more girls will stand up and speak out on neglecting their rights to education, or will they just go along with the rules and traditions that their accustomed to and let Malala do this all alone. A lot of people don’t stand up for what they believe in so they sit back and let things happen. Malala shouldn’t have been the only girl to stand up in her hometown but also other women and men as well. It takes a community and a large group of people to come together in order to fix a problem so severe like what she had to do all by herself. If you believe in something take action and defend your belief and let people know how you feel. Don’t just sit there in the dark and like nothing is happening. What type of change will you bring if just sitting there? You need to stand up and speak out. There are a lot of things that goes on that we just let happen....
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...Feminist, But I Believe in Equality” I remember being in high school when the American education system made it completely apparent that they value a boy’s education over a girls. I wore a loose leafy skirt that was exactly 3 inches above my knee, while the dress code specified 2 inches above my knee. Furthermore, I was sent home for this incident because “it was suggestive to the boys”… Let that sink in! My school was, slowly but surely, making clear to me was that they would much rather send me home and take away any academic lesson I would have learned from that day because of the small fact that an inch of my knee might be of disturbance to a hormonal high school boy. This is the point in my life when I needed feminism. I always understood the term feminism to be straightforward: anyone who believes in equality between men and women, as well as the perseverance of self-worth regardless of gender, is a feminist. However, my generation of women has a far more straight forward view of feminism than I do. Women who recommend the values of feminism now frown upon identifying themselves as feminist. Why is that? Many misconceptions and misunderstandings become part of the issue when a person has a lack of understanding or comprehension of exactly what the term feminism truly means. It is important to know the difference between equality and feminism. Comprehending the meaning of the two also empowers a women to be grounded and given the capability to know what they stand for. A...
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...Allison Winans Sullivan English 30 9.10.2012 The Understanding of Courage Courage is being able to stand up for what is right, even if that means others will be against you. Everyone has courage that lives inside of them, but not everyone let's it free. Abraham Lincoln was full of courage throughout his whole life. Lincoln went from being illiterate as a child to becoming one of the most revolutionist presidents in history. The one thing that made Lincoln so powerful was that he was filled with determination and courage. Courage is something that we all can acquire if we have a reason to be motivated. Lincoln once said “ It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.” and he is completely right. Fears are what will hold you back from actually showing courage when it needs to be shown. First, courage is not something you are born with. Not one person that has shown acts of courage has just woke up one day and been full of courage. Lincoln was illiterate when he was a boy, but with determination he taught himself to read and write. Lincoln was born and raised in a log cabin on his family's farm. Lincoln's father wanted Lincoln to stop reading all the time, but Lincoln did not want to stop his fascination with reading. To settle the dispute Lincoln and his father decided to make a compromise. The compromise between the two was that Lincoln could keep reading, but he had to get his farm work done first. To be able to accomplish this task Lincoln would...
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...Andria Banda 9.5 BRAVERY Bravery is something we all have inside ourselves. For some of us, we get scared and need a little bit of extra courage to face what's scary. Even if you go for it and it doesn't work out, you still win. You still had the courage enough to head straight into something that frightened you, and I really believe that that type of bravery will take you places. I think bravery is not being afraid to be who you are and standing up for what you wish to believe. You should always be yourself no matter what individuals have to say. There are going to be people who don’t like you and will try to bring you down, but sticking up for yourself is being courageous. Always standing up for what YOU believe in...
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...Imagine this, the LGBTQ community and heterosexuals switch places in society. Straight people are treated the way gay people are treated now. You are one of the straight people. You are out in public. People see you with your partner and they look away or shoot you a dirty look. Sometimes even throw a slur or two at you. Maybe even chase you down the street, threatening to kill you. Imagine this: You are in a bar, with some of your other straight friends. Just having a good time, relaxing. Next thing you know, you are crawling on the ground. You hear gunshots and screams of pain. You pass by your dead friends. You see their bodies are painted with bullet holes and blood stains. All this happened, just because you were straight. How would you feel, constantly getting made fun of and hated, just because of the person you love or have feelings for. It would feel great wouldn’t it? Or would it feel like no one accepts you for who you are. This is what happens to the LGBTQ community in the world we live in. They are mistreated, killed, and loved and supported by the creation of laws and LGBTQ rights leaders. You wouldn’t want it to happen to you, so why do you let it happen to them? Stand up. Be strong, and make your voice heard. Let the world know, that you will stand for change....
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...their chest. A hero doesn't have to be someone on the headline of a news article. A hero can be anyone and everyone. A hero can be someone who does a good deed or were there at the right moment and helped. A hero can be defined by being humble, selfless, and courageous. One way a hero can be defined is how humble they are, how they own up to the deeds they have done and not presenting them to people. Being humble is not needing extra attention for something you did and believing that you did was what you thought was right. A great example of a humble hero is Wesley Autrey. A student had a seizure and fell onto train tracks as a train came rushing toward him. Wesley went out of his way to save this student and after carried on with his day and went to work. “Autrey said he was just in the right place at the right time." (https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/0416/Everyday-heroes-11-tales-of-American-heroes/Wesley-Autrey-the-subway-hero) Wesley believed that he did what anyone would do in this situation and help this kid from a problem that could have been much worse. Humble is not bragging and not strutting the good things you have done. Humble is not being modest, humble in a character trait in which you are not overbearing....
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...do you think you would be treated if you were to not stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance? Every morning, Monday through Friday, students all across America stand, face the American flag, and say the 31 words that make up the Pledge of Allegiance. We pledge towards the symbol of America because of the freedom it has granted us and for all the people who fight for our country’s freedom. However, lately there has been a controversy over many elements of the pledge- should we continue to say it in schools? What about sporting events? Should “under God” be removed or should it stay? The Pledge of Allegiance should not be required to say at schools and sporting events because it violates the basic human rights like freedom of speech and freedom of religion....
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