After reading “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the speech entitled, “The Perils of Indifference,” by Elie Wiesel, I noticed a lot of similarities. Both the letter by King and the speech by Wiesel call people to stand up for what they believe in and not sit idly by watching our fellow man suffer the crimes of injustice, cruelty, and discrimination. Although King was talking about the plight of African Americans in the 1960’s and Wiesel was speaking about his feelings of being a survivor of the Holocaust in the 1940’s, both messages were relatively the same.
In King’s letter he states, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” What exactly does he mean by this? My view is that it is just as bad to stand by and do nothing even though you know what is happening is wrong. These people just turned a blind eye on what was going on thinking let somebody else speak up it is not my problem! How can people be so callous and cold? It can be quite easy just look the other way and pretend you did not see anything.
In Weisel’s speech he asks, “What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means ‘no difference.’ It is a strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, good and evil.” In essence that means neutral, not taking sides, or not caring one way or the other. In my book that is just as bad. Weisel goes on to talk about how much easier it is to be indifferent than it is to care or take a stand against injustice. Maybe people become indifferent out of fear. This brings to mind an old saying I have heard and it goes like this, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” It may be easier to ignore injustice, hunger, murder, and genocide, but what does that say about the kind of person you are? Do you not take pride in being a good person? It may be harder to take a stand, but it is the right thing to do. Think about how much better you feel about yourself.
We must take a stand, not only as individuals, but as a society. One way we can do this is by electing officials who are known for taking a stand. Yes, this does mean you will have to get out there and vote. We can also bring injustices to the forefront of society by peaceful protesting, writing letters to congress, and calling the media with our concerns.
There are many things we can do as individuals to show we care about others. We can start by helping our local homeless people. We can volunteer at the local homeless shelters, offer them a warm blanket, old jacket, or a hot meal to show we care. How many times have we gone out to eat only to see someone digging in the dumpster for old food and just ignored it and pretended we did not see it? We can make a difference one deed at a time.
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Great job and well put indeed! I think that you made some great points on Weisel’s speech on indifference. I think Weisel’s is also trying to convey that it is necessary for all of us to decide where to draw the line and not to just sit around in inaction when that line is crossed. I am impressed with the quote you used. “If you don’t start something, you will fall for anything.” This quote really speaks out to me, and it is absolutely correct. If we as human begins don’t take charge and stand up for what we believe is right, even in the face of adversity, then we will never move forward. I also admire what you said about voting, for so many Americans do not realize the power of their voice. In this country we are blessed with the opportunity to make decisions instead of an oppressive government making the decisions for us. People have to realize the polls are powerful, and if they really want a change, voting is a great way in doing so. And if all else fails, we are also blessed with the freedom of speech and the ability to lobby, protest, and utilize the media with our issues. More of us need to stand up and take action for what we believe in is right. It is vital that we are not indifferent and choose a side.
ReplyDeleteThis is an outstanding comparison of King's and Wiesel's speech--fine post! Do you have an electronic copy of Wiesel's speech? I didn't recognize it, and it is not in our book. I would, however, like to read it.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point about how we need to, as individuals, take a stand. Since we comprise our society, we have to take our citizenship seriously, and act responsibly and ethically. And, as Liah points out, voting is one very important way for us to exercise our rights as citizens.
Thank you for your call to action--we all need rallying cries!
Yes you can get an electronic copy of Wiesel's speech at http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/wiesel.htm.
ReplyDeleteOh, I almost forgot. Thank you both for your comments. I love to hear feedback. Especially positive feedback. To be honest with you I started writing this blog on Sunday afternoon and just let me feelings on the subject guide me. I do my best writing when I have a purpose.
ReplyDeleteIndifference!! Who Cares?? Is absolutely correct. Now how Elie describes indifference just didn’t make sense. “What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means ‘no difference.’ It is a strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, good and evil.” In essence that means neutral, not taking sides, or not caring one way or the other. In my book that is just as bad.” When I read it and what I really know. I don’t know about you, but to me it didn’t really seem like neither one of the two men possessed. But you were right Martin and Elie do have a lot of similarities. For example, they both fight for what they believe in and both of there messages were very identical. You were right when you mention that we need to take a stand, and not only as an individual, but also as a society and by coming together, we can elect officials that see that bigger picture and want to take the bigger stand in for what we believe in. This is just like you said in your last sentence, we can come together, just one deed at a time to make the difference we would all like to see. =)
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