The Ways of Meeting Oppression
Martin Luther King, Jr. uses many different forms of writing to inform us(reader) of the options oppressed people have. The forms of writing the author uses are cause-and –effect, classification, and definition. In this essay Martin Luther King, Jr. outlines three ways that the oppressed deal with their oppression. The first way is acquiescence, which means that the oppressed resign themselves to their doom; when this happens the oppressed person gets accustomed to their oppression and never try to get out. The second way the author outlines is that sometimes oppressed people deal with their oppression through violence and hate. According to Dr. King violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. Violence is impractical because violence only begets more violence which leads to destruction, and its immoral because violence thrives on hate rather than love. The third way open to oppressed people in their quest for freedom of oppression is nonviolent resistance. According to Dr. King this is the method that must guide the actions of all people. By using nonviolent resistance the oppressed can enlist all men of good will in this struggle.
First off I feel that Dr. King was a brilliant thinker , but I most of all feel his compassion for all men not just African-Americans. This essay was very persuasive in that it could change the mind of a person who thinks that giving up or resorting to violence is the only way to combat oppression. Dr. Kings use of classification and division made this essay easy to follow, and his use of definition made the essay very informative. Sometimes I become so infuriated at the racial injustice and economic injustice that takes place in this country that I want to lash out and solve the problem with my fist, but in the back of my mind I know that this behavior will only hurt me and allow the cycle of racial injustice to continue.