Introduction to Academic Writing
Introduction to Academic Writing ENGL 1004
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This 4 page Class Notes was uploaded by Mrs. Kevin Anderson on Thursday September 17, 2015. The Class Notes belongs to ENGL 1004 at University of Connecticut taught by Krystyna Zamorska in Fall. Since its upload, it has received 30 views. For similar materials see /class/205934/engl-1004-university-of-connecticut in Foreign Language at University of Connecticut.
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Date Created: 09/17/15
Fighting Racism in America s Path to Freedom and Equality lThroughout many years of its history America had struggled with the issue of slavery Today it might seem that the problem is gone forever however the impact and legacy of slavery is still present in our society Events and movements such as civil war emancipation and abolitionism showed that we are willing to make a change but the racial tension can still be seen in nowadays life America is a work in progress and its inhabitants must work to make it what it is destined to be a country of people living in peace freedom and equality Activists such as Frederick Douglass Malcolm X and Martin Luther king represent that progress because they confronted the issue of racism and worked hard for change Ifwe will not follow in their footsteps and come together to prevent discrimination America will never fully stand up to its great ideals and the country will not be able to achieve its economic health care or educational goals because the way to accomplish big projects is unity and if there is any type of discrimination present unity does not exist 2Frederick Douglass who experienced slavery directly was shocked how the society deprived African Americans not only of the physical freedom but also of the intellectual freedom Whites limited the slaves in many ways but most importantly they denied them the access to literacy African Americans were unable to take actions towards their freedom because they did not have the tools to defend themselves They could not oppose the unmoral acts of their enslavers because they were uneducated and unaware of their rights and the situation around them For Douglass learning how to read and write opened up a new world of opportunities and possibilities He learned about human rights and how to utter his thoughts Education made Douglass brighter he came to hate his enslavers and found out about the ways to escape slavery A century later Malcolm X showed that the process of becoming literate was a process of learning about himself After learning how to read and write he claimed In fact up to then I never had been so truly free in my life Malcolm X 283 Literacy gave Malcolm a great power it opened a new period in his life by making him mentally alive He found out about the history of black people and shameful acts of white people on nonwhite societies around the world and was now eager to fight to oppose any acts of inhumanity and oppression towards minorities 3It is beyond belief that our twenty rst century society still acts not much different from the cold blooded slaveholdeis years ago Malcolm X observed Four hundred years of black blood and sweat invested here in America and the white man still has the black man begging for what every immigrant fresh off the ship can take for granted the minute he walks down the gangplank Malcolm X 290 We need to face the problem The legacy of slavery is present Racism is still here but it is often well hidden As pointed out by Malcolm X history had been whitened Malcolm X 284 The dominant white culture has been dictating the standards and controlling social beliefs At rst black people were omitted by the whites in history barely mentioned in books and often laughed at Today we still see that not only African Americans but also other minorities are being ignored and treated with less respect by the white people Oppression of minorities can be seen everywhere in the world but as Malcolm X notes The American black man is the world s most shameful case of minority oppression Malcolm X 289 History had been hard on black people First African Americans had suffered harsh and inhumane treatment and later had been victims of numerous broken promises The rights granted to black people in the Constitution still do not always seem to be obeyed 4How to solve the problem Martin Luther King the great crusader against segregation emphasized that we need to teach people that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere King 221 If we do not stand against acts of segregation and oppression in our communities the injustice will spread out and racism will grow Just like King forty years ago we need to call for actions by creating a tension in the society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood King 223 We need to start fulfilling our promises and treat everyone equally King concludes Now it is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood King 229 Let s revise what democracy really means and what our fathers had fought for over the years The objectives of democracy are freedom and equality or simply put the well being of all individuals as human beings Martin Luther King believed that We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation because the goal of America is freedom King 234 He stated We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands King 235 America is a nation built with the main goal to serve its people and assure peace unity and justice among the nation To be American does not only mean to take advantage of the many great opportunities given us by this country but to at the same time live up to the great values this nation promotes and help ful ll America s destiny 5It is now when America has a big chance and opportunity to work on solving the issue of racism and helping the country progress In November 2009 citizens of the United States decided that the next leader of our country would be an African American Barack Obama Our new President declares that his biggest goal is to fight for what America is destined to be and he is very determined to make this country develop As a candidate for the presidential election Obama added an interesting point to the conversation about America as a work in progress In his race speech presented in Philadelphia in March of 2008 Obama announced current incidents of discrimination while less overt than in the past are real and must be addressed Not just with words but with deeds by investing in our schools and our communities by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system Obama Obama calls for actions against segregation and emphasizes that even the smallest acts of racial discrimination must be addressed and confronted in order to make a difference President holds a strong belief that we are able to stop racism and make a change by coming together During his speech Obama stated But I have asserted a rm conviction a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union Obama In order to prevent discrimination of minorities we need to take a moment and think about ours elves and our attitude towards people of other races because in order to change the country we rst need to change our communities and in order to change our communities we need to start by working on ourselves President showed his conviction that America is able to transform in his words But what we know what we have seen is that America can change That is true genius of this nation What we have already achieved gives us hope the audacity to hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow Obama The fact that America chose Obama for President itself is a proof that we are heading in a right direction Choosing an African American to hold the most important and responsible position in the country shows that Americans are already becoming more open on people of different races and it gives a meaning to Obama s hopes and beliefs
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