Be the change you want to see in the world.

Hannah Kasunmu

Umoja

Literature

April 30, 2013

The statement made by the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement against British rule, Mohandas Gandhi, once said “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. This famous quote is a manual for those who are future leaders and generals of everyday lives. In order for an individual to act responsibly in regards to issues of justice; one must seek change from within first. Even though some may say that an individual’s responsibility in regards to the issue of injustice is to gather support to help fight for the causes’ resolution, in order to really change one’s society, one must know himself, know the path which he wishes to take, and change the mindset which the oppressor inflicts on him, because to fight against it, the individuals fighting can have the adverse effect of becoming an oppressor, once power is transferred.

As an individual seeks change within himself and knows exactly who he is, the world is eventually seen from a different perspective. Those who he meets would not be able to manipulate his mind as easily. The narrator from Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, does not know who he is which is why he believes anything and answers to whatever the white men call him. Before the narrator’s grandfather died, his wish was for him was to kill the whites with kindness, but the narrator could not help, but feel like a traitor. “When I was praised for my conduct I felt a guilt that in some way I was doing something that was really against the wishes of the white folks,”( pg. 14). He felt guilty because the white people did not wish for him to be loved, but for him to be mean and sulky. “I should have been sulky and mean, and that would have been what they wanted.”(pg.14). The narrator was told, he believed that black men were not equal to white men.  People who are oppressed do so for reasons like not knowing their ethnicity, background story, or what they represent. His “Irresponsibility is part of his invisibility,” the narrator who complained about his invisibility knew that he was invisible (people do not acknowledge his presence) and he does not do anything to actually fix it. All he ever does is complain and complaining never got him to be visible.

Furthermore, when an individual knows who their, they must know the path which they wishes to take. Knowing who they are helps them with the places and the people who they should avoid; those types who would hold them down or stop them from progressing to the next stage of being responsible with the issue justice. During the time when the narrator of Ralph Ellison’ novel, Invisible Man, gave his speech he really did not know who he was. He was confused between the ideology his grandfather taught him and the one the white shows him.”… Someday he’ll lead his people in the proper paths…and so to encourage him in the right direction.”(pg.26). Those who encourage others down a path which they do not know of would not save the person from themselves. The enlightened Buddha once said “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” No one can decide another’s path since they will not be there to walk along.  No other can change another’s path because it is what he had chosen and was destined for.

Thus, changing the mindset the oppressor enforces on individuals striving to know themselves and their path will go hand in hand with knowing who one is. One must be wary of all of the conflict that happens in the society and look closely at what has happened and how it has been solved in the past. From there one would be able tell the movements, ideologies, and techniques of the oppressor. An individual is conditioned to believing that they are beneath the accepted norm and that there is always something to change about themselves to fit with the standards set by the oppressors and the status quo. Harrison Bergeron, from the shot story Harrison Bergeron, was a giant with great hearing and was very wise. But the government isolated and depressed him mentally and physically because he was a threat to their power. It made him believe that what they said was something that he could change about himself but it never stopped him. “Even as I stand here” he bellowed, “crippled, hobbled, and sickened- I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become.”(pg.4). Harrison knew what he stood for so the insult the government sprouted did not inflict pain onto his spirit. The great Alexander Hamilton once said, “Those who stand for something will fall for nothing”. This is why one should know what they stand for; their weaknesses and strengths in order to change their mindset.

In closing, in order to seek change from within one must first know himself. Mohandas Gandhi knew that he was a peaceful man and did not want to use violence against Britain because he wanted to the world to be a peaceful place. Second is to know the path which he wishes to take and Buddha ideology proves the point. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”  Third is to change the mindset which the oppressor inflicts on him just like Harrison Bergeron who would not let the government keep him from his “delusional” mentality.

Ebonie Walker                                                                                                        May 5, 2013

Literature Honors                                                                                                    Umoja

The Answer is in Me

How does one fight for justice? The only way to receive justice is to look inside oneself and change for the better. Although many people believe that joining a group and fighting the oppressor is the best way, individuals often do not pause and reflect introspectively to discover that the injustice they see is within them. Therefore, the change inside oneself is necessary because it helps one remove the unknown injustice they harbor within, enabling them to look at life and see all it has to give and ingest it without negativity, allowing them to be able to identify injustice and attack it without being fearful.

           The injustice one holds within corrupts. The more and more one holds the hatred they have for the oppressor the more one emulates the oppressor. During World War II Hitler started a revolt against the World to  create one dominate kind of people. After,  he killed himself former oppressed leader of the Soviet Union took his hatred and tried to change the entire world into communist, causing the Cold War.  Therefore, one must release all the negativity they have within them so that the injustice is released. In the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison the main character goes through racial injustice. He can not identify his racial identity because he likes being considered a token, but he also hates it because he feels like he is disappointing his grandfather. In the Invisible Man it seems that the narrator's grandfather is the one who oppressed the narrator and leads him down the road of invisibility. The hatred the narrator has for his grandfather is what he uses for ammunition to faces those who choose not to see him. In the prologue of Invisible Man the author beats up a man who chooses to bump him without apologizing. “... I yelled, Apologize! Apologize! But he continued to curse and struggle, and I butted him again and again until he went down heavily, on his knees, profusely bleeding.”(pg.4, Invisible Man) The anger the narrator kept inside from his double life made him turn into a violent man. One can identify the narrator as the oppressor in this scene because he refuses to stop until the man is down. Even while he is down he continues to show no mercy.If the narrator would have looked inside himself and realized the evil inside him. He would have not acted that way instead he would've let the man walk away and not let it affect him.

       Considering the freedom of one, an individual must be able to take the opportunities life has to give. Once, all the harbored injustice is swept away one will have the ability to see all life has to offer instead of judging life. When one is angry or upset they do not have the ability to see all of the wonderful things life has to offer instead one can only see what annoys him or herself. For example when one is angry all they can do is find the thing that annoys them the most about anything and let that torment them, but if one is happy than one just lets everything go and enjoys their happiness. In the novel Fahrenheit 451  by Ray Bradbury,  the main character Guy Montag goes through an internal change. In Guy Montag’s society everyone is oppressed by technology while fire fighters burn books. As Montag leaves his oppressive state of mind he leaves the place that kept him oppressed. Finally when he got to the woods he was able to see the true beauty of life. This clean and big view of nature helped Montag realize what his destiny in life was. “Montag felt the slow stir of words, the slow simmer.And when it came his turn, what could he say, what could he offer on a day like this, to make the trip a little easier? To everything there is a season.” (pg.76, Fahrenheit 451). Finally Montag had the right thing to say to motivate people the forest gave him a new realization of life. While he was in the woods he was able to see his full potential and walk into it, unlike when he was in the city. The city triggered the injustice, once it left, he had to leave to receive life and himself.

       When one has power they can identify power, which is the same for injustice. Once something wrong has been done to one him or she will be able to identify the unjust acts that happen to others. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut a young man was oppressed he went through a tough struggle and finally he changed inside himself. He took his own life to make sure that people could have the opportunity to be free. Harrison Bergeron the protagonist released his handicaps defied the laws so that the society could have the chance to be free. Harrison cared enough the others enough to sacrifice his life to help the others. “ Not only were the laws of the land abandoned,but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well... And then neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling...” (pg. 5, “Harrison Bergeron”) Harrison Bergeron knew the price for  breaking the rules but still he felt like had to make a difference. He identified the unjust act and sacrificed himself so  that others could be free. The more one opens up himself or herself the more one has the ability to change the world for them and others. If one did not be the example then there would be no need for a president, a governor, or a senate. If one wants justice they must help himself and then others.

    Although one frees himself he should take the time to free others. Freedom is the main goal but the future goal is helping out everyone. When one is freed from injustice they no longer have the injustice in them, one will be able to see all of life's gift, and finally be able to identify the injustice and fight it without fear. If one wants peace they must be peace.

Artist of Justice

" Don't be the artist that paints over injustice; be the artist that reveals it."
- Carl-Isaac Opont

Breaking the Cycle of Injustice: The Process of Becoming a Moral Compass

Evelyn Sikati                                                                                                 08 May 2013

Umoja                                                                                                   Literature Honors

Breaking the Cycle of Injustice: The Process of Becoming a Moral Compass

Essential Question: What is the individual’s responsibility in regards to issues of injustice?

Injustice is a violation of the rights of another and is a behavior that is unsatisfactory and unfortunately perpetuated by all people. It has been a recurring issue in all societies and cultures. Individuals have failed to realize that they are writers, actors, and even directors in the production of injustice. The individual’s responsibility is to enforce change, starting with himself, in order to prompt others to follow and break the cycle of injustice. In the novels Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the narrator and protagonists are victims of racism and oppression. The way they react to their injustice differs. Although individuals believe their responsibility is to gather support from others using rhetorical devices, such as ethos pathos and logos, they must first become their own moral compass, which is the embedded power in all people to enforce change,  by developing self-confidence, self-reliance, and making necessary changes to himself.

The narrator was the victim of a form of injustice known as racism, and he was not even aware of it. The moral compasses, in which he followed, the white men who held power, were the ones victimizing him instead of praising him as he wanted to believe. In his college years, the narrator has very little confidence in himself and background. “Most of us knew in our home towns and of whom we were deeply ashamed,” (pg. 111). Although he was a smart boy, he was from an impoverished family, and before his grandfather died, he spoke rancorously of his son and himself, saying they were traitors to their people. He said this because he was a puppet for the white men, and he did not respect himself or fight for the integrity of black people. He could not become a moral compass because he had no confidence in himself and did not think positively of himself.

Furthermore, the individual must develop self-reliance. Without self- reliance, no individual can carry on with their lives. The narrator was over reliant on the rich white men in his community to nurture him. He expected them to pay for his education and everything in his life. Although the narrator was badly beaten in the events that occurred before he received the scholarship, which most black people did not receive, he was overjoyed when he was given the opportunity to recite his speech in front of the most prominent white men in his town. He was only concerned with pleasing the rich white men and having his education funded because he didn’t mind being beaten by Tatlock, a boy of a much larger caliber than him, and also being bamboozled with fake tokens he thought was money. “It was a scholarship to the state college for Negroes. I did not even mind when I discovered that the gold pieces I had scrambled for were brass pocket tokens advertising a certain make of automobile.” (pg. 32)   The narrator cannot imagine his life without the support of a white man, and he only used his intelligence and skills to impress the white men, in order for them to like him. This truly hurt him in his future, as he continued to be an over-reliant slave to the white man and his ideals. He became a victim of injustice because his right had been violated, and his liberation was deprived.

        Lastly, the individual must make changes to themselves in order to resolve injustice. This is important because they must change their mentality about injustice in order to overcome it. The father of Indian independence, Mahatmas Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. This explains that an individual has to change himself, before he can see a change in his surroundings. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist Guy Montag is unaware that he is oppressed, or even that he is an oppressive force. He burned books, which in a normal society would be a crime. After meeting a character foil, Clarisse McClellan, he became aware of his actions, and antagonist, Captain Beatty. “He burnt the bedroom walls and the cosmetics chest because he wanted to change everything.” (pg. 116) This passage is a metaphor; all the things the narrator wants to burn and change are a reflection of himself. He wanted to burn away everything old and evil about himself, to become a moral compass that could enforce justice.

                In conclusion, when fighting against injustice, individuals use the strategy to fight as a large group. Even though this is a good tactic to use, it may also be weak without the proper tools. A strong support group can only come from a strong moral compass, someone who realizes that they are empowered to enforce change. Individuals fail to realize that the change starts with them, like Civil Rights activist Malcolm X, he realized that his responsibility was to change himself in order to stop injustice in America. He said “If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything”. In the novels Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury and Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, one individual became a moral compass by making changes to themselves, while the other used his “invisibility” to create more injustice .  A strong moral compass is someone who has developed self-confidence, self-reliance and he has made the necessary changes to himself in order to change his society. Do modern day individuals have what it takes to become a strong moral compass?

Injustices and Solutions

Edimar Naranjo

May 8, 2013

Umoja

Literature

Response #3

Injustices and Solutions

There will be times when individuals will be treated in an unjust manner, and those individuals can respond in many different ways. In order to get one’s point across the table one must react in the correct manner. Others may believe that an individual must  react on instinct, or try to gather support, but this will end up as a waste of time and will do nothing in one’s favor, this can also come at a very heavy price referred to as death. An individual’s responsibility is to solve injustice by understanding the oppressor’s point of view, knowing the oppressors strategies, and changing their  perspective in order to be able to view things differently. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut the protagonist, Harrison attempts to solve the issue of injustice known as oppression in a very violent manner, but Harrison should have tried to understand the oppressor in order to stop the injustice that was going on. On the other hand in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the protagonist Guy Montag comprehends that he must be able to see others point of view, this is what makes Guy Montag able to defeat the oppressor. In the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison the narrator is a violent oppressed person, and he doesn’t understand that he must change his point of view in order to solve issues of injustice.

An individual must understand the oppressors point of view, in order to be able to solve their issue of injustice. Violence is not and will never be the solution. Violence only leads to death. In the short story “ Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, the protagonist, Harrison, chooses to attempt to solve the issue of injustice by using violence and claiming that he is the emperor, but Harrison ends up getting shot by the antagonist, Diana Moon Glampers. Harrison is being oppressed by the government, he has to wear handicaps.“ Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like tissue paper... she fired twice, and the emperor and empress were dead before they hit the floor.” (pgs.4-5) Harrison and his empress were killed instantly, and they could not do anything about it. Harrison approached the problem in the wrong way, instead he should have attempted to understand the oppressors point of view, thus leading him to success.

Furthermore, one must know the oppressors strategies in order to be able to analyze the authority in their society. If an individual analyzes the oppressor, they will know their weakest part, this will help that individual defeat the oppressor. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist Guy Montag lives in a society where he doesn't comprehend about what the government does to oppress the society. With the guidance of Clarisse McClellan, the character foil, Guy  realizes that he must make a change. He studies Captain beatty, the antagonist of the story. Guy makes a smart move by not fighting, but using his logic and analyzing his surroundings. “And Clarisse. You never talked to her. I talked to her. And men like Beatty are afraid of her. I can't understand it. Why should they be so afraid of someone like her?” (Pg.70) Montag studies Beatty for answers. Beatty knows the history of books, this is why Montag analyzes him. Montag wants to know why is Beatty afraid of people who dare to be different. In the end Montag defeats the oppressors and is able to start over. Montag solves the injustice that he was affected by, thanks to knowing the oppressors strategies.

An individual must also be able to change their perspective. If an individual changes their perspective, then they will be able defeat the oppressor and  solve their issue of injustice. In the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison the narrator claims himself invisible, but he does not do anything to make a change. Instead he reacts violently to almost anything. “I pulled his chin down sharp upon the crown of my head, butting him as I had seen the West Indians do, and I felt his flesh tear and the blood gush out, and I yelled, Apologize! Apologize!”(pg. 2). This is not the way to solve things, instead he should have changed his perspective and he should of not responded violently. If he would have thought of the situation differently, then he would have not had to go through this whole situation of hurting the man.

In conclusion, an individual's responsibility is to solve this injustice by understanding the oppressor’s point of view, knowing the oppressors strategies, and changing their  perspective in order to be able to view things differently. If an individual does these things they will succeed, and they will solve their issue of injustice. Violence will not solve anything, Harrison from the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Harrison reacts violently, and he suffers the consequences by dying. In contrast, Guy Montag changed his perspective and solved his issue of injustice.  The narrator from the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison reacts on instinct, so he remains invisible, and he is unable to solve an issue of injustice referred to as racism. When living in an unjust society one must not react on instinct, but one must act with intelligence.