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.