In the United States, the right to expression is one of the ideals many citizens are proud of. To be able to share your beliefs and fight for them, is one of the founding ideas of this country. As a journalist, I fully support this concept and it is troubling to see when it is ignored in other countries around the world. The fear of jail or murder for activism is not only a horrible injustice, but goes against ideals all countries should uphold. The lack of respect for expression and activism around the world should concern all who desire a just society that respects humanity and our differences. Berta Caceres is not a well known person to most in the United States, but in Honduras, she was a hero to many. As an activist, she fought against a dam that would uproot her indigenous community. She organized blockades and peaceful protests in an effort to stop the project, which would have had deleterious effects on the environment (sdfsd). Her activism successfully kept construction …show more content…
The Harvard Kennedy School educated man was the head of the mayoral campaign in Venezuela and an activist in the opposition party. When the military started asking him questions about his signature gathering, it soon became clear there was a political issue at hand. "They proceeded to threaten to torture us if we didn't speak,” Marquez told NPR. He spent the next four months in a Venezuela prison, only released due to diplomatic pressure (sdfsd). Marquez is just one of many who have been imprisoned for peaceful activism. In his case, it was a protected right in Venezuela, but not even that was respected by the government. Marquez was lucky; his dual nationality helped him escape an unjust situation. But there are thousands of others who will spend years in prison for leading an activist
Coming from an immigrant family who suffered social prejudice, Dolores Huerta was inspired to better the lives of others. Although she faced many consequences, Huerta later became an influential labor activist and leader of civil rights movements. Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta is an American labor leader. Huerta was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta is the second of three children of Alicia and Juan Fernandez. She attended San Joaquin Delta College and University of the Pacific where she received an associate teaching degree.
The article “Cesar Chavez Saved My Life,” written by Daniel “Nane” Alejandrez reflects on Mr. Alejandraz’s past, covering some very unfortunate events, but with a purpose of pulling emotion from the reader. While reading some parts of the article, I had to reread it over a few times to comprehend the point that the author was trying to make. The most important thing about knowing his past is that it is significantly different, and much more positive in the future because of one person, Cesar Chavez.
Chavez achieves his main purpose to persuade to support his view on nonviolent resistance. He does this by not only using many examples, but to challenge the reader into thinking deeper into the lines of his speech. By doing so, as well as using his many rhetorical strategies throughout, Chavez becomes very effective in his
César Chavez once said, “Nonviolence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak. Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice It is the patience to win.”. His words inspired one young man to turn his life around and become a man of character who used his experiences to help others. In his essay “César Chávez Saved My Life” Daniel “Nene” Alejandrez tells his story of the struggle and anger towards many injustices that happen around him and his journey from channeling that anger through crime to using it to start a foundation Barrios Unidos, to help men in prison overcome poverty, and the drug and violence culture surrounding them. In his essay, Alejandrez uses key scenes from his life to convey his main theme of spiritual connection to overcome the many hardships the Latino community faces in this country.
Martin Luther King Jr. died fighting peacefully against injustice and for equal rights. Similarly, nonviolent protests must continue to be used today because violence only leads to more violence. For the tenth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Cesar Chavez illustrated the importances of nonviolence in his article, “He Showed Us the Way”. In the passage, Chavez expresses strong pathos, powerful diction, and complex syntax in order to encourage nonviolence.
Violence is only the illusion of power, and this is made clear by Chavez’s well-written article. The rhetorical devices Chavez utilizes lend credibility to an already credible argument, and will be sure to convert any supporters of violent protest to a more peaceful
The first amendment, the right of freedom of speech is one of the most important classic fantasy to almost anyone living in the United States, building the foundation of our nation. This right gives us plenty of different opportunities to express our opinions and political viewpoints on any issues in America. But it comes with a price, people have been protesting multiple different events trying to prevent people from expressing opposing opinions or political viewpoints on that has issues in America. For the minority of people, expressing a different opinion should be protected no matter how controversial or insensitive it may be.
Chavez used his life experiences in order to better the lives of many migrant workers in America. Key points in Chavez’s life that had
Fighting for rights does not have to be violent. Mother Jones fought for child labor laws, Cesar Chavez fought for migrant workers’ rights, and Gandhi fought for independence from Britain. Mother Jones, Cesar Chavez, and Mahatma Gandhi all helped to enact change by using peaceful methods to get their points across.
Freedom of expression is not something we have to worry about in the United States. Within reason we can do what we want. We can lay
“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in” (Parks). I was tired, tired of being oppressed, and tired of being stepped on by the law, and my fellow people. That was the only tired i felt. The Montgomery Bus protest sparked a fire that would be felt throughout the entire country, and it was the spark that ignited the fire of the civil rights movement that shook the world. The boycott was the first of it, once light was shown on the problem, she began travelling cross country spreading information about civil rights, and sparking more peaceful protest. Rosa Parks was an important figure that changed the direction of the United States of America. She was trying to get home from work that day, but she turned into an icon for the civil rights movement, and shined a light on the unfair treatment of african americans.
We are blessed to live in a country that has many rights, the most important is the freedom of speech which provides an umbrella of protection over our remaining rights; however, all of our rights are under attack beginning with the First Amendment which is under constant assault by censorship.
Free speech is the backbone that holds democracy together. Without a free speech, ideas would not be challenged, governments would not be kept in check, and citizens would not be free. John Stuart Mill said once that, “If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person then he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”( Roleff, 21). The right to free speech is essential to “egalitarian democracy,”(Tsesis) however, this right is not absolute and must be limited in certain situations.
Free speech is by far the most commonly recognized freedom in our everyday lives. The freedom of speech allows us to voice our own opinions without the severe repercussions of some countries. It allows us to say what we really feel and helps us learn how to communicate in true and meaningful ways. Along with this freedom, we must remember that there are limits to this freedom. While being arrested “you have the right to remain silent” and anything you say can be used against you in court. This freedom is not one to be taken for
For me, freedom of expression is a matter of a majority. Laws should not be made by a small group of people or only one person able to decide, laws should be made and decide by the ideas of the majority in order to satisfy the majority of people possible in a society.