Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Ways to Promote Justice
Assignment
The essays we read for this unit explored ideas about critical thinking, knowledge, speaking one's truth, moral responsibility, discomfort,counter-narratives, and resistance. For this assignment, you willselect 2-3 of the readings (hooks, Wheatley, King, Sue, Lorde, Baldwin,Mernick,and Tolentino) and use evidence from them to write a multi-paragraph essay that argues your position on one of the questions below.
1. In "Willing to Be Disturbed ' Margaret Wheatley asserts, "Change always starts with confusion:cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for the new:' In her discussion of her teaching,Alisha Mernick shows how her students challenge commonly held beliefs. Examine one or more of the readings that offer a different perspective on a commonly held idea (for example, an idea about education,knowledge, racism, language, or justice). What counter narrative does this text present,and how effectively does it present it?
2. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr.writes, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly:• He also argues that "human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability." Use at least one additional reading to explore these ideas. If change requires action,to what extent are individuals responsible for taking action to promote justice?
3. Audre Lorde writes that "the transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self revelation, and that always seems fraught with danger" (42). However, she also claims "that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength" (42).What are some of the reasons that people might be hesitant to speak up forwhat is moral,and how can these challenges be overcome?
Essay Checklist
☐ An introduction that sets up the context or background for your essay
☐ A specific and arguable thesis statement at the end of the introduction
☐ Topic sentences that state the main point of each body paragraph
☐ Relevant support (specific examples or quotations) in each body paragraph
☐ Introduction, citation, and explanation of support
☐ A heading that contains your name, your instructor’s name, the name of the course, and the date (in the upper, left-hand corner of the first page)
☐ A creative title
☐ MLA format – 12 point, Times New Roman or similar font, double-spaced
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Exploring the Ideas of Critical Thinking
Introduction
King’s ideas and Young’s work provide a framework for understanding the extent to which individuals are responsible for taking action to promote justice (Jr Martin Luther King 3). They must work with their communities and broader social movements to generate change. Engaging in both interstitial and transformational action is necessary to create progress toward justice. While individuals can play a role in creating change, collective action is essential for achieving lasting, systemic change. Also, individuals must promote equality; it is essential to recognize the systemic issues that perpetuate injustice and to engage in collective action to create change (Jr Martin Luther King 8). One commonly held belief about education is that it is the key to success. Many believe that good education is necessary to get a good job and achieve financial stability. However, this perspective is challenged by Paul Goodman in his essay “Compulsory Miseducation.” Goodman argues that the current education system is deeply flawed and hinders students’ learning ability. Margaret Wheatley’s assertion that changes always starts with confusion underscores the importance of questioning our cherished interpretations (Wheatley, 2). At the same time, Alisha Mernick’s discussion of teaching shows how students can challenge commonly held beliefs and broaden their understanding of the world.
Discussion and Analysis
Keeping in view, the argumentation developed by King, Iris Marion Young’s concept of the “five faces of oppression” and the search for interstitial and transformational action to address systemic issues seem relevant. Individuals must take action to promote justice. However, this does not mean that individuals are solely responsible for promoting justice. Instead, individuals must work together and use their collective power to create change. Young argues that individuals should focus on two types of action: “interstitial” and “transformational.” The interstitial activity involves small-scale, everyday acts of resistance that challenge the status quo. Transformational action involves larger, systemic change that addresses the root causes of injustice.
Young’s work expands on this idea by identifying the systemic issues that perpetuate injustice and the need for interstitial and transformational action to address them. As shown in the figure below, individuals must play their roles in justice development. The writer argues that progress toward parity and equality must be actively pursued and often be met with resistance and setbacks. This appears like a call to action for individuals...