Barn Burning Essay Example

Barn Burning Essay Example Barn Burning Essay Barn Burning Essay Antonio Webb Professor Debra Germany English 2336 14 November 2012 Barn Burning In â€Å"Barn Burning†, a short story by William Faulkner, a boy finds that he can no longer be governed by his father’s ideas and tries to prevent his father from doing further harm, and leaves his family in the process. Sarty Snopes desire is to break away from the moral deficiency of his family life and live life with some resemblance of normalcy even at the expense of never seeing his family again. A growing body of evidence, suggest that humans have a moral sense from the very start of life and family does not instill this moral compass from the very start of life. His father was a man of little or no education who had developed an attitude in life of catering to no one but himself even at the expense of his family. The story begins with Mr. Snopes on trial for burning a neighbor’s barn after sending a black man over for his hog and actually warning the man that hay and wood burn. Shortly afterwards the neighbor’s barn burned and the story begins in a court of the Justice of the Peace. Sarty, is remembering all this and the details of the court room which was actually a storeroom in a grocery store. The man whose barn was burned asks that the boy testify and the judge is hesitant as this was not proper protocol in that time. The man says the boy does not have to testify and the case is dismissed due to lack of witnesses. The boy says he would have had to tell the truth had he been forced to testify even though he has a very real fear of his father. The father actually hits the boy who had defended the family honor by fighting someone in the crowd calling them barn burners. The father knows the boy would have testified and he tells him that they have to stand together against the world. This is obviously a common occurrence in the young mans life and always ends up the same, they are told to move on and never come back. They all gather in their wagon and leave, the wife, her twin sister, his two sisters, and his older brother. They all are afraid of the father and dare not question him or his authority. The central theme of the story begins with the last move when the family moves onto property owned by a Major De Spain and take up residence in a tenant farm house belonging to the major. The boy and the father ride over to the Majors house which is larger than anything the boy had seen in his life he compared the house to the courthouse. As they approach the door the father steps in a large pile of horse manure. The black man at the door tells the father to wipe his feet before coming in and also announces that Major De Spain is not home. The father forces the door open and enters the home, leaving a path of mud on the rug which turns out to be an expensive rug from France. When the Major returns home and discovers the condition of the carpet he rolls it up and takes it to the Snopes residence where he instructs the father to clean it and return it as it was. The father makes the boys and the two sisters, clean the rug and then returns it to the Major. The Major tells Mr. Snopes that he will have to pay twenty bushels out of his labor to pay for the rug. Mr. Snopes takes the Major to court to have his payment overturned. Mr. Snopes thinking that washing it would be sufficient finds out that it is not. The judge shows some leniency reducing the payment to ten bushels of corn and five dollars. The father is not happy with this and decides once again to burn the Majors barn as he orders his son to get the kerosene against his wife’s wishes who says at least send a black man again like you did before. The young boy who by now has decided in his heart that this cannot go on and is restrained by his mother even though the father wants to physically tie him to his bed so he cant warn the Major. The father by now has headed towards the Majors house. The boy breaks away from his mother and heads for the Majors house on foot, arriving there he warns the household about their barn and then runs out the door not knowing where he is headed. The Major rides by him on his horse and somewhere up ahead the boy hears a shot and then two more. The constellations wheeled on. It would be dawn and them sun-up after a while and he would be hungry, But that would be to-morrow and now he was only cold, and walking would cure that. His breathing was easier asleep because he knew it was almost dawn, the night almost over. He could tell that from the whippoorwills. They were everywhere now among the dark trees below them. He got up. He was a little stiff, but walking would cure that too as it would the cold, and soon there would be the sun. He went on down the hill, toward the dark woods within which the liquid silver voices of the birds called unceasing –the rapid and urgent beating of the urgent and quiring heart of the late spring night. He did not look back. Baym,Nina) He knows that his father is torn between love and righteousness and feels sorrow for his father but knows in his heart he can longer live this way of life. While the story never mentions his age, Barn Burning is a sad story of a young mans life who knew what was right and wrong and does what has to be done in the end as conscious would not allow him to continue with his fathers way of life. However this story illustrates how morality is not developed within the family, but something that is instilled within us all in the first early years of life. By the age of six months babies have already developed a strong moral code, according to psychologist. They may be barely able to sit up, let alone take their steps, crawl or talk, but researchers say they can still tell the difference between good and evil. An astonishing series of experiments is challenging the view that human beings are born as â€Å"blank slates† – and that our morality is shaped by our experiences. Instead, they suggest that concepts of good and bad may be hard-wired into the brain at birth. In one experiment involving puppets, six-month-old babies showed a strong preference for good helpful characters-and rejected unhelpful, â€Å"naughty† puppet, some babies went further- and dished out their own punishment with a smack on its head Professor Paul Bloom, a psychologist at Yale University in Connecticut, whose department has studied morality in babies for years, said: A growing body of evidence suggest that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life. You can see some glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment and moral felling even in the first year of life. Some sense of ood and evil seems to be bred in the bones. In one experiment involving puppets, six-month old babies showed a strong preference for â€Å"good† helpful characters- and rejected unhelpful, â€Å"naughty† ones. In another, when asked to take away treats from a â€Å"naughty† puppet, some babies went further- and dished out their own punishment with a s mack on its head. (Derbyshire, David) Professor Paul Bloom, a psychologist at Yale University in Connecticut, whose department has studied morality in babies for years, said â€Å"A growing body of evidence suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life. You can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment and moral feeling even in the first year of life. Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bones† Which is not to say that parents are wrong to concern themselves with moral development or that interactions with their children are a waste of time? Socialization is critically important. But this is not because babies are young children lack a sense of right and wrong; it’s because the sense of sense of right and wrong that they naturally possess diverges in important ways from what we adults would want it to be, Dr Nadia Reissland, of Durham University, said babies start to learn he difference between good and bad from birth. â€Å"Everything hinges on who decides what is normal†, she said. (Derbyshire, David) Infants fall into the preconvention level of moral development according to the theories of Lawrence Kohlberg. This involves two orientations: punishment and pleasure seeking. Infants respond to their environment primarily to seek pleasure and meet their needs. They show joy by smiling, cooing and laughing when they are fed, comfortable and feeling safe. As they grow, they learn to make choices in response to punishment, such as being told no or having an object taken from them. Meeting an infant’s basic needs through consistent care and positive social interactions simultaneously nurtures their moral development and trust in their caregivers. (Smith-Vratny, Lisa) Two noteworthy individuals, Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, studied the moral development of children. Piaget looked at how children develop moral reasoning. He found that Two noteworthy individuals, Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, studied the moral development of children. Piaget looked at how children develop moral reasoning. He found that young children have a much more primitive understanding of right and wrong behavior than do older children. Piaget determined that younger children judge bad behavior by the amount of damage caused by a person’s behavior. He would tell children a story with a moral dilemma. He would ask them to tell him â€Å"who is naughtier† a boy who accidentally broke fifteen cups or a boy breaks one cup trying to reach a jam jar when his mother is not around. Younger children attributed the â€Å"naughty† behavior to the boy who broke the most cups regardless of the other child’s intent. A huge amount of growth and physical development occurs during the first years of a baby’s life. These early stages of development are critical in laying the foundation for the baby’s future. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the normal development milestones for a baby, and how to encourage his or her learning and behavior. (Huxley, Ron) In conclusion the Snopes family lack of morality clearly influenced Sarty this is evident in the beginning of the story when the boy is willing to lie to insure that his father is acquitted of any wrong doing but somewhere along the way he could no longer contribute to their way of life. Somewhere along the way Sarty realizes everything the family is doing is wrong and its hurting peoples lives. The research indicates that you can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment and moral feeling in the first year of life, what happen to the Snopes family along the way that the son would have more moral judgment than the family. This illustrates that family can only develop morality or withdraw away from it; essentially good and evil is something that seems to be bred in the bones. Derbyshire, David ailymail. co. uk/news/article-1275892/Were-born-moral- Babies-tell-good-evil- months. html Bloom, Paul nytimes. com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies- t. html? pagewanted=all_r=0 Smith-Vratny Lisa    livestrong. com/article/180598-moral-social-development-in- infants/#ixzz2C9gL5co8 Smith, Peter    lifesitenews. com/news/archive//ldn/2010/may/10051009 essentialbaby. com. au/baby/baby-stages-of-development/the-moral-life-of-babies- 20100513-v0u0. html Huxley, Ron christian -mommies. om/ageless/handle-emotions/moral-development-of-children- knowing-right-from-wrong/ Sigelman and Elizabeth A. Rider. Life-Span Human Development. California: Wadsworth, 2003. Caroll E. Izard. Measuring Emotions in Infants and Children. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. What to Expect the First Year. Sydney: Harper Collins, 2009. Jean Piaget. The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York: International University Press, 1952. Gillies, Christine http://suite101. com/article/the-developmental-milestones- f-a-baby-a314799 Baym, Nina, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. C,D, and E (a three- volume set) 8th ed. New York:Norton, 2012 childrensmoraldevelopment. com/index. html Bersoff, David M. and Joan G. Miller. Culture, Context, and the Development of Moral Accountability Judgments. Developmental Psychology29, no. 4 (July 1993): 664–77. Schulman, Michael, and Eva Mekler. Bringing Up a MoralChild: A Ne w Approach for Teaching Your Child to BeKind, Just, and Responsible. rev. ed. New York: Main Street Books/Doubleday, 1994.

Setting a Purpose for Motivated Reading

Setting a Purpose for Motivated Reading Setting a purpose for reading helps keep students focused and engaged while reading, and gives them a mission so that comprehension can be reinforced. Reading with purpose motivates children and helps students who tend to rush, take their time reading so they wont skip over key elements in the text. Here are a few ways teachers can set a purpose for reading, as well as teach their students how to set their own purpose. How to Set a Purpose for Reading As the teacher, when you set a purpose for reading be specific. Here are a few prompts: Read until you get to the part where so and so did this.Stop reading until you find out about so and so.Read until you discover___.Read until you find out where the story takes place.Close the book when you figure out the problem in the story. After students have completed your task you can help build comprehension by asking them to do a few quick activities. Here are a few suggestions: Draw a picture of what they think will happen next in the story.Create a concept map recording elements in the story.Write down a problem they discovered while reading the story.Ask critical thinking questions, such as What the solution to the problem in the story?...What is the purpose of this book?....What is the author trying to accomplish?...What issues arise in the story?Retell the story in your own words with a partner.Compare how the characters have changed throughout the story. Teach Students How to Set Their Own Purpose for Reading Before teaching students how to set a purpose for what they are reading make sure they understand that a purpose drives the choices they make while they are reading. Guide students into how to set a purpose by telling them the following three things. You can read to perform a task, such as specific directions. For example, read until you meet the main character in the story.You can read for pure enjoyment.You can read to learn new information. For example, if you wanted to learn about bears. After students decide what their purpose for reading is then they can select a text. After the text is selected you can show students before, during, and after reading strategies that match their purpose for reading. Remind students that as they read they should refer back to their main purpose. Checklist for Reading Purposes Here are a few tips, questions, and statements students should be thinking about before, during, and after reading a text. Before Reading: What do I already know about the topic?What can I expect to learn?Skim the book to find out what I will be learning. During Reading: Pause during reading to reflect upon what was just read. Try to link it to something you already know.Do I understand what I just read?Place a sticky note next to any question, unfamiliar word, or comment you would like to share in the text. After Reading: Reread any passages that confused you.Go over your sticky notes.Summarize in your head what you have just read.

Character research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Character - Research Paper Example His Serious Moral Lapse in the Past When Krogstad was having an interview with Helmer, Doctor Rank expressed a most unfavorable opinion about the man to Nora and Mrs. Christine Linde to whom Doctor Rank has just been introduced. Doctor Rank had said that Krogstad was a case of â€Å"moral affliction† and that the man was â€Å"rotten to the core†. The Doctor said so because Krogstad had at one time been guilty of a serious moral lapse. In that context Mrs. Christine Lind also told Nora that Krogstad had at one time been a solicitor’s clerk in her native town and that he was most probably a widower now. Nora had confirmed that he was a widower with a large number of children. Krogstad’s Past Friendship with Helmer and his Past Love Affair with Christine Krogstad had been a boyhood friend of Helmer’s. When, therefore, Helmer is appointed the manager of the bank where Krogstad is working, Krogstad speaks to him in a familiar manner. Krogstad had though t that Helmer would show due regard for their past friendship. However, he feels disappointed when he finds Helmer to be quiet indifferent to him. Also, Krogstad and Christine were lovers in the past and expected to get married. However, Christine had been compelled by circumstances to marry somebody else. Krogstad had than been bitterly disappointed and disturbed. The two meet later on when Krogstad is a widower and Mrs. Lind a widow. A Letter Dropped by him into Helmer’s Letter-Box When Krogstad, contrary to his hope receives from Helmer the order of dismissal, from his post in the bank, he feels furious and meets Nora to make her intervene on his behalf with Helmer. He then tells her that he had been leading an upright life in order to make amends for his moral lapse in the past and his efforts to rebuild a good image of himself would receive a setback if her husband was to persist in his order of dismissal. He had therefore written a letter to Helmer informing him of Nora ’s guilt of forging her father’s signatures, and telling him to withdraw his order of dismissal or face a public exposure of her wife’s guilt. Krogstad then drops that letter into Helmer’s letter-box. Ready to Accept Mrs. Linde’s Offer of Marriage When Mrs. Linde goes to meet Krogstad in order to persuade him to withdraw his incriminating letter which still lies in Helmer’s letter-box, the talk between them naturally turns to their past love affair. Mrs. Linde explains why she married a rich man and gave up Krogstad. Mrs. Lind then proposes marriage to him. Her offer to marry Krogstad turns out to be a windfall for him, an unexpected piece of good fortune, and he is overjoyed. However, he makes it a point to certify that Mrs. Linde genuinely want to marry him, irrespective of being aware of his questionable past, not merely to save her friend. His Repentance and his Second Letter When Mrs. Linde has assured him that she wishes to marry him f or his sake, and even more for her sake, he offers to withdraw his letter containing his threat to Helmer to make a public disclosure of his wife’s criminal act of forgery. Thus there is a change of heart in Krogstad as soon as a piece of good fortune befalls him. Subsequently under the influence of the generous impulses which have risen in his heart on account of Mrs.

An analysis on the dyadic network relationship of BMW AG and Research Paper

An analysis on the dyadic network relationship of BMW AG and Brilliance Auto Ltd - Research Paper Example In August  2002  the Jinbei Automotive Company, a subsidiary of Brilliance China Auto, launched their first car; the ‘Zhonghua’ (China). 3.2 Network after 2003: The dyadic network of BMW and Brilliance in 2003 has made a big impact in the automobile industry. BMW launched its first car in 2003 and has made the 50,000th in 2007 and has now launching the new model in 2010 as the 10,000th car. After 2003, BNW and Brilliance has been mounting amazingly at high momentum, carrying out the highest manufacture within 2 years. It had observed, joined and occupied a part in the progress of Chinese automobile industry. They are prepared to hail a dazzling opportunities by this combined set-up and it has fruitfully included into the Chinese culture and dynamically thinking business shared tasks. This network has found its boundaries and kept an eye on the opponents. These has manufactured the quality products which gave the customer maximum satisfaction. It has set the target to develop into a superior business dweller. They have kept the horizons as learning, civilization, client commitment and business authority in the corporate world. These horizons clearly show the liability of BMW towards the Chinese humanity. These also prove the assurance and obligation to the long-standing improvements in China. There has been lot of risks in this network relationship. There always had a pressure to meet the client demands with the new automobiles over ever more smaller product growth phase and they have to reach the market to the further sectors with the pioneering new products as like Sedan which will decides the upcoming success. Also the risk comprises the capability of dyadic network to get sufficient funding as and when required at competitive rates and profitably expand, produce and trade the innovative products in China. A Concluding Analysis of the Evolution of the Dyadic Network BMW / Brilliance: BMW decided to enter into a joint venture with Shenyang Xin gYuanDong in the year 2003, XingYuanDong is a 100% subsidiary of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. (Bermuda), a publicly listed Chinese car manufacturer founded in 1993. BMW enter into this joint venture to produce and locally service BMW branded cars as well as gaining wider network legitimacy within the Chinese market. â€Å"The  first  BMW  Brilliance  factory  was  built  in  2004.  It  is  running  at  full capacity  as  the  luxury  market  continues  to  boom† (Tianyang, 2011). BMW is increasing their sales growth in China at more than nine times the pace of the wider industry, defying the nation’s attempts to unclog its roads and discourage â€Å"lavish lifestyles†. Brilliance China is one of the leading automotive manufacturers in China through its subsidiaries, associated companies and joint ventures in PRC. The joint venture with BMW which was established in the year 2003 was to produce BMW 3-series and 5 series sedans in China. Brilliance auto has many strategic partners and alliances. They have established strategic and working relationships with global automotive manufacturers. In the production of minibuses their partner is Toyota, and in the case of automotive components their partners are Mitsubishi motors, FEV, TRW automotive, and Johnson Controls. Brilliance has a wide range of 15 subsidiaries in China and announced

My personal statement Essay Example for Free

My personal statement Essay If students want to continue their education and enter the desired college, they should go through the admission process. It includes exams and delivering common application essays. This essay type gives students the chance to show their personal traits, attitudes, interests, and individuality. Your essay is meant to impress the admissions committee. You should prove that you are the best candidate to study in their college. This is a positive advertisement about those sides of student’s life that can’t be deduced from their official documents and study ratings. Typically, students can opt from several prompts which are provided by the college. These prompts revolve around students’ experiences, beliefs, habits and dreams and not academic achievements or grades. To write a college essay that stands out, you should concentrate on prominent events in your life that influence your personality, something connected with challenging situations or personal achievements. You can write how you managed to overcome your fears and learn new experience. You can describe the most important people in your life and how they encourage your personal growth. Having read hundreds of college essays, your essay should be personal, original and creative to grab the attention of the members of the board. Your essay has to be delivered in the form of a story – this should be a real-life situation or event with a considerable impact on your personality. Choose the subject which is meaningful and interesting to you. Here is a sample of a common application essay that can be used to create your own unique story. â€Å"As long as I can remember, I have always heard that a girl should be an obedient wife, a patient mother and a perfect cook. All my girlfriends from high school like to repeat that it’s a demanding and complicate job to be a housewife. The same goes with my mother. â€Å"Rachel, one day you will grow up, meet a proper man and your destiny is to become his wife. You will live in a beautiful house with two adorable children and your only worries will be what to prepare for dinner.† My mother was raised in a very conservative atmosphere of a wealthy family where the man works and woman cleans and cooks. My grandmother taught her how to be a housewife, elegant and charming whose main aim was to please her husband and raise children. Despite being a polite girl and nodding to my mother’s thoughts, inside I was crying from weakness – these ideas were opposite to those I wanted to build my life on. I was sixteen years old when my friend Monika popped into my house one Saturday evening to have a nice chit chat between two best friends about boys, dresses and holidays. And she told one thing with which I can’t agree till now. â€Å"Every girl should be prepared to dedicate her life to her husband and his success, so I am already learning how to make pancakes and roast beef.† Well, to say that I was irritated is to say nothing – I have already heard a million variants of this idea from my own relatives. Every family dinner this topic was brought up with my grandfather or father. I was confused and disappointed. â€Å"Do you really believe that family life is the most important thing in woman’s life? What about women who want to have a proper career and try to achieve their goals and dreams,† I asked my friend. â€Å"What for?† she replied. â€Å"It’s generally considered that men are better at doing business than women plus they should provide for his family by earning enough money. They are supposed to be the head of the family while wives have to make their home comfortable for living.† At that moment I remembered my grandfather and his attitude towards women and their work. He was of an authoritative type always telling my grandmother and then his daughter how to live and what to want. He was descended from a poor family of Irish immigrants whose main goal in life was to earn money, get respect of the community and have food on their tables every day. He worked tirelessly day and night to become a decent citizen. He managed to fulfill his dreams but not without me grandmother’s help who sacrificed her dreams to be able to support him all the time. I love my grandparents very much, I do. But their way of looking at thing is completely different from mine. When I first told them that I want to become a surgeon to help people they didn’t take my words seriously. After laughing for some time, my grandfather replied, â€Å"Rachel, sweetheart, that’s a wonderful idea but don’t you want to have a lovely marriage? That should be enough for a young girl. You will have of whom to take care; you will have a couple of lively kids who will be your delight. Why do you want to spend so much time in this profession if you come back sooner or later to give birth?† I knew that their intentions are well-meaning and they worry about me – they just showed their love in such a way. But I also knew I wasn’t able to forget about my hopes and dreams and live up to their expectations. I told them I was going to university to obtain a university degree and continue my higher education. They weren’t pleased but supported. I am very grateful to them as if my grandfather was against this idea, I would never be able to save people’s lives. They were from an older generation who managed to survive very complicated periods in the history of our country. Their values were formed in the past when the world was different and women job was treated not so much with respect as it is now. So I decided to live my life and forget about artificial limitations created by society – these are the remnants of the past which should vanish soon. Women are ready to show their talent, determination, and skills alongside with men. We are not afraid of obstacles on our way and if I fail that will be not because I am a woman but because I didn’t work hard enough. So I want to give my friend Monika an answer that can be given to all of those who thinks women should be limited in their personal growth: â€Å"Maybe in the past women didn’t have chances to study, develop and create but the current situation is completely different. Gender is not an excuse and doesn’t define our lives. We have all possibilities to conduct our lives as we want, it is our choice and responsibility so why not to try?†

Things They Carried Essay: Rebirth of a Spirit :: Things They Carried Essays

Rebirth of a Spirit in The Things They Carried Speaking of courage is a story found in Tim O ' Brien's The Things They Carried about a solider named Norman Bowker who has returned home from the Vietnam War. As Bowker circles the town's "source of pride" he comes to realize that the town that he left so many years ago will never be the same. While his life was paused by the war, theirs weren't. He also comes to understand that while the people he once knew have changed that he has also changed. He has been consumed by a war and it will forever alter his being. When Norman Bowker returns to his hometown after the war things seem to have moved on without him. It seems that while his life was put on pause, his friends and family had moved on to their lives. His simple wish is for the past to be the present once again. He speaks of his friends Max Arnold and Sally Kramer. Now, Max was dead and Bowker refers to him as an idea. He talks of how things would be different if Max was around to listen to all his stories and how Max would have enjoyed them. The irony is that Max is gone. At one time Bowker had carried a picture of Sally in his wallet. He talked of how he would stop and talk to her when he saw her while driving. He decided that he might impress her with his knowledge that he had acquired during the war such as his ability to predict the time at any point during the day within 10 minutes. He repeatedly said "if she was to listen". Just like the others she did not want to think about the war, it was in the past. Page 143 makes a clear po int that "The town could not talk, and would not listen.. It (the town) did not know shit about shit, and did not care to know". As Bowker continues what seems to be a trip back to what is reality he circles the town lake nearly 13 times. This lake is the life of the town and is very symbolic in itself. On one side of the lake the houses are "modern, with big porches and picture windows facing the water" on the opposite side the houses were described as "handsome, though less expensive and on a smaller scale".

The Danger of Potent Ideology

It is inevitable that great men who wield great powers are bound to be misinterpreted. History reveals that this inevitability is true to the most influential men of our time, from the bible’s Jesus Christ to Germany’s Friedrich Nietzche, two opposites who share the same fate. The radical ideologies that both men promoted have become the basis of infamous acts and beliefs. For example, the fatal extremist belief that Christians abhor homosexuality is highly in contrast with the teachings of Jesus Christ, who advocated unconditional love and forgiveness. The Superhuman theory of Friedrich Nietzche, on the other hand, has been erroneously used to foster the idea that a particular race of man, or a particular individual, is superior to others. This Nietzche philosophy was speculated to be internalized by Adolf Hitler himself, who orchestrated the largest mass murder in the history of the world, simply because he believed in the superiority of the German race. Thus, we can see in the examples of Jesus Christ and of Friedrich Nietzsche, that when men rise above the conventions and to the challenges in their time, they are not only bound to become legends, but also misinterpreted leaders. Martin Luther King: A Force Misinterpreted In the United States of America, one potent influence suffers the same fate. Considered the leader of the free world; this man had so much power that he heightened a revolution and compelled a nation to change its laws. He is Martin Luther King, Jr. In his article entitled â€Å"Martin Luther King,† popular civil rights journalist Jack E. White describes King as, â€Å"the right man at the right time,† for in a revolution that needed a fearless leader, King became the perfectly accurate answer; the right man for the job. The nation at the time was ripe with protests against inequality. America then was a country that subscribed to the apartheid ideology;     segregation of individuals according to skin color was viewed appropriate. Race validated a person’s worth, and King fervently disagreed with this belief. He mobilized the African-American community into launching non-violent protest against discrimination, one of which is the 13-month boycott of the Montgomery bus lines in Alabama, in 1955. The popular and immortalized story of Rosa Parks, an African-American seamstress who refused to give up her bus seat for a Caucasian man prompted the boycott, but it was King who instigated and sustained the people’s resolve to protest. In 1957, King began organizing a network of African-American leaders and started facilitating non-violent protests in several communities. The awareness and significance of King’s cause heightened even more.   The most admirable trait King has demonstrated is his unwavering principle of non-violence, even when he himself had suffered through several acts of volatile violence, including the bombing of his home and unjust incarceration. Several communities and critics noted his incredible resilience and potent influence, and in the 1960s, he earned the recognition he so justly deserved. Time Magazine hailed him as its Person of the Year in 1963, and in the succeeding year, King was named as the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. However, King did not limit his cause to racial discrimination. He had far too much insight to narrow his perspective on one cause alone. Among the issues that he felt strongly about are the war in Vietnam and its accompanying factor, poverty.   By acting on these issues, Martin Luther King, Jr. became not just the leader of the African-American  demographic, but the most influential civil rights beacon who led the entire nation of America into a new light. Such a magnificent leader deserves a golden place in history, and Martin Luther King, Jr. is a figure truly well-placed not only in the annals of history, but in the hearts and minds of the American people as well. However, such a magnificent leader does not deserve a misinterpretation, and martin Luther King, Jr., is a figure highly misinterpreted. King’s impact today   extends only to African-American communities and engulfs only the issue of racial discrimination against African-Americans. Although this is a correct representation of King, it is a narrowed perspective of what he believed in, what he stood for, and what he fought and died for.  Ã‚   Jack E. White, in his article entitled, â€Å"Martin Luther King,† observes that: It is a testament to the greatness of Martin Luther King Jr. that nearly every major city in the U.S. has a street or school named after him. It is a measure of how sorely his achievements are misunderstood that most of them are located in black neighborhoods. Three decades after King was gunned down on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tenn., he is still regarded mainly as the black leader of a movement for black equality. That assessment, while accurate, is far too restrictive. For all King did to free blacks from the yoke of segregation, whites may owe him the greatest debt, for liberating them from the burden of America's centuries-old hypocrisy about race. Thus, we can clearly see that the United States of America owes him the label of â€Å"liberator of all,† instead of the restrictive label, â€Å"liberator of the black race.† The American nation we have  today would have a very different face if King had not step up to the demands of his time, if he had not heeded the cry of the American people. Martin Luther King, Jr. freed America from the bondage of racial hypocrisy, and yet he is denied such a distinction by assigning him only to one cause, and only to one community. The earlier premise that Martin Luther King, Jr., is a highly misinterpreted leader is once again emphasized here. As a matter of fact, King had the intention of leading a protest march against poverty, an American plight that was not unique to a certain race. From the cause of racial discrimination, he moved to the cause of fighting poverty. However, before he carried out his plans King was gunned down in a hotel balcony in 1968. Thus, his distinction should not be narrowed down merely to a single cause. His widow Coretta Scott King perfectly validated her husband’s life and her husband’s cause by organizing the â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change;† for it was the all-encompassing cause of social change that King believed in, stood for, fought and died for. Another misinterpretation of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the use of his principles and the use of his words to further racial issues grounded on a myopic perspectives.  Ã‚   One such movement that stands out from the rest, mainly because of its controversial nature, is the movement being led by Ward Connerly, an opponent of the government’s affirmative action policy. Connerly claims that his opposition against affirmative action is based on, and in parallel with, the advocacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. He asserts the erroneous interpretation that affirmative action is tantamount to racial discrimination. This claim is incredulous, since the affirmative action policy is aimed precisely to eradicate discrimination.   It is preposterous to conclude that the allocation of jobs minorities is equal with racial discrimination; it is even more preposterous that a magnificent leader such as King would even be associated with such an incredulous cause. In Respect to Martin Luther King’s Dream In these modern times, social change is a cry that resounds with so much fervor, and it is evident that so much has to be done to achieve the dream that Martin Luther King envisioned. King’s complex cause, social justice tied with economic justice, is a feat that requires internal and external changes within individuals, within communities, and the nation at large. It is worthy and important to note, however, that the United States of America has come a very long way indeed in terms of liberation from racial and social hypocrisy, and in this sense, we can say that King’s dream is slowly coming into reality. Racial discrimination, for instance, is now viewed as an abhorrent ideology, an unacceptable doctrine for the modern American. It is very much detested that whoever exhibits the slightest belief in it becomes an outcast in a nation of free thinkers, in a nation called the free world. The racist violence that was so apparent, so real, and so brutal in the past, prior to the emergence of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his civil rights cause, seems incredulous; it seems inconceivable that America has ever trodden such a path. The African-American race today, in fact, has earned a stellar place in America. Prominent names like talk show host Oprah Winfrey, professional golfer Tiger Woods, premier poet Maya Angelou, musicians Alicia Keys and Beyonce Knowles are influential figures in American society, admired by all races in America. Amusing Quotes.com lists this line from Chris Rock, a popular African-American comedian: â€Å"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, and the best golfer is a black guy.† Though this statement is intended not to be taken seriously, we see a tinge of reality in it: the reversal of stereotyped roles between a black man and a white man is an indication that America has greatly changed its racial perception about the African-American race. This, however, is just a small parcel of achievement in the social change King aimed for. Customer’s last name  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6 The Martin Luther King Challenge The world today faces the Martin Luther King challenge, the challenge to forward the cause from racial equality to economic justice, and then elevate these to the international context in order to achieve international peace. Because the nation is merely in the first step, racial equality, it is quite obvious that we do have a long way to go. To take up and succeed in tackling the Martin Luther King challenge, we have to go back to his words, and one effective guideline that stands out from among his speeches is his advice to live a complete life. Seattletimes.com discloses the manner in which a complete life may be achieved, according to King: And there are three dimensions of any complete life to which we can fitly give the words of this text: length, breadth, and height. (Yes) Now the length of life as we shall use it here is the inward concern for one’s own welfare. (Yes) In other words, it is that inward concern that causes one to push forward, to achieve his own goals and ambitions. (All right) The breadth of life as we shall use it here is the outward concern for the welfare of others. (All right) And the height of life is the upward reach for God. (All right) Now you got to have all three of these to have a complete life. Such wise, potent words may ring empty if it is not heeded, and the free world, in order to fulfill the noble dream of Martin Luther King, must begin acting on this quest for completion. True, racial equality is a cause forwarded by this magnificent leader; but to say that it is the only thing he fought for, is very much restrictive. This is the ripe time for America and the world to truly understand his cause, and to truly act upon it. Works Cited â€Å"Chris Rock Quotes† Amusingquotes.com. 12 December 2007. â€Å"Friedrich Nietzsche.† Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 10 December 2007. Kalish, Michael. â€Å"Friedrich Nietzsche's Influence on Hitler's Mein Kampf.† UCSB Department of History. 10 December 2007. â€Å"The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.† Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. TheSeattleTimes.com. 9 December 2007. White, Jack. â€Å"Martin Luther King.† The Time 100:The Most Important People of the Century. Leaders and Revolutionaries. 9 December 2007