Inaugural Speech By John F. Kennedy And Letter From Birmingham City Jail
The Price of Freedom
(An Observational Essay on the Freedoms discussed by Kennedy and King)
Freedom is not free. A phrase that is heard many times when one is growing up, but that is not always pondered and thought about. Throughout the history of the United States, there have been multiple struggles for freedom and equality. For example, the struggle for the freedom of slaves in the 1860s and beyond, or the fight for women's rights in the 1920s. Anytime one group attempts to gain their freedoms, there is an inevitable struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed. The oppressed must suffer a fight that seems at times as though they cannot win. In both Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy and Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr., the issues of inequality are addressed as democracy and liberty are discussed, along with allowing for a critique of the current society. …show more content…
Kennedy states in his address, “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs which our forbears fought for are still an issue around the globe…” (Kennedy, 1105) Here, Kennedy discusses that America no longer values its freedoms as it once did. Rather, these freedoms are squandered and unappreciated. King gives his input as well, “We will reach the goal of freedom… because the goal of America is freedom.” (King, 1109) King reveals to the reader the inherent flaw in democracy in this sentence. The goal of America was once freedom. However, throughout the years this goal was lost. The goals of America turned to money and to power rather than its inherent
(An Observational Essay on the Freedoms discussed by Kennedy and King)
Freedom is not free. A phrase that is heard many times when one is growing up, but that is not always pondered and thought about. Throughout the history of the United States, there have been multiple struggles for freedom and equality. For example, the struggle for the freedom of slaves in the 1860s and beyond, or the fight for women's rights in the 1920s. Anytime one group attempts to gain their freedoms, there is an inevitable struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed. The oppressed must suffer a fight that seems at times as though they cannot win. In both Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy and Letter from Birmingham City Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr., the issues of inequality are addressed as democracy and liberty are discussed, along with allowing for a critique of the current society. …show more content…
Kennedy states in his address, “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs which our forbears fought for are still an issue around the globe…” (Kennedy, 1105) Here, Kennedy discusses that America no longer values its freedoms as it once did. Rather, these freedoms are squandered and unappreciated. King gives his input as well, “We will reach the goal of freedom… because the goal of America is freedom.” (King, 1109) King reveals to the reader the inherent flaw in democracy in this sentence. The goal of America was once freedom. However, throughout the years this goal was lost. The goals of America turned to money and to power rather than its inherent