Preview

Passive Resistance: Nonviolence

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1738 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Passive Resistance: Nonviolence
Passive Resistance: Nonviolence Mahatma Gandhi, the originator of “Practice of Passive Resistance”, or “Soul-force”, used nonviolence to solve problems. He believed that the practice of Satyagraha can use love to forget and forgive. The pain of suffering was not the true problem when it came to fighting for justice. Similarly, with the idea of suffering for one’s desire of freedom, the people of Republic of China also used hunger strike and nonviolence for the Tiananmen Square protest to present Gandhi’s idea of satyagraha. Gandhi, also known as the “Father of India”, was the first to discover the idea of passive resistance. Passive resistance stands for the modern nonviolence, which is the idea of using love to suffer for one’s desire of freedom. This idea is convey your idea towards the opponent in hope of a good outcome. He believes that, “The use of this force requires the adoption of poverty, in the sense that we must be indifferent whether we have the wherewithal to feed or clothe ourselves” (446). The main point behind this passage is to use nonviolence to fight for what one dare to believe in. No one can be a perfect passive resister, but to start off we must ban ourselves from violence.
The meaning of Satyagraha is to insist of truth and love-force. Gandhi stated, “We cannot remedy evil by harbouring ill-will against evil-doer. This is not difficult of comprehension; it is easy enough to understand.”(446) Using the power of love or truth can help to convince the evil-doers to stop and listen. Violence will not solve anything; rather it makes the situation worse. Speaking the truth and having a loving heart will do good deeds, which is what the passive resisters believe in. In a place where people learn to treat each other equally and with respect, is where peace can be found. Gandhi mentioned, “When the law of satyagraha is applied to provincial life, and the people inhabiting a province regulate their relations by love rather than by hatred”


Cited: Gandhi, Mahatma. “The Theory and Practice of Passive Resistance.”Cultural Conversation: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephen Dils, Regina Hansen, Matthew Parfitt. Boston:Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. 445-447.Print. Gandhi, Mahatma. “Meaning of Satygraha.”Cultural Conversation: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephen Dils, Regina Hansen,Matthew Parfitt. Boston:Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. 447-449.Print. Gandhi, Mahatma. “The Law of Suffering.”Cultural Conversation: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephen Dils, Regina Hansen, Matthew Parfitt. Boston:Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. 451-453.Print. Gandhi, Mahatma. “The Doctrine of the Sword I and II.”Cultural Conversation: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephen Dils, Regina Hansen, Matthew Parfitt. Boston:Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. 453-456.Print. Latif, Iqbal. "Milton Friedman Produced Millions of Millions of Tank Men." Global Politician: News, Interviews, Opinions and Analysis. Web. 04 May 2011. . Tolstoy, Leo. “Letter to Gandhi.”Cultural Conversation: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephen Dils, Regina Hansen, Matthew Parfitt.Boston:Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. 464-466.Print.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cm 107 - Project 1 Kaplan University Essay Example
    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cm 107 - Project 1 Kaplan University Essay Example

    Ghandi has crossed a lot of thresholds to achieve the independence for his country from the British invasion without violence; one of them that he created "Peaceful Resistance foundation" or the philosophy of nonviolence (Alsatyagraha), a set of principles founded on religious, political and economic at the same summary of courage, truth and nonviolence, and aims to defeat the occupier, through full awareness and deep…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    GKE1 Task 2
    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages

    GKE1 Task 2

    There have been many individuals throughout history that have left an indelible impact on their people and the world, but few could rival the difference that Mohandas Gandhi made. Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in the British Common Wealth of India. He spent his youth witnessing the injustices that the English purveyed on the Indian people; something that eventually helped him to decide to become a barrister. Shortly after passing the bar, Gandhi was offered a case in South Africa that would require him to live in that country for about 1 year and he readily accepted. Once arriving in South Africa, he almost immediately experienced the prejudice that Indians living there had been enduring. The turning point for him came when he purchased a first class train ticket but was asked to move to the 3rd class coach, simply because he was Indian. When he quietly refused, he was physically thrown from the train. It was at that point that he decided to stay in South Africa to fight discrimination and what had been planned as a 1 year stay turned into 20 years. During that time he created, taught and practiced the concept of satyagraha, a non-violent way of protesting against injustices. (Rosenberg, n.d.) Gandhi believed that freedom could not be taken but must be given willingly and that this concept helped both the oppressor and the oppressed recognize the humanity in each other. The idea of satyagraha would be used by many great civil rights leaders as a way to advance their causes. Because of this, it remains Gahndhi’s greatest contribution to political change.…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Peacefulness Resistance To Ravinda Kumar Analysis
    • 1326 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Peacefulness Resistance To Ravinda Kumar Analysis

    That just the strong could effectively depend on peaceful means as a device to challenge the current business as usual or to adjust the disequilibrium that penetrates the social and the political fabrics of human attempts. Composing on peacefulness resistance, Ravinda Kumar declares that peaceful noncooperation is a "capable, respectable, commendable and successful technique or intends to accord meet equity and flexibility" To Kumar, the Gandhian system for peaceful activity worries about all individuals, important, viable and kind. Kumar contends that peaceful activities are consolidated in them with "soaked up profound quality and morals". That a resort to peaceful procedures to determine clashes in the public arena exhibits unreasonable respectability by the person who hones it, and along these lines it additionally highlights practicability and validity. Citing Martin Luther King in his work, Kumar composed that "the strategies for peaceful resistance are the most intense weapon accessible to the general population in their battle for equity and human pride. In a genuine sense, Mahatma Gandhi typified in his life certain general rule that are intrinsic in the ethical structure of the universe. These standards are as unpreventable as the law of attractive energy". Additionally Kokila Shan contends that since…

    • 1326 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gandhi, King and Mandela: What Made Non-Violence Work?
    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gandhi, King and Mandela: What Made Non-Violence Work?

    All through history governments and empires have been overthrown or defeated primarily by the violence of those who oppose them. This violence was usually successful however, there have been several situations, when violence failed, that protesters have had to turn to other methods. Non-violent protesting never seemed to be the right course of action until the ideology of Mohandas Gandhi spread and influenced successful protests across the world. Non-violent methods were successfully used, most notably, by Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nonviolence Gandhi Movie Analysis
    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nonviolence Gandhi Movie Analysis

    All it takes is one act of courage and act of caring. There is no important thing in life that people can achieve overnight. Gandhi explains that the force is destructive: “Violence like water, when it has an outlet, rushes forward furiously with an overwhelming force.” Violence leads people to more violence and destroys the moral laws of human beings. Violence leads people to commend the murder, injury, and other crimes which are against humanity. It is also the main cause of conflict within families, societies, and whole nations. Therefore, Gandhi’s writing on non- violence is only the path to change the violent into peaceful and progressive human beings.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nonviolent Struggle Methods
    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nonviolent Struggle Methods

    Nonviolent struggle has been utilized countless times throughout the history of civilization. Contrary to popular belief, many of the world’s greatest wars are fought free of violence. Nonviolent actions offer an alternative approach to conflict resolution; one that does not resort to literal war and prevents blood shedding. The motivation behind these struggles vary, but the desired outcome is always to promote or prevent a change. Conflicts are diverse, and typically they are concerned with social, economic, ethnic, religious, national, humanitarian, and political matters (Sharp, 2005, p. 15).…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Nonviolence Impact The Civil Rights Movement
    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Did Nonviolence Impact The Civil Rights Movement

    When fighting for Indian independence Gandhi declared, “Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man” (Prabhu). In other words, every individual has the ability to harness the force of nonviolence to combat oppression. In the United States during the Civil Rights Movement between 1954 to 1968, nonviolent protest gained popularity as a means to end discrimination and racial segregation against African Americans while positively impacting society by changing national views and laws. Nonviolence successfully protested racial discrimination, causing positive change by focusing national attention on pressing civil rights issues.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Arguments Against The Use Of Nonviolent Resistance
    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Arguments Against The Use Of Nonviolent Resistance

    The method of using Non-violent peaceful resistance along with the method of employing violence in the form of self-defense were both strategies used in the fight for Civil Rights from 1954-1977 during the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement. Some people supported the use of violence if necessary while others supported the use of nonviolent resistant. Both factions gained considerable ground alone and together. The decision on what method to use should depend on the situation at hand. Violence even in the form of self-defense should still be the last resort.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Nonviolent Resistance
    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Essay On Nonviolent Resistance

    There have been many forms of oppression throughout history. While many forms of oppression have been eradicated, many forms still exist in today’s society. Concerning the forms of oppression that have been eradicated, the question that comes to mind is how these forms of oppression were dealt with and what led to them being eradicated. The process of dealing with oppression in turn brings to light another question in how successful are the resistors’ approaches in dealing with oppression. There are two main distinct approaches to oppression which are violent resistance and non-violent resistances. Since there have been many oppressed groups that have seen success from nonviolent resistances to oppression, the focus of this paper will be taking a stance in proving that the oppressed do see success in nonviolent approaches. In analyzing this notion, I will discuss the forms of oppression portrayed in the film Pride by Stephen Beresford and Angela Davis’s chapter “Class and Race in the Early Women’s Rights Campaign.” I will then discuss the resistors’ approaches in dealing with oppression and give my opinion of the most effective way to resist oppression which is a union of many forms of resistances coming together. Finally, I will discuss how much power really…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Nonviolence's Role In The Civil Rights Movement
    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Nonviolence's Role In The Civil Rights Movement

    Nonviolence has two closely related meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle and second, it can refer to the behavior of people using nonviolent action. Ethics plays a large role in the nonviolence movement, many people believe in using nonviolence as their only form of resolution because using violence would simply be the wrong solution. The goal of this type of nonviolence is not to defeat the enemy, but to win them over and create love and understanding between all. Love of the enemy, or the realization of the humanity of all people, is a fundamental concept of philosophical nonviolence.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Nonviolent Resistance
    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Nonviolent Resistance

    Throughout my life, I have noticed all kinds of resistance to laws. Whether there were peaceful resistance or a violent resistance, they each had different outcomes. I have noticed that peaceful resistance has a more positive response to it. People will still judge you for resisting in the first place but you will have more people willing to help you out and support your cause. In the most recent events, the Women March. Over thousands of women came together in different cities to fight for their rights. The marches were peaceful and it caused impact in some places. Celebrities came and showed their support as even they knew they were going to be safe. They weren't afraid to come show their support because it was a peaceful resistance not…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Civil Disobedience And Non-Violence
    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Civil Disobedience And Non-Violence

    In this essay, I will explain why civil disobedience was the most important concept for Gandhi. He believed that non- violence was superior that violence, because it does not harm anyone but it awakens the peaceful spirit causing conscious suffering. I will discuss how civil disobedience can be more powerful than guns and my views on the subject. I will provide examples of the drawbacks of civil disobedience and in which situations is not appropriate. I will go into further detail on the correct path to political change and a time that I can think of, when non-violence worked better for me.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nonviolent Resistance
    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Nonviolent Resistance

    “The greatest nonviolent resistance is that even as man is faced with tyranny, and the resulting suffering, he responds to hate with love, to prejudice with tolerance, to arrogance with humility, to humiliation with dignity, and to violence with reason.” (-Lou Xia) Peaceful resistance has a positive impact on society. Throughout Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s entire lifetime, he used peaceful resistance to voice the segregation policy of America against black people. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi used peaceful resistance during India’s struggle to gain independence from Great Britain. Henry David Thoreau also advocated peaceful resistance by protesting against paying his taxes. Peaceful resistance provides the democracy with a nonviolent tactic to reject an unjust law rather than the system as a whole.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gandhi Paper
    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gandhi Paper

    “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind” (Gandhi). It seems like I’ve heard this quote a million times in my lifetime, but the meaning behind it didn’t set in until now. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a world renowned political and spiritual leader and arguably one of the most influential people of all time. He pioneered ‘satyagraha’, the resistance of tyranny through non-violence and believed in and stood by this even in the most extreme circumstances. His actions not only led to Indian independence, but it sparked the civil rights movement here in America and Nelson Mandela used Gandhi’s non-violent methods to help end apartheid in South Africa. These weren’t the only situations where non-violence succeeded either, Khan Abdule Ghaffar Khan, Steve Biko, Aung San Suu Kyi and Benigno Aquino, Jr. used Gandhi’s non-violent tactics to win out over their enemies. Aquino even succeeded in freeing his Philippine people from the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. All of these victorious situations show us that non-violence does work, but only in certain circumstances. I could be naïve and say that non-violence is a plausible solution to the world’s problems today, but I’d be lying to you and to myself as well; and in the following paragraphs I’m going to elaborate on my views.…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    My personal view of Mahatma Gandhi
    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages

    My personal view of Mahatma Gandhi

    Step 4. In the introduction, the main points I will outline to my reader are:…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics