When Martin Luther King Jr. said, "...freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed," did he mean for this quote to compel all? If so, then he sure succeeded. The question, though, is why is this quote so thought provoking? What makes it so relatable and important to everyone?
At a cursory glance, this quote speaks about freedom. However, it's much more than that. After reading the sentence again, the reader begins to think about human nature. Through the quote, it seems as though King is suggesting that humans are bad, but can show good. They're bad because they don't think of giving freedom immediately... but they are good because they can eventually give in. That's a tough point to defend, but at the same time, it has a certain degree of validity. Obviously, when people see those who are being oppressed, they speak out about it. But what about before? Are there people out there who promises freedom before anything else? There's no way to know. But if so, the percentage of those people is probably quite small. Of course everyone wants to claim that they would give freedom to everyone if given the chance. The truth is, though, is that many would be lying. Many people are power hungry and greedy for rule. Keeping people from freedom is just a way to obtain that power.
The second part of the quote says that freedom has to be asked for. How true is this? Whenever the word "freedom" pops up, it's usually because people are asking for it; religious freedom, political freedom, economic freedom, or even sexuality freedom. People want to be free, and when they feel like they are being oppressed, they will keep fighting for that freedom. If anything, King's quote reminds the reader that humans are incredibly strong and able. They will achieve that freedom eventually due to their determination and motivation. Humans, even though bad at certain aspects of life, as greed or vanity, can also be good when the occasion calls for it.
This quote is also quite compelling due to the ability to relate to it. Everyone has experience oppression in some way. Even though those instances could differ greatly from King's experience, people understand the feelings behind oppression. They understand the hatred shown, the longing for acceptance, the want of freedom, and overall, the feeling of being oppressed. When a simple quote can conjure up such strong emotions, it's obviously one that has strong importance.
Even though this quote by Martin Luther King Jr. is merely a few words, it is also a gate into the thoughts of human nature, and a path to strong emotions, that have to power to compel many. Well said, King. Well said.
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