Dr. Martin Luther King and The Language of Human Rights

Juana  Sanchez

Final Blog

       In this cluster, we have come across the works and movements of Dr. Martin Luther King and his non –violence theory. We have also studied and dissected the topic of Language of Human Rights and its way of being used. Somewhere along the lines, Dr. Martin Luther King’s theory of non-violence and the topic of the language of human rights come together. Kings theory was about not fighting back, learning to control natural human reflexes, and overall maintaining yourself humble and loving even when your rights are being taken away. But the topic of language is about how one articulates and communicates with others in order to cause understanding, and how someone uses their speech to come across a point. Dr. King was really good at communicating with others and his language of human rights was his non-violence theory. In this blog I will discuss Dr. Martin Luther King’s Non-violence theory and how this theory connects to the topic of language of human rights.

        Besides marching as a form of rising public sentiment, one of Dr. King’s strongest skills was his way of communicating. Whenever he preached or spoke out in public, people listened and cheered for him. He spoke with emphasis and strength in his voice. He knew how to articulate well enough in order to cause someone to pay attention. He was repetitive and precise, backing up his words with facts and pure knowledge. His words were what made people want to follow him in his quest to make the United Sates a just country.  He was an amazing public speaker and that caused his campaigns and marches to carry on. This shows how much language was a big part of Martin Luther King’s movements in the time he lived.

         Another way, in which these two topics come together, is when you talk about Human Rights. Dr. Martin Luther King was a fighter, and his main goal was for African American and colored people to be treated equally in society and to have the privilege of using their human rights in full form. The language of human rights is the kind of language used in order to obtain human rights. This is when you use your speech to obtain your human rights. Dr. King’s “Language” of human rights was his non-violence practice. He communicated with people and got his point across by preaching and giving speeches in order for the public to understand the injustice in the treatment that African Americans were getting.

        The language of human rights works when someone uses words and meaning to fight for their human rights, not using violence, but expressing their feelings, thoughts and ideas through speech. And this is exactly what Martin Luther King did all throughout his movements. There are certain limits to how you use language thought. Language should never be used to harm anyone else, and that’s the exception of our right to freedom of speech. King never hurt anyone with his words, on the contrary, he uplifted people and gave them faith to keep striving and keep fighting to get their human rights.

My piece :)

Analysis/ Reflection

In the Language of Human Rights cluster i learned about how important language could be when it comes to maintaining the rights that we deserve as humans. I learned that this is important because someone can easily use a certain language that we are not use to, to take our rights away. Now a days i find myself thinking on a daily basis about how my rights are being taken away and how. I've been more interested in whats going on around us the in our country because of this cluster. I have also learned things about the origin of language and languages around the world that i never thought could be possible and even though at the beginning i wasn't as interested, now its definitely fascinating to me. I drew this picture and named it "We The People" because in all reality we should have a say in everything because the government is there to protect us and our rights. The message that i tried to give with the picture is that no matter who you are and where you come from, you should always have your rights protected. I think its very important that were all treated equally no matter what country we come from, what language we speak or what we look like and i think that i will always take this message with me where ever i go.

My bio

My name is Juana Sanchez. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, but just until i was 9 years old and moved to the United States. I was born on February 8th 1994, so right now I'm 17 going on 18. I went to Freeport High school until my junior year , which is in a little town called Freeport in Long Island ,NY. Then i finished highschool in Hostos Lincoln Academy in the bronx. Moving from one place to another in the middle of my junior year really affected me and my academic career. But at the same time it made me stronger and who i am today because i had to learn to meet and deal with different types of people and new responsibilities. I am now a Liberal Arts Major at La Guardia Community College. I speak both English and Spanish. Being bilingual to me has become both a gift and a skill because i can communicate with different people all around me, which shows how important language can be. I like to say that i can talk two different kinds of English and two different kinds of Spanish. I can speak standard academic english, which is the kind you learn in school or the type you use while in a job interview. But at the same time i can speak a dialect of english, which is what i use when i talk to my friends or people im close. And the same goes with spanish. Knowing two languages could also be a disadvantage for me because even though i prefer to speak english, i tend to mix both languages and cause myself confusion. This doesnt happen much often anymore but when i was younger it was kind of what blocked me to learn english quicker. At times i didnt even know what language i was thinking in and it was kind of fascinating but scary and confusing at the same time.I remember in grade school, some of my classmates would make fun of me and because i didnt know the language i didnt know what they said and couldnt defend myself. As a little girl i felt that since i was in an american country i wouldnt really need my language, but growing up i learned otherwise. Now i understand the importance of being bilingual and keeping my language alive no matter where i go.

My Trip To The Land of Gandhi

In this blog i will discuss what i learned from another group in my class about the main idea of the passage My Trip To The Land of Gandhi, from the text Testament of Hope edited by James M. Washington. This passage talks about the trip that Dr. Marin Luther King Jr made to India and the important ideas he got from this trip. He talks about how during his time  there he barely saw any violence in a place where people had little and were very poor. There was very little crime in India and people didn't take their misery out on each other. There was spiritual equality and no greed. I was taught that this passage it talks about how there are similarities and differences between what Gandhi fought for and his methods of approaching and practicing his believes, and what Dr King fought for and the methods that he used. There were two different kinds of oppressions. Gandhi was trying to get rid of the colonist in India and gain their independence. Dr. King was trying to get justice and equality for a country where everyone was "equal" and "equally protected under the law". Both used the Non-Violence Theory, but for two different kinds of situations.

Blog #4 : Cluster Reflection

Throughout the cluster there have been certain themes and subjects that we have come across that intertwine with each other . Between these themes is the language of human rights. This brings us to the argument of how language is used to deprive someone of their human rights. Another theme might just be human rights itself. We have compared historical stories of human rights issues to present day and we incorporate political science into our argument and debates.These themes have also shown up in the texts When I Was A Slave  edited by Norman R. Yetman, Southern Horrors edited by Jacqueline Jones Royster. Also in our political science class we used the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which goes with the theme of the cluster explaining to us all of the rights that we as humans have universally.
Each class has its own puzzle piece to what it is that we are suppose to learn from this whole cluster experience. In our English 101 course we have come across 2 types of literature that connect with the human rights issue. We have talked about slaves in the mid and late 1800's and how their rights were taken away by white southerners. This is very much associated with every theme that we have covered. In our linguistics class we have learned  about language and how language is used in other countries, not only its ways of use but also the history of our language and how we use it. This helps us understand how people today use language to take away someones human rights.In our law and political science course we learn about the human rights we have as humans. We have learned how the government is suppose to protect us from our rights being taken away.
There is a big diversity in our cluster. We have people from different countries all come together to showcase our opinions on what human rights mean to each and everyone of us. This has made the cluster a little bit more interesting and unique because even though we all come from different cultures and backgrounds, we all agree that we should have the same right and that we should all be equal under the law.In our LIB 110 course we are now in the process of writing a book about the language of human rights, which is like a combination of all the courses in our cluster and how we feel language and human rights connect.
This cluster has made me open my eyes and had broaden my knowledge of the history of our human rights and how our human rights are being taken away form us today. I believe that every course we encounter with during our college experience somehow has to connect with human rights and even language which i think is one of the things i will take with me everywhere i go. I now know more about the rights that we have as humans and how certain people might use language to take these right away from me and people around me.

What do i need ?

Right now im not yet complete with the whole project. I only got the bio and thats not completed yet as well so im really behind. I dont know what it is that i want to contribute to the book but i was thinking maybe a poem would do or maybe even a drawing about the language of human rights. When i finish with my draft i would like to know if it makes any sense to the reader and if its clear enough. I have not yet done my critical reflection. But i will do it over the weekend. Is this a good idea ? What else do i need ?

Bio.

My name is Juana Naomy Sanchez. I was born and raised in Dominican Republic, but only until i was 9 years old and moved to the United States. I was born on February 8th, 1994. I went to Freeport High School till junior year, in Freeport, NY. Then i finished in Hostos Lincoln Academy, in the Bronx.Moving from one place to another in the middle of my junior year really affected me and i believe made me who i am today. I didn't have a choice at the time because i was under my dads responsibility, so i couldn't stay and finish high school. I am now a Liberal Arts Major at LaGuardia Community College. I speak both English and Spanish. Being bilingual in a way has been a gift because i can communicate with people around me(will further explain). But at the same time this could be a disadvantage because sometimes i mix the languages and cause myself confusion, not so much anymore but while i was learning yes(will further explain). I remember when i was in grade school, some of the kids who went to school with me would say things to me in English and because i didn't know what they meant i wasn't able to defend myself.

Main Ideas - A Red Record

In the book A Red Record by Ida B. Wells, Wells discusses the main ideas on lynching in the south. She talks about the anarchy in the society, the missing of constitutional equality, and the sadism felt by white southerners. Wells argues that there was no constitutional equality for the African Americans, she said "The government which had made the Negro a citizen found itself unable to protect him. It gave him the right to vote, but denied him the protection which should have maintained that right".
 

Blog #3 :Lynch Law In All Its Phases

In the text Southern Horrors edited by Jacqueline Jones Royster, Ida B. Wells, an African American journalist from the late 1800's, questioned white southerners motives for lynching African Americans. After the civil war, white men felt threatened by the new freedoms that were given to African Americans because they felt that soon enough they would no longer have control over them.This caused white men to look for any excuse to take away the rights of African Americans, so that this way they wold regain the power and control they had over them. In this blog i will use my critical thinking skills to discuss Ida B. Wells' arguments on lynching.

Wells believed that lynching was unreasonable and that it was not because of the white women supposedly being raped by black men. But because white men felt that their economic and overall control would eventually no longer be. One of the most important passages from Lynch Law In All Its Faces by Ida B. Well is about interracial sex. This is important because it shows how black men never forced white women to sleep with them, therefore, rape was not a legitimate reason to lynch Afro-American men. Wells said " There were many white women in the south who would marry colored men if such an act wouldn't place them at once beyond the pale of the south only operate against the legitimate union of the races" (Royster pg.53). This means that if it wasn't illegal, white women would even marry black men. It could be said that if there were no laws against interracial sex, then white women wouldn't have to sneak around with black men and then accuse them of rape to keep their reputation clean.

Wells felt that this was all absurd.White men were just scared of how black men were gaining wealth and property because of their freedom. She argued that "rape" was just an excuse to deprive African Americans of their human rights and have control over them.

Brain storming.....

Thinking about what i could contribute to the book on the language of human rights kind of frustrates me. I could write a poem or maybe even illustrate a picture on how maybe not only language but also actions are used take away someones rights. But even with these ideas i become indecisive because i want to do something that i could really show people how language is used to take away someones rights ... i kind of want to make people think, with the help of my classmates of course :)
OHHHHHH i could write a short story ! :) I dont know... im sure that with time i will find something that could explain how i feel about the language of human rights because i dont want to write a boring essay where i know if people read it they wont catch the message, i want to make people think !

Oh ! Were just "frenemies"

The word Frenemy was coined by the writer Jessica Mitford in 1977. It refers to a friend with whom one has frequent conflict. The formation of this word is the clipping and blending of the words friend and enemy.

Example ; " Shes my friend but we dont really like to be around eachother, we fight all the time, you could say shes my frenemy."

Assigment #1 Eng 101 Revision

 In 1791 an African american named Benjamin Banneker wrote a letter to the former president of the United States Thomas Jefferson. In this letter he expressed to Jefferson his beliefs on how all humans are equal because God or as he said the "Father" has " afforded us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties". However he made it quite clear that he was not happy or satisfied with jeffersons actions. He claimed that jefferson had not followed his own statements on the declaration of independence of all humans being " entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." And also, in the most respectful way possible called him a liar and a criminal against religion, nature and humanity.
        Like Banneker, Equiano from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equinano , was also a slave. In the passage he describes his experiences in the slave ships. In these crowded ships people were treated unfairly and were forced to travel under unsanitary conditions. Its easy for the reader to understand all the kinds of emotions felt by Equiano, some of which were fear and anxiety. He's experience in these ships were horrifying. And one of the things that scarred him the most was witnessing other slaves die before his eyes due to the lack of food and poor health. 
       Now you may ask yourself, If were all feeling creatures, how could we not feel for each other? In other words , how could the slave-traders treat slaves in such way without feeling any remorse. In my opinion the answer to this question depends on who's answering it. There is always one person that wants to be on top, which i think has been the  biggest problem in our society, because as long as that person is getting what they want, they don't care of who they step on along the way. Yes,we all have the ability to feel, but some can feel more than others. Some people would do anything to get what they want in life, even if that means hurting someone physically, mentally and emotionally. I also believe that someone may effect me but no someone else.The first step to making people act differently towards each other is making them feel something. Meaning, if we want to make a change we need to make people see how their actions effect other people, hopefully reaching some sort of emotional reaction, or better yet a deep connection. This would be the only way that we can someday come to a point were we treat eachother equally.

Teenagers And Bullying.

1. When teenagers use the word "drama" instead of using "bullying" is because they want to in a way decrease the meaning of the word. Meaning like make it not such a big deal.
2. The word "drama" could be empowering because it basically decreases the level of the problem and sugar-coats it.
3. When someone is called a "nerd" is a form of bullying. They use something good and turn it into something bad.

My name in fənɛ́tɪks.

The first syllable of "juana" has the onset of a voiced bilabial glides with a rhyme of a high back vowel, "wu". The next syllable is a mid central vowel, "a". The last syllable is onset of a voiceless alveolar nasal, with a rhyme of a high central vowel, "na".


IPA transcription: wɑnə 


Frist begin by making an "O" shape with your lips and letting out air to make a "Hoo" sound, "ju". Than open your mouth making an "ahhh" sound. Than placing your tongue on top of your upper teeth, making a "na".

Assigment #1 Eng 101

        In 1791 an African american named Benjamin Banneker wrote a letter to the former president of the United States Thomas Jefferson. In this letter he expressed to Jefferson his beliefs on how all humans are equal because God or as he said the "Father" has " afforded us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties". However he made it quite clear that he was not happy or satisfied with jeffersons actions. He claimed that jefferson had not followed his own statements on the declaration of independence of all humans being " entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." And also, in the most respectful way possible called him a liar and a criminal against religion, nature and humanity.
        Like Banneker, Equiano from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equinano , was also a slave. In the passage he describes his experiences in the slave ships. In these crowded ships people were treated unfairly and were forced to travel under unsanitary conditions. Its easy for the reader to understand all the kinds of emotions felt by Equiano, some of which were fear and anxiety. He's experience in these ships were horrifying, like being a witness of how people would die before his eyes from sickness.
       Now you may ask yourself, If were all feeling creatures, how could we not feel for each other?. In other words , how could the slave-traders treat slaves in such way without feeling any remorse. In my opinion the answer to this question depends on who's answering it. There is always one person that wants to be on top, which i think has been our biggest problem, because as long as that person is getting what they want, they don't care of who they step on along the way. Yes,we all have the ability to feel, but some more than others. Some people would do anything to get what they want in life, even if that means hurting someone physically, mentally and emotionally. I also believe that one thing that might effect me in a big way and make me feel something, like knowing someone does not have food or shelter, might not effect someone else. The first step to making people act differently towards each other is making them feel something.

Communication Is Key

I am Hispanic, so i speak Spanish fluently. But i also speak English to the best of my ability. I don't really remember how i was introduced to language or the way i learned Spanish (Even though i am sure it was taught to me by my parents and people around me). But i do remember growing up as a little girl, i would watch TV and sing along to songs on the radio, and learning new words that way, apart from what i learned in school. Learning English though, of course was a lot harder. But you could say it wasn't all that bad since i was young and learned it so quick. However, it was astonishing for me coming from a different country and culture to see the way that people interacted with each other and expressed themselves in a different tongue.
When i think of language i think of communication and the power behind words. Language could also be the ability that we as humans have to express our feelings, thoughts and ideas and be heard. But the meaning or definition behind the word varies depending on the person. Thinking about communication and how a person expresses him/herself takes me deeper though. I am very curious about  psychology and how our minds work, so its interesting for me how we as humans could use body language and even words to express how we feel and certain types of emotions, and still understand one another.
I believe language has different degrees and ways to be used depending on who you are communicating with and your relationship with the person. The way you talk to your parents, family and even friends, shouldn't be the same way you would approach someone who is older than you or lets say a college professor. Unless you talk proper English at all times, if there is such a thing. You should always know how to carry yourself out and the proper way of communicating with others no matter what language you speak. In other words, there is always a boundary of how comfortable you could get with the way you express yourself with certain people.

I think where i come from, my culture and what i was raised to practice really makes me who i am. Being able to speak two languages and my experiences and my journey through learning both also has part in who i have become in terms of where i stand i society. I always say i am not really good with words right than and there, or on the spot. I tend to have a hard time using words and putting them together to define what it is that i am feeling or my thoughts and views on something. But i have found that comfort in free writing and poetry. And i think poetry is the most creative way i have to show people who i am, the way i feel about certain things, and really out myself out there.

First Impression Of cluster.

I honestly don't know how to feel yet about the cluster because i don't find the connection between language and human rights and i might be wrong or even maybe confused about the whole thing. Hopefully though further down in the semester ill understand more what the concept is and how everything intertwines.

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@j_sanchez08