Heroes among us
A hero is a man who is known to have sacrificed his personal ambitions and achieved a greater measure of success for the greater good of others. A heroine is the term used when we refer to women of such great strength. I think that people who fought for human rights are more than heroes. Heroism to me implies unmatched strength from a selfless individual for the greater good of the wider society. In our society, hero, heroine or heroism is used to refer to those individuals who in different ways affect or influence our lives positively. Consequently, we see heroism in combat, athletics, soccer, leadership and religion just to mention a few.
Martin King was a human right activist who was the president of the Southern leadership christen conference at the time he wrote the book. Heroism is expressed in the manner king starts of his letter in a sentimental mood. One can’t fail to point out that Kings identifies himself with the injustices all over Birmingham when he alludes to the Biblical story of Apostle Paul. We also note the symbolic nature of kings character to compare himself to the messengers of the truth in the olden days. He expresses his desire to fight for those who are still captives of their masters his freedom notwithstanding.
We are made to understand the academic prowess of Martin King. Interestingly, he resolved to abandon the comfort of his home, the warmth of his family and security of a job to agitates for the rights of the oppressed. As such,heroism acts of King cannot be under-estimated.Kings argue that had he been there during the ill-fated era of Adolf Hitler, when Jews were persecuted, he would have defended his brothers at whatever cost. Kings argument conceptualize a man ready to sacrifice his freedom for the sake of others. Such selfless feats bespeaks of a man whose calling is synonymous to a freedom fighter. He laments the hypocrisy of his fellow white church leaders who he accuses of a double standard. He questions their honest in liberating the blacks. King argues that his fellow church leaders are not sincere in their guest.
From the liberal world, heroism is associated with acts of peace, honest, denial, and an endless desire for fairness. When he write his letter that he addressed to the eight white religious leaders, King identifies with peaceful, nonviolent means in resolving the stalemate. He writes expressing his deep feelings for the suffering Negroes in a candid way that leaves no doubt of his call to save mankind. He concludes his letter in rather a melancholic tone that leaves no doubt of his heroism.
Outcast by Claude McKay
McKay was a writer and a poet who was half America and half Jamaican. He lived between 1889 to 1948. He lived during a period when racism was the order of the day. As a poet and a writer, McKay, like King, dedicated his life to champion the grievances of the blacks. In the outcast, and expresses a desire to go back to Africa where there is peace. McKay uses poetry to show his displeasure of the white domination in a multiracial world. The poet reminiscence the old days living in the dark Africa. The poet talks of the suffering the black under the racist American to the point of singing forgotten jungle songs. He goes ahead to mourn with his fellow Africans who went to America in search of a better life but ended in a worse state. He cries of shattered dreams that are a monster that hovered over Africans during the racist era. Like King, McKay is a man who stood for black at a time when it was hostile for the race. Moreover, he identifies himself with the suffering blacks and takes the mantle of emancipation.
It is a case of two human rights activist who lived in different periods. However, their working in emancipation of the blacks should not be overlooked. Their tireless and relentless efforts bore fruits among the suffering blacks. Though they never lived to witness the fruits of their efforts, the Black celebrate them. McKay and King provide typical examples of selfless leaders who lived to see better days of the oppressed. I have managed to read some other works by McKay and his chosen theme of racism stands out. His work is a tale of a fighter with a tremendous desire for the liberty of his fellow human beings. Though both McKay and King wrote their respective works more than half a decade ago, the influence of their work lives on. It is fair to conclude that the campaigns of the early activists to create a harmonious world for all materialized when blacks gained freedom from the whites. The two writers represent heroes of the 19nth century.