I am not unmindful that some have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecutions and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.” One of Dr. Martin Luther King’s very passionate passages throughout his speech has a rhetorical approach. He simply explains the hardships of his fellow Negro people. On many occasions “The man” kept them from achieving their desires. They had many struggles but they still press themselves on. The device Dr. king uses enhances their hunger for freedom. David Thoreau, an extremely influential scholar shows an equivalent view in his piece “Civil Disobedience.” He states” As they could not reach me, they had resolved to punish my body; just as boys, if the cannot come at some person against whom they spite, will abuse his dog.” Dr. King was obviously influenced by Thoreau’s teachings because of the strong similarities. Both believe a strong mind will not fall to the hands of those who persecute you. They can only attack your physical being because the mental will not coward to any brainwashing devices. Thoreau seems to be very headstrong about this piece. His attitude toward the subject at hand seems very bitter. He acknowledge that fact the government integrity has lowered such value. He also acknowledges ruthlessness of their intentions. Modern society is still an unstable position with the government. Not only have we merged from our “ narrow cells” but we also still face oppression. As a people we still encounter” the winds of police brutality” simply because they cannot harm us otherwise. For our bodies are combust...
