Martin Luther King, Jr., A Time to Break Silence Essay

Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most influential people of this century. People remember King for his humanity, leadership and his love of his fellow man regardless of their skin color. Through reading King’s writings and speeches, that changed the world, one can learn that his values of integrity, love, truth, fairness, caring, non-violence, and peace were what motivated him to greatness. One of his less known speeches is â€Å"A Time to Break the Silence†, this speech was different than most of King’s speeches; the theme of this speech is not civil rights movement, but Vietnam. King addresses the war in Vietnam and he gives reasons why it should not continue. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;He asserts that Vietnam War has hindered the†¦show more content†¦Black people could not express themselves, have a better life, or have opportunities, same as white men. King had hit the nail on the head, no one could answer the question King was asking; Why is it that they, blacks and whites, kill and die side by side, but they do not have the same equality in society? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Furthermore, he gave addition reason of why he was speaking out. He say, â€Å"As I walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems†¦. But they asked-and rightly so- what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn’t using massing doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted.† King was the messenger of peace and if he had not spoken against the tragedy of Vietnam, some people might have called a hypocrite, who is the preacher of peace and does not address the greatest example of violence. He wanted people to remember him not as a hypocrite. Furthermore, King’s conscious would not forgive him if he had not spoken for the suffering people of Vietnam. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Moreover, he gives a religious reason for his speech. He says, â€Å" Beyond the calling of race or nation or creed is deeply concerned especially for his suffering and helpless and outcaste children, I come tonight to speak for them.† He justifies his speech by saying that it was the will ofShow MoreRelatedThe Quest For Peace And Justice1586 Words   |  7 Pages When people think of speeches, they usually refer to important people talking about important topics. The idea of importance often differs time to time ranging from Abortions to Gun Laws. Martin Luther King, JR. is one of those important figures, as he led a variety of peaceful protests from the boycott for Rosa Parks to demonstrations in Birmingham in the fight for Civil Rights. Not to mention, he led the nonwhites in a peaceful resistance of nonviolence against unfair racial views. 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