PROMPT
Recall the quotation from Kofi Annan that opened this collection: “We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.” Thinking about the quotation and the readings from this collection, what is one major obstacle that prevents Americans today from living together as one “human race”, and how do you propose that this issue be resolved? Using evidence from the collection texts in addition to your own research, present your ideas in a speech which proposes a problem and offers a solution
BONDS SPEECH
“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.” This is a brief but meaningful quote by Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. What Annan is saying in this quote is that although we are diverse beings, we are still united as one country. However, there are some that still believe after everything America has been through, we cannot live together as one. It is the mindset that one race, religion or culture is more superior or better than the other, which is grasped at a young age. I believe the way we can prevent this kind of mindset forming is by exposing children to different backgrounds and cultures at a younger age, for I strongly believe prejudice opinions, discrimination, and racism is learned and not born into.
I am aware that children nowadays are being taught history from a more neutral position, and it isn’t as one-sided like it used to be. However, I believe that we need to do more than just talk about the most common historic events about fighting for equality, and take the time to go deeper into the topics and get the message across that “strength lies in differences and not similarities” as said by American educator, Stephen R. Covey. Martin Luther King Jr. also said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “That day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands…” This is indicating that respected and influential people like Dr. King are aware of the oppression of other cultures. Most agree that King was a great representation of freedom, and knowing of different backgrounds’ struggles shows his respect for the topic. It would be a great improvement if the children of the future also understood this as well as King did.
Some may say that exposing children to these ideas may be too much for them to handle, or even harmful because of the controversial events that have occurred when fighting for equality. However, in this day and era, children will most likely be getting information and opinions about cultures and backgrounds from others. Whether it is from the news, social media, or even hearing things from their peers, it is known that today, events and opinions, whether they are positive or negative, get around a lot quicker than they used to. So, if it is taught in our education system about the positives of being different and the beauties of multiple varieties of cultures, the child would have already developed an opinion, and the rumours and stories from other sources would not have as large as an effect. Maya Angelou, an American poet and civil rights activist, agrees, with her quote, “It is time to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
All in all, although I do not believe that mistreatment to other cultures will be stopped entirely, I do believe that enforcing positive thinking towards different backgrounds in our education system will reduce it. If we come together as a nation and begin our progress with baby steps, we can accomplish this task. We can unite. We can together. From the wise words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
I am aware that children nowadays are being taught history from a more neutral position, and it isn’t as one-sided like it used to be. However, I believe that we need to do more than just talk about the most common historic events about fighting for equality, and take the time to go deeper into the topics and get the message across that “strength lies in differences and not similarities” as said by American educator, Stephen R. Covey. Martin Luther King Jr. also said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “That day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands…” This is indicating that respected and influential people like Dr. King are aware of the oppression of other cultures. Most agree that King was a great representation of freedom, and knowing of different backgrounds’ struggles shows his respect for the topic. It would be a great improvement if the children of the future also understood this as well as King did.
Some may say that exposing children to these ideas may be too much for them to handle, or even harmful because of the controversial events that have occurred when fighting for equality. However, in this day and era, children will most likely be getting information and opinions about cultures and backgrounds from others. Whether it is from the news, social media, or even hearing things from their peers, it is known that today, events and opinions, whether they are positive or negative, get around a lot quicker than they used to. So, if it is taught in our education system about the positives of being different and the beauties of multiple varieties of cultures, the child would have already developed an opinion, and the rumours and stories from other sources would not have as large as an effect. Maya Angelou, an American poet and civil rights activist, agrees, with her quote, “It is time to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
All in all, although I do not believe that mistreatment to other cultures will be stopped entirely, I do believe that enforcing positive thinking towards different backgrounds in our education system will reduce it. If we come together as a nation and begin our progress with baby steps, we can accomplish this task. We can unite. We can together. From the wise words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
SELF REFLECTION
Looking back on my speech from collection one, I have seen some qualities of my strengths and places I need to improve. One of my strengths is my ability to incorporate quotes from others into my speech. For example, for my final statement I used a quote from arguably one of the most active and peaceful people in history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to further my point about the bonds between society. I also used repetition in my speech to emphasize points and phrases I wanted to stand out. In the last paragraph I said, "We can unite. We can together." This allowed my words to make a better impact on the audience and make it stick with them. However, I feel as if it was a little forced and I wished I had made it flow better with my words.