Analysing The Religious Views On Euthanasia Philosophy Essay

Analysing The Religious Views On Euthanasia Philosophy Essay When it comes to religious point of views on issues, euthanasia is one of the most controversial moral topics of all time. Euthanasia comes from the Greek word ÃŽÂ µÃƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ± meaning good death. Euthanasia can be defined as the practice of ending a life in a technique that reduces pain and suffering ( Eike-Henner 11). Religions such as the Roman Catholics and Orthodox Judaism oppose euthanasia on the grounds that it invades Gods territory of life and death. Life is considered a gift from God and should only be taken back by God. There are different forms of euthanasia: voluntary/involuntary and active/passive. Active euthanasia is the inducement of death by taking specific steps such overdose of painkillers or sleeping pills. Passive euthanasia, on the other hand, is the discontinuation of medical treatment in a terminal case so as to allow the patient have a natural death. Voluntary euthanasia is killing a person for the purpose of relieving pain from terminal or incurable illness or injury with their consent. Finally, involuntary euthanasia is killing a person for the purpose of relieving suffering without first obtaining the persons consent. This paper will examine the ethical views of the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox Jews on the act of euthanasia. The Roman Catholic teachings have a precise definition for euthanasia. Pope John Paul II describes it as an act or omission which of itself or by intention causes death, with the purpose of eliminating all suffering (Evangelium vitae [Ev], 1995, n. 65). The Church teaches that it is morally unacceptable and constitutes it as a murderous act, which is contrary to what they call the dignity of a person. Namely that every individual is born with dignity, and they are an estimable value. They value the human life, because a person indeed is priceless, for they are created by God. Euthanasia is an act that denies respect of God, the creator. Even if a person is acting on good faith, nothing changes the nature of what euthanasia is; at the very base euthanasia is an act of murder. When it comes to physicians assisted suicide the Roman Catholics describe it as a grave sin against God, because it suggests that a person is in charge of their body instead of God the creator. Physicians assiste d suicide can be defined as a doctor or medical staff person prescribes a lethal amount of medication with the intent of assisting a person commit suicide (John 151). The patient then takes the dose or turns the switch. Since preserving life is the greatest good for Catholics, they believe that the 5th commandment in the Old Testament of the Bible says it all Thou shall not kill (John 14). They believe this applies to killing oneself or killing someone else who has asked to die such as a terminally ill patient. No human being has the authority to make life and death decisions. Killing denies the victim something that he or she values greatly, continued life or a future. Moreover, since continued life is necessary for pursuing future endeavors, killing brings the suppression of all of these plans. Therefore, Catholics believe that doctor assisted-suicide deprives an individual of a future that they potentially couldve had. In the case of sustaining life, it is said that one is obligated to use ordinary means, but one is not always obligated to use extraordinary means. The term ordinary means refers to all medicines, treatments, and operations, which offer a reasonable hope of benefit for the patient and which can be obtained and used without excessive expense, pain, or other inconvenience. By contrast, extraordinary means refers toall medicines, treatments, and operations which cannot be obtained or used without excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience, or which, if used, would not offer a reasonable hope of benefit. (John 30). These two concepts are derived from the general distinctions between avoiding evil and doing good. Thus, the duty to preserve life is a duty to do good which has reasonable limits, whereas euthanasia or mercy killing is evil and hence must be avoided. The Catholic position is a firm no to active euthanasia, but passive euthanasia could be acceptable in certain limited case s. For example, a therapy which was only prolonging death in a hopeless case and is morally acceptable, since the ultimate purpose is not suicide or euthanasia, but rather, an act whose moral object may be precisely described as allowing the patient to die for legitimate reasons. According to Roman Catholics, everything happens for a reason, by trying to control life or death, we would be interfering with Gods will. The sanctity of life principle, which rests on the human persons unique relationship with God, is the basis of the Churchs honoring of human life as a basic value. Under this principle, direct intervention to end the life of a patient in a terminal condition would not be condoned. This negative position also follows from the religious principle of divine sovereignty, the idea that God has the right over life and death, and the end of human life is not subject to a persons free judgment (Eike-Henner 32). Catholics believe that the end of life is a very spiritual time, and euthanasia happens to interrupt this spiritual moment. As stated in the bible So God made man to his own image, to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27). (Eike-Henner 37). Saying that God made man to his own image, does not mean that human beings look like God, but rather human beings have distinct capacity for rational existence that permits them to see what is good and want what is good. As people flourish these capabilities, they live a life that is equivalent to Gods life of love. The Roman Catholic Church affirms mans basic unity and his living in this world for God and for others. More than simply living in this world, the Church affirms life as a participation in the life of God in such a way that earthly life makes it possible and prepares one for participation in eternal life. Everyone faces death in its inevitability, a reality occurring only once. Catholics however, believe that death, like birth and life, is part of the same hu man condition. One is born in order to live and eventually die, having made the very best one could of all three conditions in one continuing totality. Death comes at the end of life so that one may go forward and meet in fullness having completed that life. Judaism is, in its essence, a life affirming faith. And Thou Shall live by them Gods Commandments, (Leviticus 18:5) is the central imperative of Torah. Orthodox Judaism is one of the modern Jewish movements who believe that both the Written and Oral Torah are divine and represents the word of God. (John 37) When it comes to the topic of euthanasia, Orthodox Jews believe that man is charged with preserving, dignifying and hallowing his life. But he is not given the absolute title over his life and body, only its caretaker, for life is a gift from God, to whom the individual is responsible for its preservation. My God, the soul with which Thou hast endowed me is pure. Thou hast created it. Thou hast formed it. Thou has breathed it into meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦So long as there is soul within me, I give thanks before Thee, Lord my God. (John 99) Man is never called upon to determine whether life is worth living. According to Orthodox Jews life is a gift of infinite value. Since infinity is, by definition indivisible, it clearly makes no moral difference whether one shortens life by many years or by a few minutes, or he was old and physically or mentally disabled. In such cases, suicide is no less culpable than murder. When it comes to physician assisted suicide, one aspect needs to be taken into consideration, The Hippocratic Oath. The physician derives his ethical warrant from the Hippocratic Oath, which on one hand, requires that he desist from supplying deadly medicine to his patients for the purpose of hastening their demise, or even from offering advice which may lead to suicide, and on the other, that he relieves suffering. The discontinuation of artificial life supporting therapy is determined by the halakhic status (Jewish Law) of the terminally ill patient. A person who is regarded as having no chance of survival beyond 12 months, in spite of the application of all unknown therapeutic techniques is called a treifah (Eike-Henner 87). Therefore, regarded as a living being, and its ephemeral life has full halakhic value. However, if one kills a treifah is guilty of murder. However, if death is imminent, in consequence of loss of a vital organ or massive arterial bleeding it is termed a nevei la me-hayyim (Eike-Henner 87) and is not considered as already dead, because recovery is possible in exceptional cases. The final phase for terminally ill patients is called goses, (Eike-Henner 88) which is the inability to swallow own saliva. According to Judaism it is generally held that most patients in this condition cannot recover and that death will come within 3 days. If thats the case, then, the physician may discontinue medication for the existing condition and does not need to initiate treatment of an unrelated and possibly fatal complication. In all cases, nutriments as well as painkillers should be supplied. Among rabbinic ethicists, Rav Moshe Feinstein holds that when a patient is gripped by unbearable pain and suffering, nature should be allowed to take its course. Thus when a patient is on a respirator and the machine is temporarily removed for servicing, if the patient shows no sign of life the machine need not be restored (John 87). However, Orthodox Jews do allow f or the termination of artificial means of the patient if such means does not enhance the patients state and are the only things keeping the patient alive. It is also acceptable to take strong painkillers, even it they hasten death, as long as the drug is not the cause of death and the intention is to alleviate pain and not to cause death. Orthodox Jews do recognize the pain and suffering a patient experiences and the effect it has on the family, however, the Jewish faith has always responded against the termination of a persons life, even in the most severe cases when it may become evident to them that life is meaningless. Roman Catholics and Orthodox Jews have similar ethical views when it comes to the termination of ones life. They believe that suffering is used to purify ones soul, and God has the only right over a persons body. Dr. Kavorkian also known as Dr. Death is an American pathologist that performed assisted suicide in 1990s. From an Orthodox Jews perspective, Dr. Kavorkian is known as a murderer, because under the Jewish law, any form of active euthanasia is strictly prohibited and condemned as plain murder. Murder is one of the 3 fundamental sins prohibited by the Torah, and anyone who kills a person is guilty to the death penalty as a common murder. Similarly, the Roman Catholics disapprove physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, on the grounds that it invades Gods property and to assist some in committing suicide is to commit murder, which goes against Gods unequivocal commandment Thou Shall not Kill. Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics facing religions. The Bible and the Torah both state that human life is the property of God, and as humans we are only caretakers of that property, and have no consent of destroying something that does not belong to us. Every human life is valuable, regardless of their age, sex, or race. Catholics and Orthodox Jews would state that anybody who insists that they have the choice to terminate their life is denying the truth of their intrinsic relationship with God. People should not ask for euthanasia because no one knows the significance of each human being, for every human life is priceless

Coffee and Starbucks Essay

Starbucks has been the most successful coffee chain using their aggressive expansion strategies to surpass its competitors. Through its expansion, Starbucks has focused on creating a dense network of stores all around US, while also opening up new locations all around the world. However, Starbucks’ aggressive expansion strategies have posed major threats to its financial health such as tight cashflows, increase debts, poor liquidity ratios and etc. In addition, this approach can exacerbate competition among close Starbucks stores. Due to the aggressive expansion, Starbucks has lost its internal focus in its core business coffee and its unique â€Å"Starbucks Experience – third place†. The issues are how Starbucks can stay profitable in the future and at the same time sustain its dominant position in the gourmet coffee industry. We have examined the industry analysis that focuses on the industry trends, the firm competitive environment and followed by a SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Finally, we look at the company strategy analysis that focuses on the Starbucks’ strategic intent and its strategic position. From these analyses, we recommend a few options where Starbucks should pursue moving forward in order to avoid further decline and sustain its dominant position. .:Company Background & History:. Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice was established in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zey Siegel and Gordon Bowker in Seattle to sell roasted coffee beans and coffee machines. (See Exhibit 1 for timeline) At that time, the founders’ philosophy was to provide high quality coffee and educate the public the art of appreciating fine coffee. It was the founders’ passion and strong commitment on educating the public that attracted Howard Schultz to join Starbucks in 1982 as the head of the marketing department, overseeing the company’s retail stores. On one of his business trips to Milan, Italy, Schultz stumbled upon an opportunity to revamp Starbucks and shift its focus from its original business activities. Schultz’s new business proposition for Starbucks was to serve freshly brewed coffee at their outlets which he sold to the founders without success. After many unsuccessful attempts, he left the Company. In 1987, Schultz acquired Starbucks from the founders and changed its name to the more abbreviated ‘Starbucks’ and modified her logo to what we see today. After the acquisition, he introduced the idea of ‘The Starbucks experience’ to all Starbucks’ outlets; that is to create a comfortable atmosphere for patrons to relax. From then on, every Starbucks outlet was the perfect duplicate of this concept. In 1992, Starbucks had launched an IPO and its common stock was being traded on the Nasdaq. In 1995, Starbucks venture overseas and formed a joint venture with SAZABY Inc to open Starbucks stores in Japan. In 1996, Starbucks first oversea outlet was opened in Tokyo. Today, Starbucks has a total of 7,087 Company operated stores and 4,081 License stores in US. Additionally, it has 1,796 Company operated stores and 2,792 Joint Venture and License store operating in other 43 countries. .:Definition of the Industry, Competitors and Scope of Analysis: Generally, Starbucks is in the Food and Beverages industry. However for the purpose of this paper, we would define Starbucks to be in the gourmet coffee industry with the following competitors : †¢Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; †¢Costa Coffee; †¢Caribou Coffee (See Exhibit 2 for a brief write up on reasons for the choice of these competitors and some background information of them) For the purpose of this paper, our analysis will be focusing on Starbucks in US and Australia. The next section provides an overview of the gourmet coffee industry and the competitive environment in US and Australia. .:Overview of the Industry:. .:Political Forces:. Generally both the US and the Australia political situation appeared to be well established and stable. This will provide a good platform for both current businesses and new businesses to operate in. In US, despite the current verge of recession, the political mood is still likely to favour increased regulation of businesses. In addition, even though international tensions are likely to remain but their impact on political stability and economy will remain minimal. Similarly in Australia, the political climate is likely to remain relatively stable. Although the relationship between the federal government and the states had been rocky in the past; it has improved after the introduction of a more stable formula for revenue distribution. .:Economical Forces:. US: Real economic growth is expected to slow from an estimated 4% in 2008 to 3. 8% in 2009. The modest slowdown reflects the impact of lower demand from its trading partner. As these exists imbalances in the economy and the poor short-term outlook for growth, it is assumed that conditions in the US are now recessionary and that growth will remain very weak in 2009. This will in turn affect the GDP and the disposable income of its residents. Australia: Traditionally, rapid growth in Australia has been slowdown recently due to recession. Improved monetary and fiscal management have reduced macroeconomic volatility, but risks and imbalances are present. The low domestic savings rate renders the banking system dependant on foreign financing. The current account deficit is large, and international financial markets may start to worry about the underlying causes. Bubble conditions also seem to exist in the housing market. .:Socio-cultural Forces: Consumers’ Perceptions and Disposable Income:. US: There had been an increase in coffee consumption in the US market though the rate had slowed down in 2005 posing threats to coffee retailers. Recently, US consumers had increasingly opt for healthier hot drinks such as tea and RTD beverages which affect coffee consumption rate. The trend is likely to continue, leading to decline in coffee consumption. Australia: Coffee sales had experienced quite lukewarm growth from 2000 to 2005. The culture of cafe had caused more people to opt for on-trade sales coffee at the cafe instead of home-brewed coffee. According to BIS Shrapnel, people increasingly tend to go to cafes for their coffee and there is an increase of 50% within 2 years in coffee consumption. .:Technological Forces: Technological Developments:. Technological changes have created many new products and processes. It helps to reduce costs, improve quality and lead to innovations which in turn benefits consumers as well as organizations. Many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had recognized the importance of providing wireless internet access and Wi-Fi hotspots to its patrons. These technology advances had created a leisure place for patrons to surf net or hang out after home and work. Most of the organizations had also introduced automated coffee machines to speed up the brewing process so as to shorten waiting time. To further improve business operations and efficiency, some organizations have also make use of information technology systems to help them run their businesses more smoothly. .:Environmental Forces:. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming, many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had increased their environment awareness by reduced the usage of disposable cups to serve coffee and increased the use of ceramic mugs. Furthermore, the organizations had also reduced the size of their paper napkins, paper bags and in store garbage bags. The organizations were also encouraged to purchase Fairtrade certified coffees so as to promote responsible environmental and economic efforts. The following section presents our analysis of gourmet coffee industry with the aid of Michael Porters 5 Forces model. .: Analysis of Gourmet Coffee Industry- Porter 5 Forces:. Please refer to exhibit 3 for the criteria used for the scoring of each forces and an analysis of each forces. Force #1: Threat of New Entry:. †¢Threat of new entry is high. †¢High start up cost involved in purchasing equipments, sourcing for coffee beans and training barista. †¢Strong brand identity leading to high switching cost for consumers Score: 10 Force #2: Threat of Substitutes:. †¢Substitutes are gourmet coffee of a different brand †¢Current gourmet coffee industries is saturated †¢High switching cost. †¢Threat of substitutes considered to be relatively high Score: 6 Force #3: Bargaining Power of Suppliers:. †¢Majority of commercially available coffee beans come from a few industrializes countries. †¢Increase the cost of coffee houses in sourcing and gaining access to these high quality coffee beans. †¢Bargaining power of suppliers is relatively high Score: 5 Force #4: Bargaining Power of Consumers†¢Bargaining power of customers is relatively neutral. †¢Current player gained brand loyalty †¢Product differentiation helps to retain current customer and attract new customers. †¢However price sensitive customers might seek for cheaper alternative. Score: 0 Force #5: Rivalry between Competitors:. †¢Intensity of rivalry is moderate. †¢Brand identity and high switching cost is relatively unfavorable to new player that has just entered the market. Score: 3 Conclusion:From the above analysis, we noted that the threat of new entry, the bargaining power of the supplier and threat of substitutes are relatively high. On the other hand the bargaining power of the consumers is neutral and the intensity of rivalry is moderate. Hence from the above.

The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens

Afterlife: the complete emptiness Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) wrote most of his poems during the world wars period, which took the lives of millions of people. As a result, Wallace Stevens started to question the importance of religion in the modern era, and felt that you should enjoy your life in the present and not waste time living for an afterlife. In his poem â€Å"The Snow Man†, Stevens describes a harsh winter environment creating a unique dramatic situation through an effective imagery. He leads the reader from a relatively objective description of a winter scene to a subjective emotional response. Roberts Pack’s essay on â€Å"The Snow Man† discusses the idea of perception, while David Perkins while focuses on the relationship between imagination and reality through the perspective of the snow man. Is Wallace Steven concerned with imagination and reality, or perception? In â€Å"The Snow Man†, the atypical syntax and logic of the poem, as well as the usage of imagery, compels the reader to perceive the poem from an untraditional in order to both understand the role of nature and realize its very theme is death. The title of the poem â€Å"The Snow Man† is very confusing for the reader. At first we â€Å"visualize balls of snow placed on top of each other, coals for eyes, a carrot nose† as Perkins implies, and don’t see the relation with the poem. But after a few readings we discover the snow man and the listener are one individual. The lines â€Å"One must have a mind of winter† (1. 1) and â€Å"And have been cold a long time†(2. 1) indicate in my opinion the listener is dead. Why so? Winter implies cold, and cold equals death. So if the snow man has a mind of winter, it means he is dead. The snow man is indeed an image to describe this dead body, which is recovered by ice and snow. It is also a symbol of the cycle of life, which always ends with death. Once spring is here, the snow man will melt, it won't last forever. Just like a dead body would decompose, and turn into dust. In fact, we get the sense that we are reading through the listener’s mind. The first thing that is noticeable about the poem is that it is actually just one long, complex sentence, there is no rhyme, and each line has a different length. One question that may arise with is this: if the poem really was meant to imitate the mind's flow of thought, then why did Stevens write it in just one line instead of dividing it into five tercets? Without this specific structure the poem would lose in mood and tone. The dramatic situation is set on a cold and quiet winter day, with very little movement in the surroundings. The poem itself should be the same, gentle and unhurried. This is achieved with the use of pauses after lines and stanzas. Because when someone dies his soul is liberated from the burdens of life. The fourth line of the poem gives it this mood and tone too. It provides a further slowing down with the use of one syllable words, and of assonance with the long â€Å"o† sound â€Å"cold/long†, reinforcing the idea of the time passing and death. We can divide the poem into two distinctive parts. The first part (from the beginning to half of the seventh line â€Å"Of the January sun†), correlates with the dead man losing all sorts of feelings because of the cold. The speaker describes the harshness off the environment surrounding the dead man. The words employed are very particular, achieving nuances which contribute to the vividness of the picture. For instance, the word â€Å"crusted†(1. 3) is used instead of â€Å"covered,† suggesting not only that it covers, but also the snow's firmness and roughness. We can assimilate the snow to the roots of a tree. It is obvious that there is an accumulation of the â€Å"r† sound, as in â€Å"regard,† â€Å"frost,† â€Å"pine-trees†, â€Å"crusted†, â€Å"junipers†, spruces†, â€Å"rough†, â€Å"glitter†, and â€Å"January†, adding vividness to the description. One particular image contained in these lines is that of the â€Å"distant glitter/ of the January sun† (2. 3/3. 1). The use of the sound â€Å"i† in assonance, support the idea that the sun is so distant, it has no effect. The enjambment and the separation of the phrase â€Å"of the January sun† into the next stanza, also relates this idea of distance. So even if the sun is visible in the sky, it doesn’t play its true role: provide heat. The speaker is almost saying he prefers darkness. The dead man losing his mind is the main subject of the second part (from and â€Å"not to think† to the end). The listener considers his self a snow man, enabling him to view the world through different eyes, and thus enables him to see the vivid little details of the scene, which he would not normally see. The dead man is leaving behind his own mind and assuming the snow man’s mind, liberating him from any sufferance. This idea is supported by the word â€Å"think†, emphasized by the enjambment â€Å"and not to think / of any misery†(3. -2). Therefore, it is clear these lines aim to appeal to the reader's sense of hearing. It contains multiple instances of the word â€Å"sound,† as well as the words â€Å"listener† and â€Å"listen. † In addition, there also is a prevailing use of the sound â€Å"s† – â€Å"misery,† â€Å"sound,† â€Å"leaves,† †Å"same,† â€Å"listener,† â€Å"listens,† and â€Å"snow†, which mimics the hissing â€Å"sound of the wind†(3. 2). On top of this, it is known that the absence of one sense contributes to the acuteness of another. In this instance, the dead man gives up his sense of sight, and tries listening instead of looking. He is able to hear the normally soft, quiet â€Å"sound the wind†, and â€Å"the sound of a few leaves†(3. 3). I think the speaker addresses the use of sound, because sound tells us a lot about our surroundings even if we don’t use our vision. In our society sound enables us to communicate, and to lose this sense indirectly signifies we are as good dead. Another aspect of this process is the movement from something particular and small to something more vague and vast. The â€Å"boughs of pine-trees,† â€Å"the junipers,† and â€Å"the spruces† disappear to become â€Å"the same bare place†, and â€Å"the sound of a few leaves† becomes â€Å"the sound of the land†. Along the poem, the dead man disregards his self. Slowly he loses his thought (death of the mind) and feelings (death of the body), then his sense’s from sight to hearing are reduced, and finally loses his distinctiveness by assuming the snow man’s mind. And, since the mind of a snow man is lifeless, the listener would ultimately become nothing, as stated in the 14th line â€Å"And, nothing himself†. This idea of â€Å"being nothing† is, given importance by putting the phrase, â€Å"nothing himself† in the middle of the line instead of the beginning or end, and by the repetition of the word â€Å"nothing† in the last two lines. The last line of the poem â€Å"Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is†(5. 3), the longest of it, is given more importance because it holds the key to Steven’s message. The fricative â€Å"th† gives it an echoing sound. The line starts with the word â€Å"behold† (it means to see) due to the use of the enjambment in line 14, which emphasises the message of this particular word. By combining the words â€Å"Behold† and â€Å"nothing†, Stevens is saying the dead man, aka the â€Å"listener†, is just sitting there dead and there is nothing, nothing to think about and nothing to do. Even if the speaker does a concession in by opposing â€Å"is not there† vs â€Å"that is†. The speaker is inducing there is nothing in the afterlife. In conclusion, â€Å"The Snow Man† is a poem about death, and the emptiness of the world. The dead man or the listener gradually loses his body, and then his mind to a snow man. The snow man is an image of the body in this cold environment. By assuming the mind of a snow man, he is condemning himself to disappear physically and mentally. Wrapping it up can be argued Wallace Stevens message is that there is no afterlife and there is no point in believing in religion. It would be interesting to study how Stevens personal and professional life shaped his opinion on religion. Work Cited †¢ Wallace, Stevens. â€Å"The Snow Man†. The Columbia Anthology of American Poetry. Jay Parini. New York. Columbia University Press. Page 310. Print. †¢ Pack Robert. Wallace Stevens: An approach to his poetry and thought. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1958. Copyright  © 1958 by Rutgers, The State University. †¢ Perkins, David. A History of Modern Poetry: From the 1890s to the High Modernist Mode (Cambridge: Harvard U P, 1976), 542-544

Essay on Martin Luther King and the 1962 March on Washington

Historians offer different perceptions of the significance of Martin Luther King and the 1963 March on Washington. Without examining this event within its historical context the media publicity and iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech can easily overshadow progress that was already underway in America. It was insisted by prominent civil rights activist Ella Baker, ‘the movement made Martin rather than Martin making the movement.’ What is important not to overlook is the significant change that took place in the United States during the previous 100 years. Such that, many influential figures in support of racial equality opposed the March. The Civil Rights Act proposed by President Kennedy in 1963 was already in the legislative process.†¦show more content†¦The reality in 1965 was that there was still a long way to go in the fight for equal educational opportunities, career prospects and property. Although it could be argued that other factors played a mor e substantial role in achieving civil rights, the significance of the March cannot be discredited completely. What is important not to overlook is the sheer volume of people who participated in the March and the media coverage it received, from this the argument for it being a turning point in the fight for racial equality can be understood more comprehensively. A key factor in the March’s success can be attributed to technological advancements. The mass expansion of television meant it was now possible for images of the United States to be beamed Worldwide, and this understandably had an affect upon the country’s image and reputation. This was especially significant after the Second World War, the United States had emerged as one of the World’s leading Superpowers and wished to portray itself as a democratic nation built on the principles of freedom and liberty. However, now countries across the World were receiving images in stark contrast to America’s popular image. America was finding itself more exposed to criticism from the international community as it became more apparent that the freedom America had fought for was not being extended to its own citizens. A well known expression states that an image tells a thousand words. This was aShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King Jr Life1015 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr. Chronology   1929 | Born on at noon on January 15, 1929.   Parents: The Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr.   Home: 501 Auburn Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia.   | 1944 | Graduated from Booker T. 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At a young age, King became aware of the unequalRead More Martin Luther King Jr. as the Greatest Civil Rights Leader Essay1080 Words   |  5 Pagescivil rights leaders, I personally believe that Martin Luther King was the greatest of them all. What king achieved during the little over a decade that he worked in civil rights was remarkable. There are few men of whom it can be said their lives changed the world from wikipedia. Using Mohanda Gandhis philosophy of nonviolence King gained the power of many citizens respect which lead him in success in, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Birmingham Protest March, and breaking the barrier to allow black peopleRead MoreEssay on The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.1244 Words   |  5 Pagesworld. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to Alberta and Martin Luther King. Alberta Williams King was born September 13, 1904 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Luther King, Sr. was born December 19, 1899 in Stockbridge, Georgia. Martins dad was a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother was a school teacher. His siblings were Christine King Farris born September 11, 1927, and Alfred Daniel Williams King born July 30, 1930. Martin was the middle child. Martin Luther KingRead MoreMartin Luther King, Jr.s Speech, I have a Dream, Led to Change in Civil Rights1732 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech on August 28, 1963 led the way for a much needed change in America’s Civil Rights Era. Martin’s life brought about much needed change to allow black people to have equal opportunities. Martin Luther King, Jr. came from a long line of Southern Baptist Preachers. His father and grandfather’s influence led the way for him to also become a Baptist preacher. The man he was came from his strong convictions in the word of God. This gave him the courage andRead MoreMartin Luther King Essay1440 Words   |  6 PagesWas Martin Luther King the King of the Civil Rights Movement? Martin Luther King was an African-American Civil Rights activist, whose aim was to obtain equality between the races. He believed that this was best done using non-violence (inspired by Gandhi), and so he preached peace. Although he is widely recognised as the main face of the Civil Rights Movement, there were others who contributed in a crucial fashion to the progression of this movement. Rosa Parks, for example, ignited the match whichRead MoreWas King a Pan-Africanist? Martin Luther King and the African Liberation Movements3962 Words   |  16 PagesHist 101. 12/14/12 Was King a Pan-Africanist? Martin Luther King Jr. and the African Liberation Movements. By Kenechukwu Nwosu The King-era civil rights movement coincided closely with the peak of freedom struggles on the African continent. When the Montgomery bus boycott began in December 1955, all but four African nations were under colonial rule; when King delivered his last public speech on April 3, 1968, thirty-six African countries had gained their independence. Most scholarship on King’sRead MoreThe American Civil Rights Movement Essays1529 Words   |  7 Pagessegregation and discrimination. The Civil Rights Movement began in the southern states but quickly rose to national prominence. It is of popular belief that the civil rights movement was organized by small groups of people, with notable leaders like—Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and even John F. Kennedy—driving the ship. That is partly correct. The Civil Rights Movement, in its truest form, was hundreds of thousands of people organizing events and protests, working together to ensure that