FINAL ENG 101

Matthew Ellor                                                                                                      Dr. Justin Rogers-Cooper

Eng 101                                                                                                                                      Final

                                       Cluster Connection to MLK Jr.

During this semester I was part of a cluster class with a central focus on Human rights. We examined in depth the language of human rights and discussed how it can affirm, deny, or limit rights of citizens.  We reviewed many topics in regards to human rights through literature in which we looked into times of slavery as well as the civil rights and economic movements, in linguistics we learned about the development of language, and in our political science class we discovered how law and lack of law plays major roles in the destruction or advancement of our rights.

Human Rights are protections, liberties, and freedoms that belong justifiably to all humans as citizens of the world and are awarded to us at birth. These rights have been put in to place to protect all of the world’s citizens in particular the neglected and least protected ones. These protections of rights can be found in many countries such as The United States of America in which the amendments in the Bill of Rights attempt to help ensure the safeguard of these indispensable rights. In the late 1940’s after the Second World War, the United Nations general assembly created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which consists of 30 articles, which issued all humans their fundamental and necessary freedoms without restriction to sex, race, religion, or political view point.  Language plays many key roles in human rights, it articulates our goals in order to be understood by those it aims to protect and it makes sure that these rights are intelligible and accessible to all.  It also is by far one of the strongest tools we have in this world, it can be as strong or as weak as the person speaking makes it.  If your statement/s are well organized, thought out, firm, fixed, determined, and expressed strongly and vigorously it will have the capability to move and affect people in a way nothing else can come near to.  Language has the talent to be that powerful.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of a non-violent movement which was in pursuit for racial, social, and economic justice for all.  He used language on a constant basis when referring to and fighting for the basic and fundamental human rights as well as, constitutional and God given rights for the movement.  In particular the Black race, who in The United States of America were and had been a neglected and unprotected class of people.  King Jr. was a very clear, fluent, coherent, intelligible, understandable, and well-spoken man, who knew how to speak to and work a crowd.  His language was so eloquent, expressive, and meaningful that he was able take all the fear out of events that would seem so scary and could cause such terror and concern.  No matter what the situation, if the movement was faced with violence it always reacted with non-violent methods and practices.  They held strikes, boycotts, protests, and marches to spread their message of equality and non-violent action.  Martin Luther King Jr. knew the only way to win what I consider to have been a war on segregation of race and class were these non-violent tactics and theories.  In an MLK Jr. essay titled Nonviolence and Racial Justice written in 1957 he talks about these practices of nonviolence, such as to not be physically aggressive towards the opposition, nor try to humiliate and defeat them but persuade them they are mistaken, stay spiritually, emotionally, and mentally active, attempt to win over their understanding and friendship, and most of all give them love and compassion because they are not evil but victims of evil themselves. 

As we come to the end of the semester I really have a great insight now into the rights and freedoms King Jr. so strongly fought for and the language he used to acquire what we deem to be our basic, constitutional, God given rights.  Language is everywhere and can affect everything.  We need language to communicate to us what our rights, freedoms, and liberties are.  Language is golden, and I thanks to my classes will never take language for granted again.

revised

Matt Ellor

The Fundamental Rights of Citizens of The World

Matthew was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1988. He was placed in foster care and at the age of 4 he was adopted by his foster mother who in his eyes has been and always will be his real mom. He grew up in the lower east side and spent most of his time in New York City as well as occasionally oversees in England. He has attended city public school his whole life. He is currently attending The City University of New York (CUNY) LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens. He aspires to work in Public Policy and Civil Service and hopes to make progressive changes to better people’s lives, happiness, and well-being.

During my studies I was lucky enough to be part of a cluster class in Liberal Arts of Social Science and Human Services with a main focus on Human rights.  We examined in depth the language of human rights and considered how it can affirm, deny, or limit rights of citizens.  We discussed many topics in regards to human rights through literature in which we looked into times of slavery as well as the civil rights and economic movements, in linguistics we learned about the development of language, and in our political science class we discovered how law plays a major role in the destruction or advancement of our rights.  Many of these issues I was hearing and studying about for the first time and it heightened my ambition to pursue a career in public policy and civil service.    

Human Rights are protections, liberties, and freedoms that belong justifiably to all humans as citizens of the world and are awarded to us at birth. These rights have been put in to place to protect all of the world’s citizens in particular the neglected and least protected ones. These protections of rights can be found in many countries such as The United States of America in which the amendments in the Bill of Rights attempt to help ensure the safeguard of these indispensable rights. In the late 1940’s after the Second World War, the United Nations general assembly created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which consists of 30 articles, which issued all humans their fundamental and necessary freedoms without restriction to sex, race, religion, or political view point. Language plays many key roles in human rights, it articulates our goals in order to be understood by those it aims to protect and it makes sure that these rights are intelligible and accessible to all.

Human rights are being infringed upon and these violations are happening on a scale of a wide variety, from local levels all the way through to international ones. We as fellow citizens of the world need to be advocates and ambassadors of human rights. We must demand that our goals found in the UDHR be constantly protected and continually and increasingly enforced. We have the ability and power to use the language of human rights and speak up for those whose voices have been muffled and muted by those who oppress, restrain, limit, violate, and or neglect their freedoms, rights, or liberties as free citizens of the world.

The Fundamental Rights of Citizens of The World

The Fundamental Rights of Citizens of The World 

Matthew was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1988.  He was placed in foster care and at the age of 4 he was adopted by his foster mother who in his eyes has been and always will be his real mom.  He grew up in the lower east side and spent most of his time in New York City as well as occasionally oversees in England.  He has attended city public school his whole life.  Now, he is currently attending The City University of New York (CUNY) LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens.  He aspires to work in Public Policy and Civil Service and hopes to make progressive changes to better peoples lives, happiness, and well being.

Human Rights are protections, liberties, and freedoms that belong justifiably to all humans as citizens of the world and are awarded to us at birth.  These rights have been put in to place to protect all of the worlds citizens in particular the neglected and least protected ones.  These protections of rights can be found in many countries such as The United States of America in which the amendments in the Bill of Rights attempt to help ensure the safeguard of these indispensable rights.  In the late 1940’s after the second World War, the United Nations general assembly created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which consists of 30 articles, which issued all humans their fundamental and necessary freedoms without restriction to sex, race, religion, or political view point.  Language plays many key roles in human rights, it articulates our goals in order to be understood by those it aims to protect and it makes sure that these rights are intelligible and accessible to all. 

Human rights are being infringed upon and these violations are happening on a scale of a wide variety, from local levels all the way through to international ones.  We as fellow citizens of the world need to be advocates and ambassadors of human rights.  We must demand that our goals found in the UDHR be constantly protected and continually and increasingly enforced.  We have the ability and power to use the language of human rights and speak up for those who’s voices have been muffled and muted by those who oppress, restrain, limit, violate, and or neglect their freedoms, rights, or liberties as free citizens of the world.

Power of speech

Speech has the ability to change lives, heighten emotions, strengthen faith, and unite people.  Speech is one of our most powerful resources.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr uses his words as a way to touch peoples heart, soul,  and inner core.  He took the fear out of some of the most scary situations by promoting hope and faith and a better outcome for all.  King was an amazing speaker.  He had this natural skill through words to rile up a crowd and to make them feel united, strong, and fearless.  He used non violent tactics as well as speech to get the crowd emotionally, mentally, and spiritually aggressive to help get the message of equality across.  Religion played a big role in his speeches and his connection to the people.  His confiden, passion, and aura were felt by everyone who heard him talk and sent tingles up their spine because they felt his words internally and in their souls.  in a sense they felt a higher power through him.

Non Violent Theory - Most Duriable Power - Main Topics

In Christianity love derives from God.  Instead of fighting they used love as a non-violent tactic.  Instead of reacting with violence when confronted with fierce actions from their opponents they would reply with a hug instead of a punch.  The agape love which is the non romantic form of love is brought out from negative circumstances and is unconditional regardless of treatment.  Love is Power and the most durable power at that.

-Non-violence
-Love
-God

Blog two: Contradictions

    Benjamin Banneker was a educated, successful, and respected African American man during the mid-late 1700’s.  Banneker wrote Thomas Jefferson who at the time was Secretary of State a letter in order to open Jefferson eyes to the many injustices that were going on to the Blacks as well as the Declaration of Independence.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  To help prove his point Banneker in his letter to Jefferson used this statement as an example of a contradiction.  The issue Banneker has is that if the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, then why aren’t all men being treated and viewed as equals.  The Colonists were in a sense dehumanized and treated sub par by the British Crown so in hopes Jefferson could relate, Banneker asks him to put himself in the position of the slaves and put his soul in their souls’ as the Prophet Job suggested.  If Jefferson believes that the Universal Father has given life to all of us and that he has endowed us all the same feelings and rights no matter what class, religion, or race, we are all the same family and are considered equal under this higher power, then he would not need any reminders from Banneker to do the right thing.   The right thing of course being the abolishment of slavery and to enforce the words and the meanings of the Declaration of Independence which Jefferson helped write, and make them more then just words on a paper, make them a reality.  Banneker is appealing to Jefferson’s higher self.

the bridge between human rights and language

The bridge between language and human rights is not as big or as spread apart as most people would view it as, Human rights are rights that belong justifiably to all humans (citizens of the world).  Language to me are methods of communicating, whether it be through spoken word, written word, visual, music etc.