The Influence Of Martin Luther King Jr Cultural Studies Essay

The Influence Of Martin Luther King Jr Cultural Studies Essay Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist preacher born months before the crash of 1929 that led the Great Depression, is perhaps best known for leading this country to end segregation. After years of nonviolent struggle, including boycotting buses in Montgomery, and a march on Washington, King gave a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial that changed the world. Many scholars believe that Kings speech was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. I believe the inspiration came from sources much closer to home. The Declaration of Independence, by Abraham Lincoln, and the Bible are the sources that I believe to have fundamentally inspired Martin Luther Kings speech, I Have a Dream. As a child raised in a middle-class neighborhood, King had more privileges than most of his peers. He was heavily influenced by his father, a preacher, and his mother, a teacher. He had mild run-ins with segregation in his childhood. He was forced to attend school separate from his childhood friends and eventually, he and his friends were no longer allowed to play together. From the research of his life, there appears to be one event that made a lasting impression upon King. After a speech competition in Valdosta, Georgia, King had received a second place prize, but his victory was short-lived. During the long bus ride home, the blacks were made to stand so that white riders could sit. It seemed that even though the Civil War ended in 1865, over 80 years later the black man was not much further along than in the days directly following the war. It makes me wonder were Lincolns efforts on the part of the slave all in vain? On August 28, 1963, King began his speech with the same four words as Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address; perhaps this was to remind us of Lincolns shared vision. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. This reference to Lincolns speech is perhaps more meaningful since King was speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial during this address. History states that Lincolns authority and position were granted to him by the Declaration of Independence. In that document, our founding fathers declared, 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, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. By reminding the listeners, including the millions watching his speech on television, King hoped to jump-start his audiences minds in to agreement with him by joining his argument with those of the founding fathers and Abraham Lincoln. King uses the agreement with the founding fathers and Lincoln to strengthen his civil and legal argument as basis to his premise that things were not yet as they should be. To strengthen his moral argument further, and perhaps most interestingly, King seems to have numerous biblical references within the text of his speech. This should not be that surprising, given that he had been the son of a preacher and preacher himself since the age of 17. However, it seems important that the first opportunity for a black man to address the nation for all of the wrongs done to his people, that King decided to quote from the bible. King chose to take the high road in this speech. He could have ridiculed America for its treatment of black men and women, but instead he reminded us all to relinquish the cup of hostility by saying, Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. This phrase reminds us of Jeremiah 2:13: For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. He reminds us of our history, our past release from captivity, referring to slavery, but he is encouraging us not to choose hatred and return to bondage. Kings words, It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. refer to the promise of Psalms 30:5: For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. While it seems that the Lord has been angry with us, by allowing our continued oppression, King says to America, he reminds us that we are not finished. That although the chains of captivity may have been lifted by Lincoln, they are not yet removed. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream, refers to Amos 5:24, But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Kings then offers up a vision that all the listeners and viewers by television can grasp, I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, is almost a direct quote of Isaiah 40:4-5: Every valley shall be exalted, and very mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. King closed his speech by applying the inspiring words of Galations 3:28, And when this happens, . . . we will be able to speed up that day when all of Gods children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, Im free at last. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped right a nation. Given the chance to cast stones, he chose instead to cast a vision. A vision that one day men and women in America would actually one day be equal and free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. This vision is not new. Our Biblical history tells us that Jesus cast the same vision before us thousands of years ago. Throughout the bible, God gave his people a choice between life and death. By standing on the promises of the Declaration of Independence, the actions of Abraham Lincoln, and the tenets of the bible, Kings speech, I Have a Dream speech simply reminded us to choose life, to appreciate life, and to respect our brothers and sisters no matter their race or creed.

Ethical Issues Relating to Halliburton and Iraqi Contracts Essay

This paper examines ethical issues faced by public sector employees and employees of private sector firms that conduct business with and for government agencies. The paper discusses Halliburton, a U. S. defense contractor, in light of the primary issue, several secondary ethical issues, and the impact on stakeholders involved. The goal is to make recommendations for how prospective employees and managers can handle similar situations. Overview of Contracting Activities at Halliburton Since 2001 energy services company Halliburton and it’s subsidiary KBR have performed unspecified services to the U. S. military in Iraq, Kuwait, and serveral other countries under a no-bid, long-term global logistics contract, LOGCAP. During the course of awarding and executing these contracts at least two persons have made the decision to become whistle blowers, a government contracting employee and a Halliburton/KBR procurement employee. The government employee disclosed that Halliburton/KRB was involved in closed-door meetings with the Army Corps of Engeneers that resulted in the no-bid, multi-year, billion dollar contract being awared exclusivley to Halliburton/KBR. (Morning Edition October 29,2004) The procurement employee disclosed that activitities inside Halliburton/KBR resulted in overcharging the government and taxpayers for goods and services and eliminating competition among potential vendors. Specific allegations include soliciting higher priced products and services because the government pays a fee bassed on the total of goods/services procured and manipulating purchases orders to maintain a maximum of $2,500 to avoid the bidding process between prospective vendors. Stakeholders The stakeholders in this situation are the client, the U. S. government; taxpayers who are the investors or funders of the government; the vendors, who through the bidding process maintain a competitive and profitable business environment; and employees who make sure that their employers receive the best value for the services and products they procure. Ethical dilemmas Should employees bring wrongdoing to light and if so, how? Will the decision violate the privacy of vendors or other employees? Is it legal to disclose certain activities related to defense contracts? Secondary ethical issues relate directly to the stakeholders. Is the U. S. government unfairly awarding contracts? Is that awarding process facilitating a culture of overcharging, which is absorbed by U. S. taxpayers. Are vendors intentionally overcharging Halliburton/KBR? Are Halliburton/KBR’s procurement practices eliminating competition in the marketplace?

Heritage attraction Free Essay Example, 2500 words

Subsequently, the growth as well as the development of destinations is typically based on the supply as well as the demand of tourism attractions. A tourist destination providing quality cultural along with historic attractions are seemed to meet the present demands as per the perceptions and the attitudes of the travellers. In this context, the supply as well as demand in relation to tourism attraction is based on historical monuments, natural resources and cultural attractions (DLA, n.d. ). 2.1. Analysis of the Tourism Demand The tourism industry is identified as an important factor accountable for the economic growth of a country. In the present day context, perceptions, behaviors along with attitudes of tourists have changed towards certain heritage destinations that depict culture, history, involvement with local cultural events and archeology. In this regard, historic sites are identified to be the most preferred destinations for global travellers (Huh, 2002). Morocco is culturally rich country having influences from various cultures that include France, Judaism, Spain, the Middle East and Berber. In Morocco, the people regarded honor along with integrity as core values. We will write a custom essay sample on Heritage attraction or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The Moroccan cuisine is also a merge of different cultural aspects (Walroth, 2007). Presently, the travelers visit Fes, the capital city of Morocco in order to acquire a better and comprehensive understanding of the traditional culture and Islamic civilization. It is identified as the old preserved city representing Islamic civilization and Arab World. In this context, the tourists select Fes as a preferable destination with the aim of witnessing the cultural traditions and the history of the Arabian countries. Additionally, the city is considered as a car-free zone due to narrow alleyways and in this regard, the transportation operations are executed with the assistance of mules, handcrafts, foots and donkeys. Respectively, the travelers currently attracted towards cultural traditions visit the capital city in order to experience the cultural values and the traditions of the Islamic civilization as retained from ancient times. Moreover, the tourist s are also attracted towards the city to experience its unique facets such as depicting the blend of old traditional culture and latest outlook of innovation (IDRC, n.d. ). The cultural along with the spiritual life of the city as demanded by the tourists is preserved. In this regard, the tourism demand as identified in the present tourism industry is preserved and the city represents authentic along with unique culture in its medina (Moroccan National Tourist Office, n.d. ).

The Role of the Pancreas in Glycaemic Homeostasis in Terms of Negative Feedback Systems Free Essay Example, 1000 words

The receptors of the pancreas are in command of examining glucose concentrations within the blood as it is decisive in each cell for respiration. Glucose first features within the bloodstream through the glucose transporter receptors articulated on the surface of pancreatic cells marked as alpha- and beta-cells (Szablewski 2011, p. 4). Insulin restores standard intensities of glucose within the blood (Triplitt 2012, p. 5). The central hormones they secrete include glucagon and insulin decisive to the accustomed functioning of the body. Glucagon is predominantly generated by the islets of Langerhans in reaction to minimal blood glucose concentrations. If blood sugar concentrations fall below customary concentrations (such as amid the post-absorptive or fasting state) whereby nutrients derived from a freshly digested meal are no longer being absorbed by the blood (such as amid starvation), insulin secretion remains deterred. Glucagon has several noteworthy effects: (1) it intensifi es the transformation of glycogen to glucose; (2) it augments the conversion of fats to fatty acids, plus glycerol amid adipose tissue and, consequently, the discharge of these elements into the blood (whereby cells can exploit to generate energy); and, (3) it activates liver cells to augment glucose combination, plus glucose uptake into the blood (Rolfes, Pinna and Whitney 2012, p. 108). The delineated influences jointly render enrichment in blood glucose concentrations back to customary levels. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of the Pancreas in Glycaemic Homeostasis in Terms of Negative Feedback Systems or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The liver performs a significant magnitude of functions within the body, such as amassing excess glucose that is not instantaneously necessitated by the blood cells for energy. The liver translates the glucose into glycogen (a starch type of sugar glucose incorporating massive glucose elements). Glucagon triggers the liver to breakdown glycogen back into glucose and released into the bloodstream for consumption by the cells essential for energy creation (Lack 2003, p. 36). When glucose concentrations swell up to initial levels, the islets of Langerhans cease secreting glucagon.