The Determination Effectiveness Of Civil Disobedience

Throughout time, the voices of the poor and the working class were left unanswered. The only way to reach the higher ups was to do either two things, rebel or strike. Even now, we have cases of that happening, such as the Transgender movement, as the Transgender community was looked down upon for being “different” from others. Over time, however, people have begun to understand that without them, huge government based jobs (like the army) would lose many Soldiers, and those who make up a majority of other jobs within the government. Gandhi, a figure who is arguably the symbol of Peace, understands this. Using his vast knowledge about peaceful rebellions, he explained “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Nonviolence are as old as hills. All I have is to try experiments in both on a vast as I could” (Ghandi) Within his lifespan, he peacefully led strikes, which had the government stop using physical force to avoid public critism as well as the media sympathizing with Ghandi with his nonviolent approach. Although his method to get his word out, it was an extremely slow paced movement, but ultimately proved effective. All in all, I agree with how Civil Disobedience is used, as any other type of rebellion would ultimately lead to more hatred.

Civil Disobedience has been used time and time again, but one thing in common each event had was, it was only started by the poor and working, or both. Martin Luther King, was long discriminated even when he was a candidate of the US president, but still paid no heed. When he was thrown in jail, his supporters were justify(ably) angry, as he did nothing wrong but give a speech about equality. Martin Luther King understood this, and made sure they did not do anything that would cause further hatred towards their race. Instead, he wrote and extensive letter about how others in the past had fought (peacefully, hopefully) for the things they loved, like the past Christians. Even though many died fighting in what they believed in, they were respected for their valiant effort and were eventually allowed to practice their religion. Martin Luther King eventually obtained his goal: Equality for Blacks. Not only his peaceful approach was effective, it brought attention to others who were discriminated, and some groups used some of his speeches to refer to to obtain their equality. Martin Luther King’s approach towards Discrimination led others to follow his lead, inspired to be like the hero he was.

Ghandi had marched many rebellions in his life, notably of one of his rebellions The Salt March he lead. They traveled miles to the Salt mine, and one by one his supporters stood in line and received beatings from the soldiers guarding it. News reporters were in awe, as hundreds increasing to thousands became injured over hours. Both the media and the public from all over the world sympathized with them, and a year later Ghandi’s efforts payed off; the tax on the salt was removed by the British. Sheer determination is well respected among everyone, regardless of what bias what one had against him or not.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of Civil Disobedience is only determined by how long the people who rebel themselves can endure it. It requires great patience, as well as a knowledgeable mind to attempt to join one. Ghandi is an example of this, as he withstood both beatings and confinement in his time. Personally, when I first heard the words “Civil Disobedience”, I immediately thought of Ghandi. My inspiration drew to him mainly because again, many of the rebellions he led. All in all, although Civil Disobedience has slow progress, it is the most efficient way to gather support from both followers and the media.

Works Cited

Peterson, Linda H., et al. A Guide to the Norton Reader, Eleventh Edition. Norton, 2000.

Attenborough, Richard, director. Mahatma Ghandi. Landmark Media, 199.