Free the World

"Freedom"~Lisa Moore

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civil-Rights Leader, 1929 - 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 at his family home in Atlanta, Georgia. King was an eloquent Baptist minister and leader of the civil-rights movement in America from the Mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. King promoted non-violent means to achieve civil-rights reform and was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

King's grandfather was a Baptist preacher. His father was pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. King earned his own Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozier Theological Seminary in 1951 and earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University in 1955.


While at seminary King became acquainted with Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent social protest. On a trip to India in 1959 King met with followers of Gandhi. During these discussions he became more convinced than ever that nonviolent resistance was the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.


As a pastor of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, King lead a Black bus boycott. He and ninety others were arrested and indicted under the provisions of a law making it illegal to conspire to obstruct the operation of a business. King and several others were found guilty, but appealed their case. As the bus boycott dragged on, King was gaining a national reputation. The ultimate success of the Montgomery bus boycott made King a national hero.


Dr. King's 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail inspired a growing national civil rights movement. In Birmingham, the goal was to completely end the system of segregation in every aspect of public life (stores, no separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, etc.) and in job discrimination. Also in 1963, King led a massive march on Washington DC where he delivered his now famous, I Have A Dream speech. King's tactics of active nonviolence (sit-ins, protest marches) had put civil-rights squarely on the national agenda.


On April 4, 1968, King was shot by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was only 39 at the time of his death. Dr. King was turning his attention to a nationwide campaign to help the poor at the time of his assassination. He had never wavered in his insistence that nonviolence must remain the central tactic of the civil-rights movement, nor in his faith that everyone in America would some day attain equal justice.


http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jan/king.html


"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."~Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech. During the 1950's, most African Americans lacked freedom, particularly in the southern United States. They were treated differently from those who had white skin. As explained in Dr. King's speech, people were judged by the color of their skin, not the way they were inside. Dr. King led a march from Montgomery, Alabama to Washington D.C. where he delivered a speech. After his speech, people started creating movements to unify Americans. Because of Dr. King's speech, life in the United States has changed for Americans.

Fate Waits to Reveal Herself

Master of My Fate- M Borgella

Fate

Fate travels in the heart waiting to reveal herself

Dressed in whistles, telling you to listen

Slowly inching out and guiding you towards your destiny.

Fate is a theme used by Coelho in The Alchemist throughout the story. Your destiny is decided by fate and this is how Santiago's destiny was decided. Fate decides everyone's destiny, so let it happen. Be happy with what your destiny is because you won't be able to change it. As I have explained in my poem, fate waits to reveal itself. It won't come out at the beginning of your life neccesarily, it will wait for the perfect time. Fate didn't reveal herself for Santiago until he had the recurring dreams about the treasure. This was when he decided to venture off to pursue his destiny. Fate is a theme of The Alchemist and something that everyone has to face.

My Caring Nature

Child with a Dove- Pablo Picasso (1901)

Listen to Your Heart


“Melchizedek watched a small ship that was plowing its way out of the port. He would never again see the boy, just as he had never seen Abraham again after having charged him his one- tenth fee.” (Coelho 31) Santiago, a well-educated shepherd boy, is the main character in “The Alchemist.” King Melchizedek encourages Santiago to go find his treasure, which is his destiny. He embarks on his journey to achieve his destiny and leaves his home in Andalusia, Spain. As he travels through Morocco and Egypt, he meets with several people who make a difference in his choices and life. Santiago changes during his journey as he finds love, friendship, and enlightenment. Santiago’s faith, dedication, and directness help him to achieve his destiny in the story.

Santiago’s faith helps him advance on his journey to achieve his destiny. Santiago is faithful to his heart throughout his journey. “The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.” (Coelho 128) This passage from the book shows that Santiago is faithful to his heart and he would never betray it. He listens to it throughout the journey and it guides him along the way. Santiago is still faithful to his own god that he believes in. Even though he has voyaged through Muslim countries, Santiago has continued to respect his Christian beliefs and worship God. Santiago is also faithful to the alchemist. He follows him and listens to him throughout the journey and they never betray each other. Santiago is faithful, and his faith helps him move towards his goal; however, faith is not the only characteristic that helps Santiago.

Santiago’s dedication is important and helpful on his quest to pursue his destiny. Santiago is ready to finish his journey and will not give up yet. He leaves the comforts of his home country and goes to new places to find his treasure. “If he wanted to, he could now return to the oasis, go back to Fatima and live his life as a simple shepherd.” (Coelho 152) As explained in the quote, Santiago could simply return to the oasis, but he decides to keep going and to finish what he has started. Santiago continues on his voyage and listens to his heart. His heart helps guide him along the way. Fatima’s encouragement helps Santiago because at one point he considers staying with Fatima at the oasis; but she urges him to keep going. Because Santiago is dedicated, it makes finding his treasure easier; yet, there is a last character trait that guides Santiago to the treasure, his directness.

If Santiago were not direct, he would not be able to pursue his true destiny. Santiago is a very straightforward, direct person. He immediately decides that he wants to become a shepherd because he wants to travel. His father wants him to become a priest, but Santiago yearns to discover new places. “’Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds.’ ‘Well, then I’ll be a shepherd!’” (Coelho 9) Santiago is also direct when he tells Fatima that he loves her. He tells her that he doesn’t want to leave, but she still encourages him to go find his treasure. A last example of Santiago’s directness is when he decides to go back to Fatima after finding the treasure. He doesn’t stop to think about it, but leaves immediately because Andalusia no longer feels like home. Santiago’s directness is a key trait that helps him throughout his adventure.

Santiago’s faith, dedication, and directness help transform him into a more mature young man. These traits serve Santiago as he pursues his destiny in the story. Throughout his journey, Santiago keeps persevering. Perseverance is an important part of pursuing one’s destiny. You will be rewarded in the end if you keep trying and listen to your heart.

I am caring and this will help me pursue my destiny. I do not know what my destiny is yet, but I am caring of others, so maybe I will have a profession where I will help other people. I could be a doctor, or travel to under developed countries and help with their lives, for example. I think that my destiny is to help make the world better. I am not so much interested in just making money for myself, but for helping others to live better lives. If I am caring with people who can help me, I can achieve my true destiny. For example, if I am polite and caring with someone, they may want to help me more than if I was rude. In school, I help my peers with their work to help them succeed. My caring nature will help me be a participant in my destiny.