Compare and Contrast Essay on Literature Pieces

The history of the United States of America cannot be complete without a reference to the struggle for freedom and rights for the African American. The blacks historical milestones have defined the journey to change in the US from the Civil Wr, Slavery, and Activist Movement. The life of Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the fascinating features that ascertains the struggle of the African-American population towards freedom and democracy. This excerpt compares and contrasts literature of the Selma Movie and the I Have a Dream speech of Martin Luther King Jr. about Americas history.

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Selma is a historical film that was written by Paul Webb with Ava DuVernay as the director in the year 2014. The drama represents the three protest marches in 1965 led by four African-American activists concerning the voting rights and racial injustices. The demonstrations were coupled with groups of protestors moving from Selma to Montgomery led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, John Lewis, and James Bevel as the champions of the Civil Rights Movement. Although the video eliminated some of the events associated with the Selma marches, it is an essential piece of literature as an example of a historical drama film. The film is a cast of the protest against the bureaucratic limitation that prevented the Southern Blacks from voting for over 60 years. The group was marching to the capital of the state, Montgomery. However, this move was challenged through intimidation and military brutality that were meant to demoralize the group activists.

Moreover, the author of Selma included with precision the historical accounts of the US into the historical drama. The film shows how the struggle for freedom and rights was a journey of sacrifice and commitment. The tone and the atmosphere of the movie signify how the Southern Blacks had felt the effect of alienation from state participation and constant brutality. The group had exhausted all the avenues for them to be considered as eligible voters but the state administration disregarded their plea. The author includes the events that lead to the demonstration and the brutality the activists faced including the death of Jimmie Lee. King asked the congregation about the death of Lee during his funeral and in a somber manner he responds, No more! That means protest! That means march! That means to disturb the peace! That means jail! That means risk! That is hard! (New York Times). The suspense and surprise associated with events of the film usher the audience to share virtually in the experience of the protesters. The writer and the director persuade the public to uphold the painful historical events since they resulted in the existing structure the American citizens are currently enjoying.

Besides, the objective of the author is to highlight how the historic march to Montgomery was the onset of the revolution in the United States regarding freedom, rights, and democracy. He also outlines how Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical hero for rights and freedom. The audience of the writer of this historical drama is the general community who need to recognize the legendary activism of Martin Luther King Jr. in bringing equality on the American soil. By dramatically bringing out the scenarios of brutality and discrimination, Ava DuVernay and Paul Webb showed how the oppression of the Southern Blacks motivated the activist to resort to mass action against the discriminatory leadership of the whites in the 1960s. The author seeks to change the perception of the public concerning the march to Montgomery as a mere historical event by depicting how it was a solemn sacrifice by the activists to ensure that everybody had been entitled equal privileges irrespective of the skin color.

On the other hand, the march to Washington on August 28, 1963, was concerned with the need for employment and freedom. The march to the city has been noted to be one the largest historical gathering steered by the human right activists. The occasion was organized by the Alliance for Civil Rights, Labor, and Religion led by Bayard Rustin and Randolph Philip. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the reaction of Eugene Connors at Birmingham, had provoked the African-American community because they were yet to witness the anticipated change. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 participants through his famous I Have a Dream speech. The address by King is an essential literary example of a persuasive public speech. The literature was critical for the audience owing to nature of their plea and how they were being treated.

It is essential to note that the speech was characterized by hope for a better future for the Southern residents. The proposal by President Kennedy concerning the Civil Rights received support from the Southern Blacks. In this meeting, somber atmosphere and calmness dominated the entire speech period as King explained each statement with high hopes for the Blacks and the whole American community. Such a scenario was the opposite of methods used during the Montgomery marches as shown in Selma. The audience of the speech was the exact people being oppressed by the discriminatory regimes. Martin Luther King Jr. encourages the Negros saying, we can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horror of police brutality (King Jr.) The style applied to his speech ascertained his intentions for the Blacks to embrace his spirit of hope for the future by stating a parallelism we cannot walk alone we cannot turn back (King Jr.).

In conclusion, the two literature categories used the varied method to attain the intended objective. King addresses the historical injustices that the Negros has suffered in the hands of the military rule that oppressed their agenda through brutality and discrimination. He affirms the emotional and physical suffering of the audience for over one hundred years being a free people in chains and crippled in their land. Nevertheless, King outlines the hope that exists for the people that will if they pursue their real freedom and equality. The author of the Selma film recalls the historical injustices through a historical drama and incorporates the technological skills to improve the emotional appeal for the targeted audience. However, the two literary pieces share a common theme of the fight against societal injustices and discrimination. The significant difference apart from the classification of the literature is the approaches used to communicate to the audience. King reveals the composure filled with hope, but Selma showcases the commotion between the state administration and the protestors.

Work Cited

King Jr., Martin, Luther. I Have a Dream: Speech. N. p., 1962. Web. 2 May 2016.

New York Times. Arts In Selma: King Is Just One of th Heroes. N.p., 25 Dec 2014. Web. 24

May 2016.