Introduction
In their works, Martin Luther King and Gloria Anzaldua describe experience of racial minorities and segregation caused by their color of skin and cultural beliefs. Both works portrays racial community and their social relations with the state and whites. King and Anzaldua portray their values and political beliefs. Both authors prove a view of America as a paradoxical, new world, and black society. The theme of racism and ethnocentrism helps both authors to create images of racial minorities and develop their unique identities and profiles. Thesis Martin Luther King and Gloria Anzaldua describe problems faced by black people and Indian minorities but propose readers similar understanding of prejudices and a threat of racism for modern society.
Racism and Ethnocentrism
In “I Have a Dream”” Martin Luther King creates n image of an African-American who is culturally part white. King states: I have a dream that my four 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” (King, 293). The concept of black culture is certainly at times difficult to protect socially in a state in which racial politics has seldom been as multifaceted as its cultural identity. Through the images and identities King depicts that the cultural nature of Americans had not succeeded in inspiring them to liberate America of racism and racial segregation. To claim interracial conflict within a community in which socially, politically, and economically racial differences are diverse may have appeared fairly untruthful. King’s positions about the identity of African Americans and his thoughts on the role of the black writer have created heated discussions, particularly within Afro-American cultural studies. This speech appeals to many people because it shows that stereotypes are wrong but they are a part of modern life. “All men are created equal” (King, 492) but the yare not socially, and politically equal.
Gloria Anzaldua
In contrast to King, Gloria Anzaldua creates an image of an Indian man faced with racism and necessity to survive in Allan society. “Living in the Borderlands means you fight hard to resist the gold elixir beckoning from the bottle, the pull of the gun barrel, the rope crushing the hollow of your throat” (Anzaldua). The image of the man symbolizes racial minority possibility to grow and develop his personality. He has become both a symbol of ethnic academic fineness and the personification of Indian humanity and ethnic equality. Anzaldua believes that folk and folklore are the main issues to understanding a people’s existence. Through unique cultural symbols and self- identification with a particulate culture people conduct their worldly situation and modify the common practices for survival that transmitted to be passed from generation to generation. Anzaldua views prejudices as a challenge not only to surpass in certain skill but to do so in such a way as to give the impression to the unique image of a story.
Differences between King and Anzaldua
The main difference between King and Anzaldua is their understanding of racial identities and differences. For King, racial differences are caused by the color of skin and ethnicity while for Anzaldua racial differences mean geographical and cultural differences mainly. “To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads” (Anzaldua). In terms of King’s understanding, the African American may rationalize away the disagreement by judging that he is a unique individual. To relegate minority people to less than full human status on the base of their origin in with a particular group, whether the community of people is based on race, class, or religion, is a occurrence that has become more and more impossible to those who are oppressed.
Understanding of Prejudices
For King, prejudice is a negative attitude towards black people because of their racial identity and historical relations with white people in America. “God’s children will be able to sing … sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing” (King, 293). Kings explains that racial problems have deep historical roots and closely connected with the period of slavery and dominance of “whites”. While “whites” are universally proud of their background, contemporary African-Americans are still the target of discrimination and outright racism. The cause of this problems lies in the fact that slaves were seen as a tool deprived of human rights and were unequal to masters. King hopes that “one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood” (King, 492). Exclamation marks, quotes and parallel structure of sentences revealed oral version of the speech and add emotional coloring. For Anzaldua, prejudices are caused by different geographical location and origin of people. Anzaldua attempts to persuade readers that all people are equal and racial discrimination is nothing more than echo of the past which should be overcome. He tries to persuade Americans to be tolerant to other races and nations and stop senseless oppression and discrimination against their neighbors. “To live in the Borderlands means the mill with the razor white teeth wants to shred off your olive-red skin, crush out the kernel, your heart pound you pinch you roll you out smelling like white bread but dead;” (Anzaldua).
Conclusion
In sum, both authors appeal to such universal virtues as tolerance and morals. It is possible to say that King and Anzaldua make their point and pursued the reader to agree with him that all God’s sons and daughter are equal. King and Anzaldua expect that their ideas will help many people to “awake” from long sleeping and start fighting, because the established Constitution grants the right to the populace, and no doubt that in modern society the main role is featured to democracy and liberty.
Works Cited
Anzaldua, G. To Live in the Borderlands Means You. in Exploring Literature: Writing and Thinking About Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay by Frank Madden, Longman, 2004.
King, M.L. I have a Dream, in Exploring Literature: Writing and Thinking About Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay by Frank Madden, Longman, 2004.