Jean-Jacques Rousseau who once said, "All men are born free." However, this frankly does not apply to those in George Orwell's novel 1984, as well as modern-day African Americans. Throughout the novel, Orwell uses aspects of government that control everyone and their rights. Although they can challenge Big Brother, they are stopped by the fear of becoming a non-person. No matter how small or big your action is, they can declare you gone forever. This plays a huge role in the black community because black people are constantly afraid to walk down their streets, or whenever a higher authority stops them. They fear their lives more than others, and the society of 1984 limits those in Oceania, just as the world community now limits African Americans. For example, the high murder rates, or the fact that blacks are more likely to experience poverty and how difficult it is to overcome it and find work in this corrupt system. However, many black people have played a huge role in this society, so people should value the lives of African Americans. Therefore, when you hear these names, do not dismiss them or let them be forgotten. Trayvon Martin. An innocent seventeen year old black boy, who was walking home one day without knowing it would be his last day. He was shot dead on February 26, 2012, later his killing had a huge influence on the start of the Black Lives Matter movement. Sandra Bland. Stopped for a "speculative traffic stop", but later found dead hanging in her prison cell. Stefon Clark. Shot and killed in the back of his grandmother's house by Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, two officers from the Sacramento Police Department. The lives of innocent black women and men are in danger every day and this must be highlighted. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay First, there were 722 fatal police killings, and ¾ of them were black. This statistic is disgusting because black people make up only 13% of the US population, yet are five times more likely to be stopped by the police. This plays into the novel 1984 because the people of Oceania can become non-persons and be completely erased from everyone's lives. For example, Orwell adds: “But Syme was not only dead, he had been abolished, a non-person.” A non-person is someone who supposedly did something wrong or went against the government and can easily be replaced or forgotten. Throughout history, Black lives have been exposed to high risk leading to the misfortune of their lives ending or being put in danger. For example, in the article “Remembering the African-American Past” by Glenn Jordan, he writes that “in addition to Harriet Tubman (1931) and Into Bondage (1936), there are other paintings by Douglas, in which blacks are in chains” . This image is an example of one of the many things black people have had to experience. Douglas used the image as a way to show slaves raising their arms and pulling at their chains. African Americans went through traumatic experiences then and today. Although slavery and lynching have been abolished, people still find ways to game the system and dehumanize black people. Furthermore, recently the President of the United States, Donald Trump, compared his possible impeachment to a lynching. Something so far from being impeached. Lynching was used to punish African Americans for no reason. It was one of the most used ways to kill black people, which later ended up being used by the KKK. The fact thatsomeone make such a disturbing joke, which brings up the pain and suffering that young African Americans have had to endure is so devastating and is another example of how America is failing African Americans. Black people need to be seen as normal people and watched carefully so that nothing bad happens. Traffic police cannot simply come to the conclusion that they will hurt someone or that they will be so quick to shoot. This leads to fear of those who are Black and born in America or those who have a Black child. Many parents or people of color need to teach their children or themselves to be more confident or watch out for specific things that could set them up. For example, in the Ted Talk “How to Raise a Black Child in America,” by Clint Smith. He talks about his parents' decisions regarding him and how he feels how hard it was for them to strip away parts of his childhood just so he could come home every night. He further goes on to preach, “Son, I'm sorry, but you can't act like your white friends.” and “You can't fake shooting guns.” because of his parents' fear years earlier of how black people were mistreated. He puts others in danger, and he says he now understands how scared his father was the night he saw him running around with his friends pretending to shoot. He understands now that when the sun sets you have to take off your hood. This sheds light on how black people should be able to do what they want without being afraid, and it applies to 1984 because those who are controlled are afraid to do something because they will be hurt. Another example from Nineteen Eighty-The Fourth is: "How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?" thought Winston. “Making him suffer,” he said. 'Exactly. Making him suffer. Obedience is not enough. Unless he is in pain, how can you be sure he is obeying your will and not his? Power lies in inflicting pain and humiliation.” Through his thoughts and his wonderful way of thinking, this conveys the message of how people in Oceania are suffering and that the government takes control of people's lives, which can also be implied for African Americans because the higher authorities use their powers to harm them and take away their freedom, therefore, the Blacks Live Matter movement is absolutely necessary to solve these problems and allow everyone to have an equal life. Secondly, through pain and suffering, African Americans found an outlet and played a huge role in American society, which is highly despised, however, they were the main reason for contributions to this society. The black community is just like the proles in 1984 because they are despised, however Winston sees it differently. For example, he writes that: "If there is hope, Winston wrote, it lies in the proles." Even though the proles didn't care about fixing the corrupt systems in Oceania, they were still valued and seen as the uprisings who could bring about change. Just like African Americans, they played a huge role in our society, whether it was music, art, or those fighting for civil rights and change in the world. They have played a role in society that people tend to show, instead preferring to overwhelm positivity with negativity, which ends up being unfair to those who have disadvantages. If it wasn't for Martin Luther King, Rosa Park, Obama, Muhhamed Ali or Malcolm X, Langston Huges and many other incredible people who played a role in changing history and showing the true value of African Americans. Additionally, although many African American leaders made an impact, they still faced many challenges, such as poverty. In.
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