Looking throughout history there have been many great black leaders some of them took to a public stage to let their voice be heard and some stayed behind the senses and let their actions bring hope to the black community. Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad is an example of a person’s action speaking for her and giving hope to her people where as Martian Luther King Jr.’s I have a dream speech is an example of taking the stage and letting his words inspire millions. Huey P. Newton did most of his work from behind the senses whereas Tupac had one of the greatest stages of all time for inspiring the people. Despite their differences in how they went about leading the black community they lead extremely similar lives. There has always been a common thread the American jeremiad, according to about.com "The American jeremiad is a rhetoric of indignation, expressing deep dissatisfaction and urgently challenging the nation to reform . The term jeremiad, meaning a lamentation or doleful complaint, derives from the biblical prophet, Jeremiah . . .. Although Jeremiah denounced Israel's wickedness and foresaw tribulation in the near-term, he also looked forward to the nation's repentance and restoration in a future golden age.” Throughout the American history this has been the cry of the black community, great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X , Huey Newton, and Tupac have used this to call for the end of black oppression.
HI Josh,
ReplyDeleteI hope that some of what appears here appears in your draft. I like the information you provide about "American Jeremiad." I'm only concerned about the source. About.com is not a credible source. Often, they reproduce text from another source; is there another way that you can locate where they got it from. About.com is like Wikipedia. Keep this in mind as you continue writing.
You bring up many prominent African American leaders. I like that and I think that it is a rhetorical move on your part to establish the ethos of these leaders.
The audience will be familiar with the three Black leaders you include, but identify who Newton is as one of the co-founders of the Black Panther Party. The audience may not be familiar with who he is and what he is remembered by.
MS. C