Democracy in all its meaning:
Democracy, simply put out, refers to rule by the representatives who are chosen unbiasedly by the majority of people. This also means the same people who have chosen these representatives to chair, had trusted them to respect privacy of the people, keep them safe and represent them to the communities from other countries. As we have seen in Nelson Mandela and Benazir Ali Bhutto’s life story, they have struggled in their own way to restore democracy in their countries while Frederick Douglass has his life-changing story of him becoming free from slavery through reading and writing and all that he did to make sure more African Americans could become free.
Mandela as we all know was the first representative who was voted in a fully democratic election. His life in prison which started differently had gotten him out in the world, fully prepared to restore democracy, faith in people and fight for equal rights and end racial diversity. In the passage, I have seen various stances Mandela had taken over the period of time he spent in prison and become one step closer to freedom. He explains that prison time takes much out of one human being, breaking his inner confidence, humanity and diminishes his individuality. He says prisons were meant to break people and stamp out the spark that makes each of us human. He goes on to saying how great of a mistake the government had done by keeping the prisoners together in Robben Island. The people including Mandela supported each other and kept their determination to be stronger and shared their courage to spark it to multiply. They had started their way towards freedom simply by walking slow pace to protest the unfair treatment. Robben Island had changed two years later and turned into a symbol of racial divide for having no white prisoners and no black warders. The new warders were extremely hostile to his people and instigated common law prisoners against them to shut down any political discussion. Multiple occasions where the prisoners exchanged song about politics and fought for getting a single piece of a newspaper used as a sandwich wrapper to just read what was happening out in the world. Even when he left the island, he left with determination to free people regardless of skin color, race and age. He was ready to put behind what injustice he had gone through. He was adamant to restore democracy fueled by the determination of not one but hundreds and thousands of his people including the white warders who thought the prisoners were criminals but soon came to understand Mandela’s preaching about freedom.
Benazir Bhutto being the first ever prime minister of Pakistan and any Islamic country says a lot about what is happening in Pakistan. In the excerpt, we read about her coming to Pakistan and taking leadership when her brother was poisoned to death. Over the years she went to exile, got sentenced to three years of imprisonment yet she still maintained her influence over people through her party and her promises to create a just society. In her book, we read about her constant urge to let people know how the West has made it difficult for Islam to be perceived as a religion that allows growth towards a just and democratic society and how the fight within the factions in Islam is spreading the wrong message.. She brings in several references from the constitution of Pakistan which is based on the holy Quran, as an example to bring light on what she said. The constitution of Pakistan allows fundamental rights and Bhutto. She also does not deny that extremists has been exploiting the religion that has put negative impacts on democracy. She brought light on the fact that religion is being used and manipulated for purely political purposes by a group who are angry at the West. Analyzing the excerpts, I came to understanding that Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life fighting off the evil that was eating away Pakistan’s democracy. It was the west and the internal fights between the extremists who came from factions of Islams and the people within the government and the opposing party who didn’t give democracy and equality a place in Pakistan that she stressed on improving.
Frederick Douglass, a legendary man as we can say, was born in Maryland in a slave family who never knew his father and was separated from his family, parents at an early life. In his book, he mentions how his owner’s wife, unknowingly laid the foundation in him to read and learn more and to create his path to freedom as time goes. He also mentions in the book of the torture he survived from a professional slave-breaker, the conditions he lived in compared to other slaves who lived pathetically, starving and beaten so hard that callus formed on their back. His mistress who was so kind to him at the beginning, ready to educate him, changed when her husband brainwashed her into thinking it was unlawful to educate a slave. With how little his ability was to read, he read books about freedom which sparked questions and a hundred thoughts in Douglass’ mind. He used food to exchange knowledge with the young kids in the poor white neighborhood and would often convey to the white kids about his deep wishes to be as free as them to spark some thoughts in them. Being able to read and write was one of the turning points in Douglass’ life. He used his potential for the greater good as long after he escaped slavery, he became a national figure when his book came out. He went on to convince President Lincoln to deliver a war effort to free the slaves which led him to declare the Emancipation Proclamation. Even after the death of Lincoln, he never stopped working for the welfare of the African Americans.
Democratic governments till date has been fought to be formed in many countries because they allow people to help set the rules to which all must adhere, and have a say in the decisions that brings good and justice to all. Despite being said to have one of the world’s oldest democracy, the contemporary society that we live in the United States has failed to uphold the true values of democracy. Over the past few months we have seen migrant children being separated from their parents and parents being deported because the government thinks whoever has been living in the States illegally for so long can be now thrown out that easily. Children were put in cages. People do not have access to proper healthcare because they do not have all that money to pay insurance. Our government declined to multilateralism for human rights and global compact for migration. I think the government has come this far because we have let them so. We have put the power in their hand and now we are seeing the consequences.
After reading Frederick Douglass’ story, I can conclude reading and writing can be a huge part of what makes us. He went from a slave who knew nothing to someone who crossed limits to educate himself to a national figure whose book made many to realize- freedom for the African Americans were yet not delivered. Bhutto inspired me that when you believe in democracy and your religion, you can educate the mass about the difference we have been creating by believing the West and the so called religious leaders and extremists who are ready to change religion to feed their political power- through our writing. Writing has the potential to reason with what is wrong with the world and an intriguing platform to reach the mass majority. We can expose the comprehensive side of the society through our writing to provoke thoughts and questions in people that a mere news on the television channel can not.
Mandela as we all know was the first representative who was voted in a fully democratic election. His life in prison which started differently had gotten him out in the world, fully prepared to restore democracy, faith in people and fight for equal rights and end racial diversity. In the passage, I have seen various stances Mandela had taken over the period of time he spent in prison and become one step closer to freedom. He explains that prison time takes much out of one human being, breaking his inner confidence, humanity and diminishes his individuality. He says prisons were meant to break people and stamp out the spark that makes each of us human. He goes on to saying how great of a mistake the government had done by keeping the prisoners together in Robben Island. The people including Mandela supported each other and kept their determination to be stronger and shared their courage to spark it to multiply. They had started their way towards freedom simply by walking slow pace to protest the unfair treatment. Robben Island had changed two years later and turned into a symbol of racial divide for having no white prisoners and no black warders. The new warders were extremely hostile to his people and instigated common law prisoners against them to shut down any political discussion. Multiple occasions where the prisoners exchanged song about politics and fought for getting a single piece of a newspaper used as a sandwich wrapper to just read what was happening out in the world. Even when he left the island, he left with determination to free people regardless of skin color, race and age. He was ready to put behind what injustice he had gone through. He was adamant to restore democracy fueled by the determination of not one but hundreds and thousands of his people including the white warders who thought the prisoners were criminals but soon came to understand Mandela’s preaching about freedom.
Benazir Bhutto being the first ever prime minister of Pakistan and any Islamic country says a lot about what is happening in Pakistan. In the excerpt, we read about her coming to Pakistan and taking leadership when her brother was poisoned to death. Over the years she went to exile, got sentenced to three years of imprisonment yet she still maintained her influence over people through her party and her promises to create a just society. In her book, we read about her constant urge to let people know how the West has made it difficult for Islam to be perceived as a religion that allows growth towards a just and democratic society and how the fight within the factions in Islam is spreading the wrong message.. She brings in several references from the constitution of Pakistan which is based on the holy Quran, as an example to bring light on what she said. The constitution of Pakistan allows fundamental rights and Bhutto. She also does not deny that extremists has been exploiting the religion that has put negative impacts on democracy. She brought light on the fact that religion is being used and manipulated for purely political purposes by a group who are angry at the West. Analyzing the excerpts, I came to understanding that Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life fighting off the evil that was eating away Pakistan’s democracy. It was the west and the internal fights between the extremists who came from factions of Islams and the people within the government and the opposing party who didn’t give democracy and equality a place in Pakistan that she stressed on improving.
Frederick Douglass, a legendary man as we can say, was born in Maryland in a slave family who never knew his father and was separated from his family, parents at an early life. In his book, he mentions how his owner’s wife, unknowingly laid the foundation in him to read and learn more and to create his path to freedom as time goes. He also mentions in the book of the torture he survived from a professional slave-breaker, the conditions he lived in compared to other slaves who lived pathetically, starving and beaten so hard that callus formed on their back. His mistress who was so kind to him at the beginning, ready to educate him, changed when her husband brainwashed her into thinking it was unlawful to educate a slave. With how little his ability was to read, he read books about freedom which sparked questions and a hundred thoughts in Douglass’ mind. He used food to exchange knowledge with the young kids in the poor white neighborhood and would often convey to the white kids about his deep wishes to be as free as them to spark some thoughts in them. Being able to read and write was one of the turning points in Douglass’ life. He used his potential for the greater good as long after he escaped slavery, he became a national figure when his book came out. He went on to convince President Lincoln to deliver a war effort to free the slaves which led him to declare the Emancipation Proclamation. Even after the death of Lincoln, he never stopped working for the welfare of the African Americans.
Democratic governments till date has been fought to be formed in many countries because they allow people to help set the rules to which all must adhere, and have a say in the decisions that brings good and justice to all. Despite being said to have one of the world’s oldest democracy, the contemporary society that we live in the United States has failed to uphold the true values of democracy. Over the past few months we have seen migrant children being separated from their parents and parents being deported because the government thinks whoever has been living in the States illegally for so long can be now thrown out that easily. Children were put in cages. People do not have access to proper healthcare because they do not have all that money to pay insurance. Our government declined to multilateralism for human rights and global compact for migration. I think the government has come this far because we have let them so. We have put the power in their hand and now we are seeing the consequences.
After reading Frederick Douglass’ story, I can conclude reading and writing can be a huge part of what makes us. He went from a slave who knew nothing to someone who crossed limits to educate himself to a national figure whose book made many to realize- freedom for the African Americans were yet not delivered. Bhutto inspired me that when you believe in democracy and your religion, you can educate the mass about the difference we have been creating by believing the West and the so called religious leaders and extremists who are ready to change religion to feed their political power- through our writing. Writing has the potential to reason with what is wrong with the world and an intriguing platform to reach the mass majority. We can expose the comprehensive side of the society through our writing to provoke thoughts and questions in people that a mere news on the television channel can not.