Revision Letter

Nick Rizzi                                                                                                                  

ENGW 1101

Professor Young

Essay 2

5/1/15

Revision Letter

            When getting back a draft of an essay, I follow a very specific process in order to revise the paper. First, I make sure to read all of the comments on the essay. I take note of what I did well, and what areas of my paper need some improvement. The area I like to focus on most is the content of my essay, and how it can be improved. I feel like grammar and sentence structure can be fixed relatively easily, so that is not an area that I put too much thought into. I just want to make sure that my essay flows and that all of my points and giving of a clear message to the reader.

            If I get back an essay and it is completely marked up and has a bad grade, I may have to consider altering my revising techniques. In that case, I may just have to use the comments given to me in order to completely re-write my entire paper. It may be tedious, but it is easier than trying to fix an essay that is already completely broken. That being said, knowing that revising will improve my final grade of the paper inspires me to work harder at it. It may be annoying and frustrating at times, but, in the end, it is for a good reason.

Essay 2 Draft 3

Nick Rizzi                                                                                                                  

ENGW 1101

Professor Young

Essay 2

4/24/15

The Relevance of A Time to Break Silence

            Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, continues to be relevant in today’s world. Though some of the major racial issues have been, for the most part, resolved, there are still arguments and statements that he made in this speech that relate to our world today and the issues that we face. King discusses governmental hypocrisy, innocent civilians dying due to endless wars that they want nothing to do with, and the voiceless being given a voice. All of these points can be directly applied to some of the bigger problems that we face in our world today. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in regards to these issues in the almost fifty years since King made this powerful speech.

            The whole basis of King’s speech resolves around giving the voiceless a voice. He states, “At this point I should make it clear that while I have tried to give a voice to the voiceless in Vietnam and to understand the arguments of those who are called ‘enemy’”(King). This can be applied to dozens of modern day issues. Whether it is people living in poverty, those who want our country to stop fighting pointless never-ending wars in the Middle East, and even those fighting in the movement for gay rights. All of these groups have powerful arguments, but lack that one powerful voice that brings them the recognition that they have earned and rightfully deserved. King was that powerful voice for the Vietnam War. All of the pleas and wishes of the people against the war, as well as the innocent Vietnamese citizens losing their homes were brought forth due to Martin Luther King Jr. All of these wars and civil rights issues that are relevant today need that one voice. Until then, some of these issues may not ever get solved completely.

            Another point that King alludes to in his speech is hypocrisy by the American government. The government punishes those who act out in violence when, at the same time, they are doing the same thing in all of the wars that they go out at fight. King had always told the people fighting for the Civil Rights movement not to act out in violence. He states,  “But they ask -- and rightly so -- what about Vietnam?”(King) Here the people were questioning why they could not act out in violence if the government was doing the exact same thing thousands of miles away. This point is also still relevant today. In recent history, there have been a lot of issues in racial profiling and shootings that have come out as a direct result. Some examples include the Trayvon Martin case as well as the Ferguson shootings. Also, when the American government has an issue with another country, they go out, bomb them and start a war against them that can last years. When people of our country have an issue with our government, they are told to keep quiet until the government can decide what to do. The American people are punished for lashing out in violence, but their superiors are doing the exact same thing to the people and countries that they disagree with.  In the end, the people have no power, and the American government is taking advantage of their people.

            Another important issue that King brings up is innocent civilians becoming casualties of war. There are always groups of people who never wanted anything to do with war who end up dying. They lose their lives because their country was fighting against a cause that they did not believe in. In regards to the Vietnam War and the innocent Vietnamese people, King states, “I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution there until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries” (King). Here, King goes back to the fact that voiceless people need a voice. These people were begging for both sides of the war to stop. They did not want any more innocent people to lose their homes, lives and families. This is still relevant in the wars that we are fighting today. Not everyone in the Middle East is a member of ISIS, and some American people still fail to understand that. In reality, most of the Middle Eastern people are innocent and think that ISIS is a terrible, disgusting organization just as we do. It is important that our government and our people recognize this. These people should not have to lose their lives because of a disagreement between us, and a terrorist organization that operates near their homes.

            While our country has improved tremendously since King’s Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, a lot of his points are still relevant in our society today. A lot of his major points reflect some of the bigger problems the American people and government are still struggling to deal with today. Hopefully our country can recognize these issues, and di their best in trying to finally resolve them.

Nick Rizzi                                                                                                                  

ENGW 1101

Professor Young

Essay 2

4/3/15

Works Cited

King, Dr. Martin Luther Jr., Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. Clergy and                                Layman Concerned About Vietnam. Riverside Church, New York City. 4 April 1967.Lecture

Freedom

Nick Rizzi             2/13/15
Professor Young
ENGW 1101

Who is Really Free

     In James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird there are two slaves named Sibonia and Pie. Both of these slaves are owned by a white woman named Abby. Sibionia is completely black and works alongside all of the other low-ranking, disrespected slaves. Pie, on the other-hand, is mulatto and works

as a whore. Pie lives in the house and has her own bed and room. Sibonia sleeps on dirt with the other slaves. Pie wears nice clothing and is always bathed and fresh. Sibonia smells of the dirt that she spends her nights sleeping on. While it may seem like Pie lives a much more lavish lifestyle that Sibonia, as McBride reveals more about each character in chapters 11 through 14, you see that Sibonia has more freedom. There are certain qualities about Sibonia’s character that, when compared to Pie’s, showcase the freedom that she has in her life.

     Freedom is not living a flashy lifestyle or having nice clothes to wear. Freedom is the ability to express yourself and not have to hide anything about your personality. Someone who lives a high class lifestyle that has to put on an act the entire time is not free at all. In the presence of her master, Pie states, “You don’t have to do that, missus. I’ll fix it. I promise. I’ll pay for the scarf, missus” (McBride, 150). Here she comes across as very kind and respectful. She wants to look good in the eyes of her superior so that she can continue to live the high class life that she does. Yet, when around other slaves and people who are not of a high class, Pie yells, “Skinflint! Dumbass. Who told you to bring that snuggle-mouth headache in here? Git out!” (McBride, 150) When Pie’s true side comes out, the reader sees can see that her entire life is a lie, ensuring that she has no more freedom than those who spend their nights sleeping on dirt.

     In the eyes of her superiors, Sibonia is nothing. In the eyes of her fellow slaves, Sibonia is an inspiration. Sibonia is the the exact opposite of Pie. Sibonia is not attractive, not respected by her superiors, and does not have any of the luxuries that Pie has. That being said, Sibonia is still more free than Pie. Sibonia is able to be herself around her peers without having to worry one bit. She stands up for herself and her peers and is an example for her fellow slaves to follow. The defining moment for Sibonia is when she is questioned by the judge in regards to the rumored insurrection. Sibionia confesses that she is the leader behind the entire uprising, but refuses to give any other names. She states, “Go ahead. You can even get Darg if you want. I am the woman. I done it. And if I had the chance, I would do it again” (McBride, 175). Here Sibonia proves that she truly is the most respected slave in the entire story. She sacrifices her own life in order to assure that no other slaves get punished for the plan of insurrection. She loses her life, but she proves that she is more free than Pie will ever be. Pie only cares about herself and living a luxurious lifestyle. Sibonia, on the other hand, puts the well-being of others before herself and dies following her philosophy. 

     These two characters of The Good Lord Bird help the reader understand the true definition of freedom. One is not free in any way if they are not able to express themselves around those around them. Though they are both slaves and may never in their lives be completely free, Sibonia has a lot more freedom than Pie does. If Pie ever expressed her true self, she would most definitely be kicked out of the house, and most likely be killed. She has to put on this act of hers which restricts her as a person. Sibonia can be herself around her peers with no fear.