Societal War
Many freedoms the United States and other countries take for granted are the rights thousands get killed for every month in Pakistan. Rights such as freedom of speech, voting rights, education and simple things such as clean water. Mandela’s book incorporates a self-reflection of his time in prison and shows how his protest showed strength and optimism. In our American society it is shown that democracy is sometimes taken for granted, but the time both Bhutto and Mandela had was not.
Bhutto was fighting to create a democratic government for all of Pakistan. She was the first female leader and the last. Her fight for democracy was an empowerment for all women and a stand against the man. Reflecting on the documentary and article it is evident we take our freedoms for granted, and here Bhutto was fighting for women’s rights and the peoples voice. One of her stances was on religion and is evident through this quote “Muslims believe in the sovereignty of God” (reconciliation). The Quran is based off the idea of love and extremists have flipped it and used it in an evil way which started a societal war. Bhutto says, “They must not sin by taking innocent life, for God alone has the right to give and take life” (Reconciliation). In the United States we have the freedom to express ourselves without the consequence of getting our heads chopped off. Bhutto’s consequence for speaking out was being exiled and couple years after being assassinated. In a democracy we are allowed rights many around the world do not have, Bhutto’s fight for liberation away from this extremist country is one that is respected and should be heard. Mandela shows similar bravery through his years in prison.
Mandela was brave when he was sentenced to life in prison. He faced challenges of racism and unfair treatment from the guards. When the guards started treating them like slaves and taking away their basic freedoms Mandela knew it was time to take a stand against them. The inmates and Mandela were stacking rocks in a container when the guards started harassing them, Mandela then decided it was time for some change. “The guards immediately saw this and threatened us, but we did not increase our pace, and we continued this go-slow strategy…” (Mandela.75). Through this protest and the denial from the guards, Mandela was not going to lighten up his protest for basic equal rights. He asked for simply some long pants and the reply he received was not the best “I replied that if he was willing to give me long trousers, why couldn’t everyone have them” (Mandela.76). Mandela fought for equal rights and strived for equality for all races not just his own. Douglass showed resilience through his life trials.
Douglass was a slave that had to go through hell and back to reach freedom. He was fortunate to have a slave master whose wife was very sweet and giving. She started teaching him how to read and write and this was helping Douglass learn, something that in a democracy everyone has the basic freedom to learn. In his case he had to do it undercover and it worked until his “slave master” brain washed his wife to stop teaching him. During this time Douglass knew he had to learn so he could find his way to freedom. So, he found a way to take his bread and bribe the kids in the city to teach him how to read and write, it was a win situation. Once he learned how to read and write he was able to understand what was going on in the news. Through his sacrifice and the risk, he was taking he was able to find his way to freedom. When learning Douglass’ story, it puts it into perspective and how truly good we have it.
The United States is a democratic country based off the freedoms for all people. Comparing Pakistan and The United States it shows we are truly blessed. The right to vote and the right for all people to go to school are the “little” rights we take advantage of. In Pakistan, women are terrified to go to school for the fear of being bombed by extremist groups. If they go against what extremist thinks is “right” than they are executed. Well, in the U.S. we are currently in a middle of a freedom of speech outrage. Regarding the Kaepernick protest many people have argued what is right or wrong. People use the first amendment to back up their reasoning and others see it as disrespect. When reflecting from our struggle as a country comparing it to Pakistan our situation is a lot better. If this were to happen in Pakistan thousands would have been dead. The point is, our democracy and the freedoms that come with it should not be taken for granted.
Bhutto, Mandela, and Douglass were all inspiring and lived their life in a positive light. Bhutto gave her life for freedom and spoke her truth until it she was assassinated. This type of bravery is what Pakistan is needing and is a story to be told. Mandela stood up for himself and everyone that was in the prison. He stood for equal rights and refused to stay quiet this type of strength is what gave hope to many prisoners. Douglass risked his life to learn and find a way to freedom. Overall, the courage of all three people portrayed and the freedoms we take for granted is undeniable.
Maddys Thoughts 