Martin Luther King Jr.

I think that Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From a Birmingham Jail is a truly unique document. It provides insight into the mind of one our nation's greatest leaders at one the most important moments in his cause. His letter reads more like a stream of conscious effort than one carefully planned and prepared. His thoughts are poured out on the page, thoughts that define the cause he spent his entire life fighting. Throughout his letter he lays out his support. "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." While his convictions are firm, he refused to accept violence as any part of the solution. His nonviolent action was the key to the long lasting success of his cause. The nonviolence according to King did not "create tension" but instead "[brought] it to the surface." His condemnation of violence both for and against his cause is what made it difficult for his opponents to attack him without receiving some criticism themselves. Most importantly though, King expressed his anger towards the ignorance of so many of those who said they were helping the civil rights movement only to be the ones causing it the most harm.

Reaction to John Holmes

I find the journal entries of John Holmes to be very interesting. So many times you hear of what happened to a celebrity through newspaper accounts or an historians hour by hour account of what led to their death. Holmes’ entries do a great job of not only telling us what happened to Kerouac but also showing us. His detailed descriptions showing how he gained weight, how his mannerisms and speech changed give us a much better idea of what it was like to actually be there with Kerouac as his life spiraled out of control. His entries also give us something else that is very important, how Kerouac’s alcoholism affected his friends. His entries show a deep bond between them. Through heated arguments and disagreements they came out as friends, if not better friends than before. His reaction to Jack’s death demonstrates his devotion to his friend. He had to hear the news for himself before he could truly believe it.