Some people are so worn down by the yoke of oppression that they give up.
Interpretation
Oppression can lead individuals to lose hope and resign themselves to their circumstances.
In this quote, Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to the profound impact of oppression on individuals. The 'yoke of oppression' symbolizes the heavy burdens and constraints imposed by societal injustices, which can exhaust oneβs spirit and lead to a sense of defeat. King highlights the importance of resilience and the need to combat such forces in order to foster hope and empowerment in marginalized communities.
In practice
In a speech about social justice, one might say, 'As Martin Luther King Jr. observed, some people are so worn down by the yoke of oppression that they give up, reminding us of our duty to fight for their freedom.'
This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.
Music is the best consolation for a despaired man
We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.
We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
Israel... is one of the great outpost of democracy in the world
One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society... shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.
There's no reason for the establishment to fear me. But it has every right to fear the people collectively - I am one with the people.
Only the difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice.
A dragon has just flown over the tree-tops and lighted on the beach. Yes, I am afraid it is between us and the ship. And arrows are no use against dragons. And they're not at all afraid of fire." "With your Majesty's leave-" began Reepicheep. "No, Reepicheep," said the King very firmly, "you are not to attempt a single combat with it.
Want of pluck shows want of blood.
I always knew I was gay. I always knew that somehow it would work out.
It is a mistake to look at someone who is self assertive and say, "It's easy for her, she has good self-esteem." One of the ways you build self-esteem is by being self-assertive when it is not easy to do so. There are always times when self-assertiven ess requires courage, no matter how high your self-esteem.
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