Freedom of Speech: Supposedly The Primary Right?

Freedom of Speech Today people might misinterpret the meaning of Freedom of Speech. Freedom of Speech is defined as the right to express ourselves, our thoughts, our beliefs, and our hopes, without getting permission first, from some government official; and without fearing that we will be put in jail for saying the wrong thing. However, if you speak out against sensitive issues, you'll be surprise how fast they'll try to silence you.

I Have A Dream." Genius. N.p., 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.     <http://genius.com/Martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream-annotated>.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. In this photograph to the left it is Martin Luther king Jr about to present his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. There was an estimated 250,000 people in Washington to support this great mans beliefs, as you can see in the picture there are hundreds of thousands of people, black and white. In this speech He demonstrates how everyone should be equal no matter what colour or race you are. After the speech there was several attacks on him including, stabbed in the chest,  his house was bombed and there were threats for him and his family, until he was assassinated in 1968.

In addition to Martin Luther King jr. speaking for the civil rights movement, This cartoon is of Malala Yousafazai from Pakistan who survived an assassination attempt from the Taliban, she was writing a blog about the importance of children attending school, and the Taliban taking over her region. In this cartoon it shows how Malala Yousafazai looks very timid and innocent, as the Taliban group looks scared showing that a young girl can make an impact on a terrorist group like the Taliban. From an average Pakistan citizen to a nobel peace prize winner. She was shot in the face by Taliban because she was speaking out in public, she was expressing the importance of education for girls and the Taliban are in control of the valley she lives in. The assassination attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for this young girl.

"Malala Yousafzai Shot by Taliban." New York Times. NYTimes, n.d. Web. 18 Jan.     2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/opinion/     heng-cartoon-malala-yousafzai-shot-by-taliban.html>.

"Charlie Hebdo Terrorist Attack." manoramaonline. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.

In the same way the Taliban got furious of one’s thought process, This image on the left shows a young girl in front of a shrine for victims who were killed in Paris, due to a Terrorist attack. These 12 innocent people were killed for what they believed in, for writing in a news paper. Now that this had happened the Charlie Hebdo magazine started selling off the charts. this shows that not only did the terrorists fail to destroy that magazine but citizens are now supporting them by purchasing these magazines.

Finally, To the right is a photo of Nelson Mandella who was a world changer. This photo is when he was president of South Africa, his people behind him supporting his beliefs.He was imprisoned for 27 years by the South African apartheid government. His crime? Standing up against a government that was committing extreme human rights abuses against black South Africans.  When he got out of jail all of his people who were on his side were ready to fight and go to war but Nelson Mandela did not want that. He wanted to show positive change and how two wrongs do not make a right. He transformed a country through positive change because he went to jail for many years just to fight for what he believes in. He got rid of apartheid which is, the separation of black people and the white people, giving white people more rights.

"Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela." BlackPast. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015

In conclusion, all of these people made a change to the world and they are all very inspirational stories, but it was no where close to easy, as the government tries to silence you. They try to execute you, or put you away in jail for a almost half of your life all because you had a different opinion. In order to have a civilized world, government and citizens have to embrace freedom of speech.

Works Cited

“Charlie Hebdo Terrorist Attack.” manoramaonline. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://img.manoramaonline.com/content/dam/mm/en/news/just-in/images/>.

“I Have A Dream.” Genius. N.p., 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://genius.com/Martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream-annotated>.

“Malala Yousafzai Shot by Taliban.” New York Times. NYTimes, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/opinion/heng-cartoon-malala-yousafzai-shot-by-taliban.html>.

“Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.” BlackPast. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.blackpast.org/files/blackpast_images/mandela_nelson.jpg>.