The history of the development of civilization on the planet has gone through many complicated stages. Human ancestors went through phases of inequality, crisis, and hunger to build stability for future generations. Many social activists are tied to achieving changes in society at the cost of their lives. For example, these days, the relationship with Africans has become loyal, and people of different races have the same rights in every sphere of life. The other example is an attitude toward women who are completing the work originally aimed at men. Such females were not accepted by society in the past, but the modern world has become more loyal to this change. This essay will cover the key points of history which brought changes in the society of the twenty-first century.
One of the most significant histories and actions in the history of the world is African slavery. This stage of social development can be studied for generations as some experts believe that people should know this part of history to change their societies for the better (Bjorn, 2019). Rodney (1966) states that slavery and trade have always existed, and they played a significant role in the development of several states of the USA and other developed countries. However, when white Europeans came to American lands, trading started to grow at a high rate. The problem of inequality and cruel treatment started to become one of the major, and it negatively impacted the development of the world of those times.
The contribution of famous social leaders became one of the salvation ways as mass protests and strikes forced many slave owners to review their activities and remove restrictions aimed at Africans. Many generations of African people were forced to do hard work for their owners. Consequently, the struggle for freedom became less violent as people got used to the harsh condition of life as a slave. However, when social role models showed those people that they should fight for their rights, many positive changes happened, and the modern world managed to save this peaceful attitude to all races.
When the fight for freedom began, many human deaths happened, and it was difficult to define whether the changes brought positive or negative outcomes. On the one hand, Africans received equal rights with white people, and they managed to create a bright future for their children. On the other hand, this historical moment caused the crisis and rapid changes in social life. Moreover, the world has faced many painful deaths and violations of the government and moral rights. Nowadays, it might be difficult to define whether these changes were completely right or wrong as the reflects of these actions still can be seen in the modern world.
Many historical specialists can say that the slave trade had a great impact on the development of the economy in many countries. For instance, Rodney (1966) believes that Africans and their slavery were crucial for developing the United States as the financial and commercial flow was gaining momentum, and it was completely legal. Moreover, the communication between countries became better because of the slavery trade. Therefore, the study of the slave trade should be viewed from different aspects by using diverse materials provided by both Africans and white owners.
The slavery rules were violent towards women, and the relationship to black females was unfair and unequal. “The Book of Night Women,” written by Marlon James, is one of the masterpieces of the nineteenth century that presented the life of a black woman, her relationships with others, and how she was forced to complete specific work. Lilith is the main figure of the story, and her characteristics describe the strength of the discriminated part of the world’s population and willingness to fight for changes in the future. James (2009) shows that the relationship between slaver and their owners has always been tense, and many boundaries did not allow both sides to set stable relationships. Black women were forced to do an enormous amount of work, and their identity was almost destroyed. This book’s main character is trying to achieve equality and has the same rights as white people.
One of the crucial points of the story became the description of love and its connection to the way of changes that Lilith was trying to create. Marlon James shows the power of love from an unusual perspective, and some readers might see how the relationship with black females has changed and the real cause. All actions described in the book are based on reality, which makes the reader more satisfied with the author’s ability to present the complicated life of slavers. The definition of love in “The Book of Night Women” means freedom, hope for the changes, and survival in these difficult circumstances (James, 2009). The end of the story has a tragic ending, but the author stated that the main character managed to influence the surrounding people and make sure that the world would not become the same in the future.
Every reader can define different outcomes of the story written in the book, and the initial point the author wanted to transfer can be understood in different ways. The strength of black women and their desire to receive freedom could be one of the author’s main points to his readers. Moreover, Marlon James could show other people how difficult the fight for rights was and what sacrifices had to be made.
One of the greatest social leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, were oriented on different writing topics. However, for some people, the masterpieces written by these two authors have connected parts that can be discussed. Martin Luther King described the social principles of people in the United States and this country’s participation in the Vietnam War. Controversially, Malcolm X published his biography called “The dead are arising: The life of Malcolm X,” and this type of writing may be seen as the opposite of the book written by Martin Luther King. Nevertheless, readers, who have a tremendous experience reading complicated books with several different contexts, might mention that these writers have similar goals they want to present to society. One of these goals is morality and its trend, which has been declining for centuries. It might take many tries to understand the connection between the authors and their works. However, when readers realize what similarities these books have, their attitude towards the outside world and society might change.
Both writers show how moral principles are built in societies. The description of the Vietnam War and the biography of one of the famous authors describe how morality improves the quality of life and why it is important for people to adopt these changes in their behaviors and everyday lives. Even during difficult times, every person can stay kind to the surroundings and keep emotions under control. This main idea can be mentioned in both masterpieces.
The life experiences of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were reflected in their writings as morality played a significant role in their lives and the existence of their characters. To decrease negativity in the social sphere, authors discuss all aspects of this problem in their books. Specific quotations can make readers more conscious of their attitude to the surrounding world. Making changes in social life might be one of the key objectives that authors had while writing their works.
To make writing more correct and updated, authors had to understand the role of social organizations and what action they may suggest creating more accurate writings. FBI is one of the common examples of social control that helps people working in the literature sphere stay right in their works. FBI stores information about past and current actions that might affect future changes, and with the right approach, writers can collect useful information from this social organization (Sumner, 2020). Consequently, with the help of external sources, masterpieces can be created.
To conclude everything that has been stated so far, many changes in social life have happened since ancient times, and people should remember the actions of the past to make sure that negativity will not happen in the future. Discrimination, lack of morality, and inequality are the major problems of the previous centuries. Many social leaders tried to save all aspects of their lives for the future generation and give hints that might help prevent the same situations.
References
Bjorn, F. S. S. (2019). Peculiar Rhetoric. University Press of Mississippi.
James, M. (2009). The Book of Night Women. Penguin Group.
Rodney, W. (1966). African Slavery and other forms of Social Oppression on the Upper Guinea Coast in the Context of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Journal of African History, 7(3), 431-443. Web.
Sumner, T. D. (2020). Surveillance, Sexuality, Subversion: A Digital Poetics of Langston Hughes and James Baldwin’s FBI files. DH2020. Web.