Week 10 Discussion

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User Generated

Subject

English

School

Cuyamaca College

Type

Homework

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creary0999

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Surname 1

Student's name

Professor's name

Course

Date

Speaking Up

1. Smith gives examples of times he remained silent but shouldn't have. Are there times in your

life where you felt the same? What happened?

Like Smith, I have a memory of instances where I kept quiet when my voice was needed. I

witnessed a young girl I knew being sexually assaulted by a group of muscled men, but I could

not speak up because I thought I was too weak to defend her. I thought silence was the best thing

I could do; I wanted to be harmed as well. The scenario still haunts me to date, and I regret not

speaking up now that I understand her pain and trauma. I remember when a group of my

classmates beat up a boy on speculations that he was gay. I remained silent and witnessed as it

all unfolded in my eyes; I knew that what they were doing was wrong, but I stayed silent till I

realized that the boy was severely injured. The realization hit me so hard, and I felt the pain run

through my bloodstream; if only I had spoken up, his tormentors could have left him alone. The

guilt of seeing him in class after the incident, wounded, still pains my soul. I feel like I have

failed as a human being in the past, and I currently try to air my voice as much as I can.

2. Smith says "Silence is the residue of fear." What does that mean to you?

Smith's statement that "Silence is the residue of fear" means, to me, that many people in the

world let fear get the best of them and fail to speak up in dire situations; they allow fear to

habitate in places where their voices should. People should realize the power of speaking up and

the difference it can if put into action. Great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr demonstrated

the power of speaking up against oppression, racism, and other societal vices. We should

therefore try to emulate such leaders and learn to overcome our fears. When we speak up, we not

only do it for ourselves alone but also for the voiceless. Dominating over our fears means that we

can make sound decisions that will go a long way in improving other people's lives. Speaking up

against vices such as racism on social media, sexual harassment, and daylight robberies, among

other evils, can help eliminate problems in the world. It is our responsibility to choose to do

right; we should strive to achieve a harmonious society through actions instead of sitting back

and wait for things to fall in place by themselves. One of the bold actions to put into practice is

choosing not to remain silent when our voices are needed.

3. How would you respond to him if given the chance? How can your/our voices help address

social problems in our country?

Firstly, I would salute Smith on his mind-blowing talk. I will show my admiration for how he

contextualizes history, makes it relate to the present, and flawlessly his point home. His piece is

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Surname 1 Student's name Professor's name Course Date Speaking Up 1. Smith gives examples of times he remained silent but shouldn't have. Are there times in your life where you felt the same? What happened? Like Smith, I have a memory of instances where I kept quiet when my voice was needed. I witnessed a young girl I knew being sexually assaulted by a group of muscled men, but I could not speak up because I thought I was too weak to defend her. I thought silence was the best thing I could do; I wanted to be harmed as well. The scenario still haunts me to date, and I regret not speaking up n ...
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Tags: social media sexual harassment harmonious society pain and trauma group of muscled men