Michael Coppola Essays - Civil Disobedience, Violence, Activism

Michael Coppola Civil Disobedience Part 2 Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws as a peaceful form of political protest. When civil disobedience is practiced when appropriate, it can be beneficial to the development of our society. Many past instances of civil disobedience resulted in positive changes in the structure of our society. In between marches, sit-ins, and demonstrations, found in texts 1, 3 and 4, they cause a huge increase in awareness that diverts the changes in society to a positive path. Civil disobedience brings awareness to both problems in society and solutions to those given issues. Within text 1, "Roughly 1,000 young activists [were] marching through the streets of Washington" with the goal to bring awareness to a "Broken' political system". On line 6, activists "blocked traffic and shut down intersections", causing everyone to pay attention to their invaluable message. People couldn't help but to notice the masses of protesters chanting their message. Many everyday commuters had to pass by this demonstration and had acknowledged their message. Alongside this protest, In text 3, 13 Greenpeace activists had attached harnesses to themselves and dangled themselves off the edge of St. John's Bridge in Portland, Oregon. After this courageous and brave demonstration, blocking boats and attracting hundreds of citizens to watch this awe inspiring act, many of these spectators had also paid attention to their crucial message. Some may say although these people relayed their message, some may argue that it was a great disfavor to society, due to the fact that they had stopped great amounts of traffic and work to bring awareness. In text 4, hundreds of students didn't attend to their classes and instead filled the front of the school, protesting against the unrealistic curriculum, stopping the whole school from achieving any kind of work. When you need to be successful, sometimes you must "Take a small hit for the big heist". Sacrificing a part of a day, making a small dent in society is a cost for being able to spread a message to all, for the greater good. Dante Barry from text 1 claims that, " We are here to take a stand, and to make our mark for a better future for the next generation". They needed to leave a mark, or dent to leave a piece of history to inspire many to change for the better, and to leave a long lasting message. Given the supporting evidence, it is very clear that civil disobedience is a healing factor in society in the long run. In between the marches in texts 1 and the activists in text 3, their message will be a long lasting and meaningful seed in societies developments. Although some people may think that demonstrations may harm society, the evidence shows this is not the case.