Quarter 2 Post 2

I didn't read as much as I'd hoped this week, but it's been interesting nevertheless. The chapters I read covered MLK's years at Crozer Seminary, and Boston University.
In these chapters, King delved even more deeply into his religious beliefs, becoming more and more specific. They were combined with his evolving views on moral and political philosophies, and together delivered a complete (yet still developing) set of his opinions. The religious beliefs, however, stood out in particular to me, as I disagree with most of them. As an atheist, it's interesting to read something by a man I respect so much while at the same time I disagree with something he values very much. In the chapter about Crozer Seminary, there was an excerpt from a course paper that he wrote on religion. One passage reads, "It is religion which gives us the assurance that all that is high noble and valuable will be conserved. Such fruits of religion I find to be its greatest virtues, and certainly they cannot be ignored by any sane man. I must now conclude that any atheistic view is both philosophically unsound and practically disadvantageous" (28). This is the first time we see King directly disagree with other beliefs; so far he has only discussed his own. Personally, I don't find it offensive, but I do disagree strongly. I believe that there are many other 'assurances' in the world that are as legitimate as a personal faith, and just as effective. I also disagree that atheistic beliefs are dangerous or impractical. In fact, religion has been more impractical than anything else in the past, as proven by the millions of conflicts over faith in history.
The other thing I noticed in these chapters is King's writing style. I mentioned this in my last post, but I've noticed more since then. The chapters are separated into subsections labeled by headings. Each of these subsections nearly reads like a thesis paper. The main ideas are introduced, then discussed, then recapped with a final thought. While I think this is probably an effect of King's extensive education, I also think it's a natural and easily comprehensible way to write non-fiction. This is not saying that I enjoy writing thesis papers whatsoever.
I can't say that I've found any specific links to what we've been doing in class lately, as we've mostly been working on our stories and finishing up ATPH. I have noticed, though, that MLK's life is beginning to follow the HQP, in a very vague way. This is probably normal, because the HQP must be based off of history and experiences, as it's so common. The teachers and philosophers that he admires act together as a 'supernatural guide,' and we've already been through his 'birth/home' and 'call to adventure.' The 'call to adventure,' I would say, is his quest for a path to social justice.

King, Martin Luther. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Ed. Clayborne Carson. New York: Warner, 1998.

Quarter 2 Post 1

For this quarter's outside reading, I've chosen The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. It conveniently fits right in with the theme of ethical and moral dilemmas that we'll be discussing in class. This week I read the first two chapters, which covered King's childhood and college years. The point of covering all of this right in two chapters seems to be to set the scene but get to his real legacy quickly.

King grew up in a middle class, loving family. It's clear that both his parents had a huge effect on him, and his ethics. Through his writing, one can see the great need King felt to do good in the world. He became enamored with the writing of Thoreau, and decided that "noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good" (14). He also observed the idea of non-violent protest, and admired it. These ideas at such a young age show what a conscientious person King was.

King's writing style is interesting as well. His voice has no quirks or spice to it, but it is not boring whatsoever. On the contrary, it's clear as a bell and inspiring. The story is easy to follow and it's so amazing to be in the thoughts of such an amazing man. His training as a minister and the fact that he was brought up in a family and community of ministers are very apparent through his words. They suggest he'd be a magnificent orator, which as we all know, he was.

King, Martin Luther. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Ed. Clayborne Carson. New York: Warner, 1998.