Joyce Morris
English 101
Professor Salsich
9/11/10
The Deserved Right
The Rights for Dignity Shown in Three Essays
There are many examples of situations in life where a person or groups of persons are stripped of dignity in their lives. When a right often taken for granted and expected, is taken away by circumstances it can show us the darker side of human beings. Dignity, a right all humans are born into this world with, is unjustly taken away because of the views of others. Maxine Hong Kingston, Cornel West, and Kofi Annan show us how humans have been denied distinction in three essays.
Kingston’s “No Name Woman” is a prime example of human distinction gone awry. Forced to comply, a demand from a man, "the aunt" obeyed, as a woman of that time was expected to do. A woman, a daughter, a sister, is condemned for her actions. “The village had also been counting”, they were aware of her mistake. She is made insignificant by a village of town folk, who take it upon themselves to be judge, jury and executioner. Her stateliness is further stripped from the aunt by her own brother denying she ever existed. “Don’t tell anyone you had an aunt”, the writer in her silence furthers her aunt’s punishment. A young girl, blooming into womanhood is warned of her aunt’s fate. Her aunt’s life story only stands as an example of what shouldn’t be done by a young woman. Any bearing the aunt has on the niece’s life is done without name, her name never spoken in the fifty years since her death. Dignity stills eludes the dead aunt. Her story any time told still takes from her being.
West addresses the right of dignity in “The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society”. Our history has been a tradition of struggle for decency and dignity, freedom and democracy. West has the view that blacks are seen as less dignified than other races. “Blacks are seen as problem people, rather than people with problems.” Grouped by their appearance and intelligence, they lose their dignity and become interchangeable. The top twenty percent of people share the financial wealth in the world. Eighty percent of the people are stagnating and have declining wages. “We are all in the same boat, on the same turbulent sea.” West feels we are in a society that doesn’t respect each other enough to listen to each other. To give people their own distinction, we need to have empathy for each other. Society needs to recognize and do something to make change to wrong situations. Democracy is also about “giving each person a dignified voice in the decision-making process. West does not feel optimistic about America or the globe as a whole. He has not seen enough change to think things will improve. The democratic tradition, West feels, is a “prisoner of hope.”
In “Nobel Lecture” Annan shows human distinction on a more global level. Annan says, “No one can claim ignorance of the cost that this divide imposes on the poor and dispossessed”. In the twentieth century, countries are so powerful but still suffer with poverty, ignorance and disease. All people are deserving of dignity and the fundamental rights of freedom, food and education. West feels a possible route to provide dignity to all is through the United Nations. The borders that divide people between the powerful and powerless, the free and fettered, and the privileged and humiliated need to be erased to start a change to bring stateliness to all people. Priorities of the United Nations are to eradicate poverty, prevent conflict and promote democracy. For any mix of race, religion or sex to solve these problems would possibly bring distinction to all people. The theory that “there is a growing understanding that human diversity is both the reality that makes dialogue necessary and the very basis for that dialogue” is the thought that runs Annan’s theory. The mix of people in the world makes it a necessity that we get along and respect each other. Peace should belong to all people and be part of our daily existence.
A common theme of human dignity is heard in the three essays. Kingston tells of the Chinese woman who is stripped of her own stateliness and life because of her life choices. Her life decisions were made for her by others. West feels the flawed democratic society may be corrected over time. Hopefully change will be brought on by people wanting dignity for all peoples. The Nobel lecture, told by Annan should be heard so that dialogue can happen to recognize and solve the situations that lead to losing one’s own distinction. Unfortunately the problem of losing bearing on one’s existence is felt worldwide and will continue for some time. The authors’ works display the lost right of dignity in diverse situations.
