Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a powerful and influential letter written in response to criticism of the civil rights movement. King eloquently defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance and addresses concerns about the methods used to achieve racial equality. The letter is a masterpiece of rhetoric and persuasion, articulating the moral urgency of the struggle for civil rights. King's powerful words and unwavering commitment to justice continue to inspire activists and readers worldwide. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" remains a cornerstone of the civil rights movement and a testament to the power of nonviolent resistance.
Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Walk Away from Omelas" is a renowned short story exploring the moral complexities of utopian societies. It depicts a seemingly idyllic city where happiness is maintained at the cost of a single child's suffering. The story challenges readers to confront the ethical implications of societal structures and the compromises made in the pursuit of collective well-being. Le Guin's masterful use of allegory and her exploration of profound moral dilemmas have made this story a staple of literature courses and a source of ongoing discussion about ethics and social responsibility. The story's enduring power lies in its ability to provoke thought and challenge readers to examine their own values and beliefs.
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In late October 2023, weeks into Israel’s bombing of northern Gaza, the novelist Omar El Akkad retweeted a video taken by a Gazan man. This video showed a lifeless moonscape with endless empty streets of rubble, every building, one to the next, a hollow blown-out shell of itself. No people, no animals, the only sound the strained breath of this man stumbling through this indiscriminately obliterated city that was once a home. El Akkad captioned his tweet with the words: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this” a tweet that has now been viewed over ten million times. Despite El Akkad’s past as a journalist, one who reported on some of the most notorious and fraught moments in recent U.S. history—whether embedded in Afghanistan, down at Guantanamo Bay, or reporting from Ferguson, Missouri—it was the aftermath of October 7th that was a turning point for him in relation to the West and its notions of humanism and liberalism. Together we discuss his debut work of nonfiction that resulted from this, that many characterize as his breakup letter to the West. We look at the role of language in providing cover for the middle, the centrist, the well-meaning liberal to look away and the power of language to create a climate of dehumanization, allowing the unspeakable to seem tragic but necessary.
For the bonus audio archive Omar contributes a reading of one of his favorite poems by Jorie Graham. This joins everyone from Isabella Hammad reading Walid Daqqa to Roger Reeves reading Ghassan Kanafani, to Zahid Rafiq reading Franz Kafka. If you enjoyed today’s conversation consider joining the Between the Covers community as a listener-supporter. You can find out about all the benefits and rewards of doing so, including how to subscribe to the bonus audio, at the show’s Patreon page.
Finally, here is the Bookshop for today’s episode.
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