Three Ways to Meet Oppression
Oppression is an issue that a lot of people have had to deal with for a very long time. People have experienced oppression in various forms like being denied the right to vote, being denied justice by the system, being denied education, and so forth. To cope with oppression, Dr. King indicated that people will use three characteristic ways to do so, that is; acquiescence, physical violence, and non-violence way (Important Solutions to Three Ways of Meeting Oppression by Martin Luther King, 2018). When engaging in acquiescence, an individual that is oppressed will resign him or herself to the doom because they believe there is nothing they can do. In physical violence, the oppressed will engage in battles creating more intricate problems that will also need to be solved. Lastly, non-violent ways can also be used which involve reconciling various truths of the two other ways (acquiescence and violence) to avoid their extremes (Important Solutions to Three Ways of Meeting Oppression by Martin Luther King, 2018). In order to have a better insight into how oppressed individuals cope with oppression, it is imperative to look at the movie “Iron Jawed Angels.” It will help get a clear picture of Dr, King’s three ways of dealing with oppression.
Acquiescence
The film was well crafted to show how these three ways can be exhibited. There are various examples in the film that are evident to acquiescence. For instance, when a group of women was asked by Paul where were politicians when a total of 146 women burnt in a factory because there was no fire escape, one of them replied that the only thing she cares about was how her children were going to eat because they certainly won’t eat ballot papers (Olson, 2016). This is a clear indication that she had already given up and her only role as a woman was to worry about what her children would eat and nothing else even if her life was on the line (Gilbert, 2004). With this type of mentality, women would not have been given the freedom to vote at this time. They would be still looked at as people who cannot make rational decisions and that their only role was to raise children and do house chores.
Secondly, in a way, Alice Paul had decided that she was not going to allow the picture of colored women to be seen in the frontline of the demonstration because it would anger southern Democrats and activists (Olson, 2016). This shows that she had also accepted the fact that black women were not equal to them and had decided that the system was right to segregate them even if they were facing the same oppression (Gilbert, 2004). Another instance that we see acquiescence is when Stevens tries to convince various women to come and help them because they were short-staffed or make a contribution but they decline (Olson, 2016). By doing this, they show that they are satisfied with what women were going through and they would not do a thing to help the situation even if it was contributing a donation or helping the short-staffed National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
Violent ways
The oppressed women in this film also used various violent ways to air their grievances. For instance, when Paul and her fellow members were rallying in front of the White House, some men felt offended and started throwing bottles at them. This led to a fight where 100 women were injured in the process (Olson, 2016). We also see violence when women that were fighting for equality went on to demonstrate even when the U.S. was at war (Gilbert, 2004). They were attacked by the public when the public started throwing stones at them. These individuals were arrested forcefully and charged with “obstructing traffic.” After being prosecuted they were convicted for 60 days (Olson, 2016). While in prison, they were denied basic rights like eating, sleeping, and so forth. When they resisted, they were taken by force, beaten, and thrown into the dungeon on the orders of the warden. In addition, another incident of violence is seen when even after her supporters were arrested, Paul still goes out and demonstrates before the White House (Olson, 2016). There, she is beaten up and arrested too for airing out her views on democracy. In prison, all these NAWSA supporters go on a hunger strike and are forcefully fed food.
Non-Violent Ways
Lastly, we see women using various non-violent ways to try and convince their oppressors why they needed to be treated as equal to men. For example, we see women meeting with President Wilson to try and air their grievances to him and explain to him as to why they should be allowed to vote (Olson, 2016). Another instance of non-violent methods applied is when women visited various offices trying to convince various men that were in power to vote for them so that their agenda could be passed. Most of these men disagree with them while few accept to vote for them in the processes (Gilbert, 2004). Another example of a non-violent way to air grievances is seen when these women try to create awareness peacefully to the public by holding public meetings and giving reasons as to why they should be allowed to vote just like men (Olson, 2016). These demonstrations take place in front of the White House for various days so that they can be heard.
Conclusion
The film, “Iron Jawed Angels” evidently indicated that to be able to conquer inequality, one must put their own individual needs aside and focus on the need of others. One’s morals should not be compromised and that they should be ready to face any consequence as long as their objectives remain intact. The women in this film did not accept to be compromised, threatened, or easily swayed what their goals were. They endured persecution and used all the Dr. King’s ways of meeting oppression until they were freed and they were allowed to vote after various delegates voted in favor of women to vote.
References
Gilbert, M. (2004, February 13). HBO’s “Iron Jawed Angels” reinvigorates the story of the suffragettes – The Boston Globe. Archive.Boston.Com. http://archive.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2004/02/13/hbos_iron_jawed_angels_reinvigorates_the_story_of_the_suffragettes/
Important Solutions to Three Ways of Meeting Oppression by Martin Luther King. (2018, October 3). Maldives Hajj Corporation. http://mhcl.mv/1769
Olson, R. (2016). IRON JAWED ANGELS. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOrD0tH_WaM