Must Read and cite from Liberation and Equality (Fiero, pp. 444-456) answer the questions below in your own words.
1. Briefly describe liberation and literature in the Islamic World. Read Iqbai’s “Revolution” and “Europe and Syria.” Based on the evidence of these two poems, how would you describe the Muslim response to Western values?
Allma Iqbal’s Islamic Poems
Revolution (1938)
Death to man’s soul is Europe, death in Asian
To man’s will: neither feels the vital current.
In man’s hearts stirs a revolution torrent;
Maybe our old world too is nearing death.
Europe and Syria (1936)
This land of Syria gave the West a Prophet
Of purity and pity and innocence;
And Syria from the West as recompense
Gets dice and drink and troops of prostitutes.
2. Briefly describe liberation and literature in Latin America. Read Neruda’s “Untitled Fruit Co. https://immigrationhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PabloNeruda.pdf ” What sentiments dominate this poem? What is the function of Neruda’s mock Last Judgement?
3. Tell us about The Harlem Renaissance. Read “Harlem.” https://online.valenciacollege.edu/courses/103192/modules/items/7192712 To what extent do the circumstances described in this poem (written more than sixty years ago) still pertain?
4. Define the Civil Rights Movement. After reading Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html explain what arguments Dr. King makes for nonviolence and negotiation? Evaluate the claim (line 53) that “groups are immoral than individuals.” Do you believe race relations are improving today?
5. After reading the New York Times article “8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” answer the questions below: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html
What thoughts might you want to share with George Floyd’s friends and family right now? What is one thing we could do – individually, as a group, or as a society – to show support for one another in the wake of these events? What do you want to say about what is happening at this moment? What’s on your mind?
