Shumsher and King: A Comparative Analysis by Prakrity Shiwakoti

Although they were born nearly four decades apart albeit under different circumstances and places, Martin Luther King Jr. and Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana both played instrumental roles in the abolishment of slavery in their respective nations. 

“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Addressing a crowd of over 250,000 supporters during the March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gratefully acknowledges the members of the Civil Rights Movement and expresses his gratitude and pride at their joint momentous efforts so far. Beginning his speech with great aplomb, King makes an immediate reference to previous American president, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysbug Address which marked the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation and reminds  everyone how it served as a symbol of great hope and a supposed end to the languish of the ‘Negros’ all over the country. His vivid use of metaphors and imagery convey the aspirations of the ‘Negros’ who basked in ‘a beacon light of hope’ under Lincoln’s ‘symbolic shadow’ which was a much welcomed break from the ‘flames of withering injustice’ which  haunted them during that time.

In his appeal to abolish slavery in Nepal, Chandra Shumsher makes effective use of stark contrast in his speech early on by emphatically explaining the country’s admirable reputation of ‘brave people’ with great emphasis-only to point out a vile custom of slavery still present in the society which is ‘unworthy’ of their ‘glorious tradition’.  Thus, he urges the listeners to critically think about the immediate ramifications it imposes on the description of a nation ‘fiercely jealous’ of their ‘independence’. 

King attempts to effectively ground the listener back to reality by dramatically using repetition and parallelism to remind everyone that even after Lincoln’s admirable feat and contribution to their country, ‘a hundred years later’ the ‘Negros’ are still reeling from the ‘manacles of segregation’ and ‘chains of oppression’ which make them void to any opportunity of any material gain or freedom in a society where they are still despised with ferocious contempt. Unlike Luther King, Chandra Shumsher borrows references from historical events which seem to devalue human life and are examples of fiercely hated customs, expressing that although they occurred in other regions of the world as well, they could not be used as excuse to foster the same kind of ‘barbarous and inhuman’ practices in their country.  He ties in his argument with his theme about ‘progress’ and how it brings forth change; fiercely advocating that such an unjust practice has no place in their current society. However, both speakers succeed in thrusting a feeling of outright disdain or at least a questionable perspective towards the concept of slavery early on in the speech.

Referring to the second American Continental Congress as the ‘architects’ who wrote the ‘magnificent’ words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, King reminds everyone of the unfulfilled promise made by the respected Founding Fathers of the nation to the Negro people which has now manifested itself in the form of an unpaid check. By referring to the promise as a ‘sacred obligation’ King instills sympathy for the victims of the affair and reminds everyone of the responsibility on the shoulders of the American government. Chandra Shumsher however, urges the listener to resurface their feelings of national pride and humane ideals to set a new precedent for everyone else to follow by absolving their nation of the ‘prejudicial’ customs of slavery which although are as old as their noble religion itself, are not part of the doctrines of their faith at all.

To avoid overly resentful remarks from government officials and the feeling of pessimistic despair among his supporters, King expertly states his great belief in the American ‘bank of justice’ which he believes has plenty of capacity within its ‘vaults of opportunity’ to support the very basic and unalienable rights of the ‘black people’ along with the same equity shown to the ‘white people’ as well. Similarly, Chandra Shumsher urges the listeners to assess the situation from the viewpoint of a slave in the current community. However, instead of using metaphors to convey the injustice in the society, he provides detailed examples of the mindsets of circumstances involving both sides of the society-the free people and the slaves. He smoothly creates an image of the life led by a free citizen; how his upbringing and opportunities affect his motivations, purpose and responsibility towards the family and the nation. By blessing the people fortunate enough to enjoy the way of life and expressing his hope for similar scenes in the days to come, he urges the listeners (those with a close insight into such a way of life) to feel grateful and now, instead, to look at the state of the slaves who enjoy almost none of the benefits that they enjoy from birth. He explains that the fragility of a slave’s personal/social life, the outright social discrimination and the feeling of a sort of shackled servitude snuff all sense of genuine responsibility he devotes to the nation and his disinterest in the consequences of the everyday events in the society. He powerfully instills a sense of sympathy for the slaves by forcing the listeners to compare the slaves to the lives of mere cattle-both being considered of having the same level of intelligence; however, leaving them to remark that even animals shed tears of exasperation when forced to be separated from their family-something that is considered quite common practice by the society within the lives of slaves in the community.

Full of vivid imagery, King continues to remind everyone about the absolute ‘urgency of Now’, which he believes should be considered as the most imperative and immediate concern of the government. He warns them that the ‘whirlwinds of revolt’ will come as a ‘rude awakening’ to those who dismiss the issue for being of trivial importance-instead, it will manifest itself as a phenomenon reminiscent of invigorating Autumn winds which bring forth freedom and equality. He makes it clear that his campaign will not end until ‘the Negro’ is granted his citizenship rights: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  Similarly, Chandra Shumsher advocates for the rights of slaves in a similar way by presenting comparisons between slave labor and free labor; he makes a compelling argument explaining that slaves have no real incentive for working hard for they are subjugated in the same way by means of whips and lashes no matter where they are sold next. He also makes use of a quote from O’ Sullivan, president appointed to abolish the system in Pemba who stated that the Seychelles Negros involved in free labor were fully three times more efficient, from an agricultural point of view, than the Pemba Negros who were forced to slave under harsh conditions.

One of the biggest reasons Martin Luther King Jr. managed to garner the support of several key authority figures as well the common white people was due to his call for a disciplined and dignified approach while driving forth their protest.  He explains that the means they use to achieve their ultimate goal must be of equal nobility and thus, reminds everyone that their destinies-the white people and the black people, are intertwined and thus, their freedom is bound to one another’s freedom as well. By emphasizing this point, he quells any contempt the ‘black people’ might have against the ‘white people’ while managing to prevent the white people from feeling threatened and ostracized as well. This idea proved effective as the protest turned out to be one of the biggest as well as the most peaceful demonstration of Negros’ fight for freedom. However, in no way did he make just a simple request to grant the black people that freedom-he directly addressed the ones’ dubious of their quest and answered their unasked question himself, “When will you be satisfied?”. When “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream”. His   answer encompasses the hopes of the Negros and expresses their years of frustration using examples from their daily lives such as: being unable to gain proper lodging, voting rights and having even their children stripped of ‘self-hood’ and ‘dignity’ due to harsh discriminations in the society. Chandra Shumsher makes use of various examples from cases of the victims who approached the Government to highlight and bring into focus the various inhumane practices and unjust acts enforced upon those people. By explaining several real-life examples of how separating a slave’s family for the purpose of selling them to different buyers seems to be a somewhat common and frequent practice, he urges one to think of the mental strain and blow to the victims who are unable to free themselves from such a vile custom that casts a negative light on the entire nation itself.

Near the end of his enigmatic speech, King gradually builds up to a crescendo and as he personally addresses the troubles and pains of the people supporting him and comforts them to keep faith in the nation and to hope that it will get  better. ‘I have a dream’. The most recognizable line in his speech then triggers a very moving, inspirational and powerful expression of an outcry for American freedom. From Georgia to Mississippi to even Alabama, known for their vicious racism, he confesses about those places being transformed one day into an ‘oasis of freedom and justice’ where all children can join hands without the restriction of color prohibiting them. He claims that with such a feeling in heart, they are capable of carving out a new ‘stone of hope’ and a ‘symphony of brotherhood’ which would allow them to rejoice in celebration of praise and patriotic nationalism towards the country. King builds up into a final crescendo where he exclaims for freedom to ring from every corner of the nation in an act of great patriotic celebration. “Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Although Chandra Shumsher’s speech doesn’t use nearly as much metaphors and imagery, and lead up to such a rising crescendo near its conclusion as King’s speech, it does succeed in making the listeners consider their stance on the topic of slavery by reminding them of their freedom to choose their own course of action, but encouraging them to incline themselves towards the values of justice and moral responsibility which their ‘God’ teaches them to do.  Both speakers ultimately call upon the awareness and responsibility of the citizens themselves but also to hold hope in their hearts in the form of something powerful and omnipresent like God itself. Thus, both inspired thousands of people to strive for moral justice and the reaffirmation of human rights and freedom for all human beings in their nations thanks to two powerful speeches which now serve as powerful mementos during their quest to achieve their ‘dream’ of racial equality and a nation proud of its noble traditions and customs.