When should Silence be Broken?

Emely Roman

Professor Young

ENGW 1101

                                                When should Silence be Broken?

            On April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech where he openly expressed his opposition to the United States’ involvement in Vietnam. King ignited a fire in thousands of Americans that were greatly opposed to going to war with Vietnam but did not know how to stop the oncoming war. The Americans who were anti-Vietnam felt outnumbered and voiceless against the movement for war. Feeling voiceless occurs very often, even in the absence of extreme situations such as going to war. In everyday scenarios a person can feel as though their opinion is being muffled but do not know when to fight the silence. There is always an appropriate time when a person should speak up for their values. Silence should be broken when an action or idea violates our moral values.        

            Silence needs to be broken when our individuality is at risk. When we are in a group that collectively disagrees with our opinion we tend to silence ourselves to prevent dissonance within our group. “Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world” (King). It is challenging to speak against popular opinion but the more we silence ourselves the more we become one with the crowd. Breaking silence is necessary if we do not want to lose our distinctive values and morals.

            Broken silence is acceptable when other being disrespectful in regards to our morals or values. There are many occasions were our peers bad mouth our views on certain topics and we do not stand up for what we believe in so a possible argument does not arise. I often find myself complying, outwardly agreeing but privately disagreeing, to the attitudes of my friends whenever we all discuss religion. At some point in the discussion everyone begins to mock my religion and Catholicism turns into a topic of humor. Everyone has the right to have varying beliefs but this fact does not give my friends the right to silence me. Having different sentiments does not put someone in a higher standing than another person who does not share their perspective. We must be respectful towards others while voicing our opinions. If an opinion is being made out of malice we must speak out against the ignorance.

            It is imperative to speak out against uninformed comments or stand up against the crowd but there is always a time and place for everything. We should be careful when voicing our opinions in settings where the punishment affects our health, financial status, or living arrangements. We would not voice our opinions to our boss if they had a different outlook on the topic for our boss could potentially fire us for not having the same opinion as them. A similar situation arises when we are presented an opportunity to speak out against the opinions of our family members. If we are to speak out against our parents there is the possibly of being kicked out of the house. Breaking silence is good for our moral integrity but it is not a wise choice in every situation.

            In everyday circumstances we can feel as though our values do not matter or that we are being silenced by something or someone. If our peers collectively go against in what we believe in it is important to speak up in order to keep our individuality. We must also break silence when others are being disrespectful towards our opinions or the opinions of others. Even though it is vital express our freedom of speech and to advocate our beliefs, there is an appropriate time to break silence. Breaking silence is a tough thing to do but if we really cared about what we believe in speaking up should not be a problem. Our words are our most weapons and we must utilize them wisely.

Works Cited

King Jr, Martin Luther. “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” Clergy men concerned about Vietnam. Riverside Church, New York City. Keynote Address. 1967 4 Apr.

Emely Roman

English 1101

Professor Young

Pie and Sibonia: Who is More Free?

What is freedom? This question stumps most people since we are so used to having the ability to do as we please to an extent. When we look up the word freedom in a dictionary several different definitions appear such as: the power to determine action without restraint, the right to enjoy all the special rights of a citizenship, community, or  membership alike, or the absence or release of ties and obligations. The definition of freedom depends on the situation. That is why when we read The Good Lord Bird by James McBride and meet Pie and Sibonia we are posed with the question: Who is more free? The answer lies within reader's definition of freedom. It is a common mistake to assume Pie is more free than Sibona because of her job and the special treatment, but it is Sibonia is who more free becausse of her actions.

We meet the character Pie towards the middle of the book in a chapter with the same name. She is an inside slave who as works the main prostitute in Miss Abby's whorehouse called the Pikesville Hotel. Pie can do just about whatever she wants in the whorehouse for she is the main attraction and makes the most money. "She was right popular. Miss Abby gave her the run of the place, let her choose her own customers more or less, and live as she wanted. Pie even closes down the saloon at times. Them coloreds couldn't hurt her game" (McBride 159). This quote shows Pie's authority and power in her workplace. Pie is second in command behind Miss Abby in the Pikesville Hotel with the ability to arrange her customers in line order of importance, make money money which many slaves could not do, and she wore very nice clothing. However, despite Pie's special treatment she is not free.

In The Good Lord Bird by James McBride Pie is the main attraction in Miss Abby's whorehouse called the Pikesville Hotel and this status gives her power within her establishment. She has the liberty to do whatever she wants, nonetheless she is not free. "I can't ride no place, child. Even with a pass, too many people 'round here know me" (McBride 155). At this point in the book we see the other side of Pie. She may have enough money to buy whatever clothes she wants, yet she cannot leave the Pikesville Hotel. Even if she were to try to escape too many people know her face and they would be quick to alert Miss Abby if Pie attempts to run away. Pie might have special treatment in the whorehouse, but if she were to act out she would get the same reprimands as the lowest slave in the Pikesville Hotel. At the end of the day, Pie is just as much a slave as the other slaves she works with.

Not only can Pie not leave the Pikesville Hotel, but she lives in fear. Within Miss Abby's establishment lies a slave by the name of Darg who watches the other slaves and punishes the slaves who act out. "Git that girl out, or I'll have Darg come up here.

It growed silent. From where I lay, it felt like all the air had left the room. Pie spoke softly--- I could hear the terror in her voice" (McBride 150). Pie keeps to herself and stays out of trouble for the fear of being raped by Darg as punishment for any possible wrongdoings. The fear she has controls her actions and takes away her freedom.

After we are acquainted with Pie, who is very well off for a slave, we are introduced to another slave who is completely opposite from Pie named Sibonia. Sibonia is added to the story in a chapter that is also named after her but unlike Pie she is not an inside slave. “But that silly fool in the middle of the yard, a heavyset, settle-aged colored woman setting on a wooden box, cackling and babbling, she got to cackling louder. She had a large, round face. She was really off her knob the closer you got to her, for up close, the box she set on was pushed deep into the muddy ground nearly up to its top, it was wedged so deep, and she set on it, cackling and warbling about nothing” (McBride 160). At first glance Sibonia appears to be a middle-aged slave living in the pen who was mentally-ill who lives in squalor with all the other outside slaves. Most of the other slaves keep away from her besides her sister Libby. However, McBride soon reveals that Sibonia’s crazy personality is all a hoax. Sibonia has something that none of the other slaves have, privacy. The other slaves in the pen make a point to not interact with Sibonia and this gives her the freedom to plan things such as an insurrection without suspicion. This trick of appearing feebleminded also exempts Sibonia from typical slave work because it is assumed that she is incapable of performing most tasks well. Sibonia’s privacy is what makes her free.

Another reason why Sibonia is more free than Pie is that Sibonia lives without fear unlike Pie. When Sibonia’s plan of a murderous insurrection gets leaked to the judge Sibonia is immediately identified as the leader of the insurrection and brought in for questioning. "Sibonia was calm as a blade of grass. She looked straight at the judge and looked neither sideways nor over his head. 'I am the woman,' she said, 'and I am not ashamed or afraid to confess it" (McBride 175). This part of the story exemplifies Sibonia’s strength and immunity from the presence of fear. Sibonia’s confession automatically sentenced her to be hanged but she did not care. Even when the judge threatened to torture her in various ways if she did not disclose the identities of the other slaves in the insurrection Sibonia did not break. Sibonia was mistreated her whole life so anything the judge and his gang could think to do to her for not talking would be nothing new. Sibonia’s lack of fear gave her courage throughout her life and gave her the freedom to control her own actions.

In The Good Lord Bird by James McBride Pie, the most popular prostitute in Miss Abby's whorehouse, may appear to be more free than Sibona because of her possessions and power in the Pikesville Hotel but we quickly begin to realize that is not the case. Pie has worked as a prostitute most of her life and knows nothing else. Pie lives in fear and is confined to the Pikesville Hotel. Sibonia on the other hand, is freed from responsibilities and fear and does as she pleases. Even her life is at stake Sibonia stands her ground against the judge. It is not chains or Miss Abby that imprisons Pie it is her own actions that take away her freedom.