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Husein
Syeda Husein
Professor Adler
English 1A #32475
26 February 2015
Fighting Injustice
A person can bring a change to the world in many ways. In Writing to Change the
World, Mary Pipher emphasizes how one can bring a difference to the world simply
through their writings. She defines her term of change writing as writing to connect
(Pipher 8). There are various forms of writing and every form conveys a message or
moral that brings a change to an individuals life, or the world. Two writers, Jimmy
Santiago Baca and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., used change writing to share a powerful
message using emotional approach in their writings as they faced racial injustice by being
treated lower than Whites. While they experienced the similar issue of injustice, they had
different writing styles.
In Bacas memoir, A Place to Stand, he tells the stories of his life before prison,
after prison and during prison as he lived in isolation. Illiterate, but his passion for
writing spoke loud as it gave readers hope that life can get better, even in prison. His
strongest form of expressing himself was through being a poet. While on the hand, Dr.
King, wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail to address the White clergymen who
criticized him about his actions for injustice. His civil attitude towards those who treated
him harshly shows readers that violence is never the answer. These two writers made a
difference to the world as their emotional approach in their change writings strongly
impacted readers.

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Through emotional appeal, Baca captivates the readers attention by sharing the
struggles he faced that led him to prison. He grew up in an unstable environment as his
father was in prison and his parents abandoned him and his brother. It clearly affected
him as he grew up because he states, as I grew up, my own eyes came to reflect those of
these drunks, addicts, beggarsthe same despair I had seen through the bars in my
fathers eyeseyes with the despair of an old man who can no longer fight injustice,
(Baca 3). His father faced injustice while he was struggling to get a job that was promised
to him by politicians because whites looked down to Mexicans. In result, his father
became a drunk as it led him to prison. Through the story of his father, Baca tugged at the
readers heartstrings, as they felt sympathetic. Baca also faced injustice himself as he was
arrested for a felony he didnt commit when a vendor was trying to sell him a pack of
cigarettes. Although, Baca was not at fault, he wasnt given a chance to explain his
innocence. He simply states, without asking what our charges were or speaking a word,
we submittedhad we uttered a word, we would have been beaten, (Baca 80). This
shows that Baca knew he had no chance against the power of the authority because he
didnt put up a fight while the Commander swiped his money as they search and stripped
him. In result, the readers felt aggravated as they read Bacas perspective. While using
emotional approach, Baca intensified readers emotions as he shared his struggles through
his memoir.
Comparatively, Dr. King also used emotional appeal as he provided examples that
readers can be personally relate to if they were in the shoes of a Black individual. He
begins with using a mass of people as he makes you picture, vicious mobs lynch[ing]
your [mother] and [father] at will and drown your [sister] and [brother] at whim, and

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[seeing] hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your Black brothers and sister,
(King 3). As Dr. King elaborately used these words, it paints a clear image in the readers
mind as they imagine themselves in those shoes. No one would wish to see their loved
ones in harm or being treated harshly. Dr. King also used an even more personal example
as he talked about children and states how hard it is when they question the injustice they
face. King illustrates a picture of the situation, when you suddenly find your tongue
twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter
why she cant go to the new public amusement park that has just been advertised on
television, and seeing tears welling up in her eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to
colored kids, (King 3). Using examples of ones own children pulls even harder on the
heartstrings as one would never wish their child to face any struggle. Dr. Kings strong
use of examples directed towards emotions had the desired effect on readers as it showed
those clergymen that although, skin color varies, everyone should be treated equally.
Although, Baca and Dr. King used emotional approach, its clear they both have
their own style of writing. Baca found his voice through writing poems as he believes, I
was comforted by the thought that I was bigger than my box I lived out of a box, not in
oneI was a witness, not a victimmy role as a witness is to give voice to the voiceless
and hope to the hopeless, of which I am one, (Baca 244). Its evident that Baca truly
believes he can bring a change to the world as if it was his purpose through his story. Dr.
King found his voice as he became a leader of the SCLC and organized actions for the
injustice Blacks were facing in Birmingham. Although, his actions led him to prison, Dr.
King fought for injustice whilst still locked up. He clearly wanted to make a difference as

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he fought for the equality. These two brilliant writers truly did bring a change to this
world as they shared their struggles and how they overcame it.
Any writer can make a change in this world; it can simply be something that can
change someones habits or save many lives. Baca and Dr. King demonstrated Piphers
term of change writing as they faced many obstacles of injustice but through their
writing, they made the world a better place as their works reached out to many readers
around the world. Just simply write to connect.