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Jonathan Rios

Professor Ditch

English 115A

9 December 2020

Man of Steel

Alchemy is the “medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed transformation

of matter…. with attempts to convert base metals into gold” (Alchemy). John Lewis whose life

story was depicted in the graphic novel March: Book One details an underdog story on battling

segregation in America. He had faced obstacles in pursuing his goal but that did not stop him. He

remained resilient and stuck to what he knew best. Which was leading a non-violent campaign

that would end the suffering of millions of people who was just like him. Matthieu Ricard the

author of “The Alchemy of Suffering” talks about how all men in history has suffered. It is up to

the man on how he will turn that suffering into something positive. John Lewis was the biggest

proponent of this. The suffering he had faced throughout the entire novel, was turned into love.

John Lewis was a man of character that had possessed characteristics of forgiveness,

perseverance, and peacefulness. Those characteristics enabled him to take a very hard stand on

non-violence which had greatly affected his activism and would ultimately transform his

suffering.

Even in his childhood, John Lewis had never resulted in violence when his opinion was

not heard. This was especially true when it came to his chickens, “I’d cry, refuse to speak to

them for the rest of the day. Even skip that evening’s meal” (Lewis 32). When money was short,

Mr. Lewis’s parents relied on bartering. This meant giving up livestock to make trades

successful. John Lewis’s decision on sitting out on a meal and refusing to speak to his parents
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that day tells the reader a lot about Lewis’s character. Instead of screaming and arguing with his

parents until he got his way, he acted non-aggressively. He made sure that his action on taking a

stand spoke way louder than any other words he could had uttered to his parents at that moment.

This upbringing will ultimately lead a life for John Lewis to make historic strides within his

community. John Lewis was never taught to stand up for what you believed in. Even if it meant

losing everything. It was already instilled into him. This made his uncle have a keen eye for him

because he knew from the very beginning that he was something special and could make a huge

impact on the world.

Every man has gone through suffering, it up to that man whether he can preserve through

that suffering. Matthieu Ricard the author of “The Alchemy of Suffering” recalls “It is essential

to acquire a certain inner sense of well-being so that without in any way blunting our

sensitivities, … we are able to connect with the depths of our being” (41). We cannot live

through suffering let alone be able to change that suffering without being happy within

ourselves. Without the happiness within ourselves, we cannot get over the hurdle we call

suffering. John Lewis having had practiced self-love for him and his people when it came to

protesting, did not falter. He did not falter because whatever was thrown at him, he did not let it

beat him up. Rather, he had gained love for the enemy. That is why Mr. Ricard makes it

abundantly clear that you must have that self-love for yourself. With that self-love you tend not

to harbor the hate and distastefulness you have for the world. This made John Lewis and his

group successful in organizing sit-ins. They were verbally and physically accosted with on

numerous occasions. Instead of retaliating, they choose to follow the road of peacefulness. This

enabled John Lewis to become a better human being than his opposers and follow the road of

transforming his suffering into something positive.

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John Lewis had never lived a life of resentment but rather a life with forgiveness. If you

were to follow Lewis’s life, you will find out that he is a man of love. Four decades has passed

since his civil rights movement and John Lewis tells a story about a fellow encounter he had with

a gentleman. “After accepting his apology and hugging the father and son, the three cried

together, Lewis remembered” (Malveaux). In February of ’09 John Lewis had come a crossed a

man and his son. That man had admitted to John Lewis that he had ran with a white supremacist

group in the 1970s that was responsible in beating up Mr. Lewis. For John Lewis being able to

think back on the dark times of his life was quite astounding in how he dealt with the situation.

Instead of being overly angry with the man in front of his son, he took an approach that no

regular person would had taken. After accepting his apology, he hugged the man and his son

whilst crying together. During the treacherous times of protesting against segregation. John

Lewis was accustomed to being hated rather than loved. He was used to that tradition, but he did

not let that get in his way of his life. Rather, than having that suffering follow him throughout the

rest of his life, he flipped it upside down. A couple decades later, it is well known that John

Lewis was able to let go of that suffering and forgave everyone who may had took part in his

downfall.

Even though, John Lewis was met with violence, he himself never turned violent. During

his fight against segregation, he releases more newly detailed encounters he had with his

oppression. “Two men set up him, battering his face and kicking him in the ribs” (Park). During

his run-ins with the opposition, he was severely beaten for his point of view. John Lewis was

never threatened with violence because he knew that he would never resort to that type of

behavior. He did not fight fire with fire. Rather, with love. All the moments he was faced with

adversity he preserved. The trait of perseverance had made him a very strong person, and this
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translated into his activism. Non-violence was his motto that he holds true to his heart. He did

not want to stoop to the level of his attackers because he knew that he would not put an end to

his suffering. Suffering that would have last if John Lewis would had confounded to his

opposition. Fighting back would had not solved anything. It would make the problem only worse

and make his objective that much longer. He stared in the eyes of suffering and let out a smile

and an open hug. He was not face with the same ideal but the opposite. Water being splashed

onto his face. Being called names that would make any sane man pick up his fists and dish out a

couple punches to prove a point. Like earlier said, John Lewis was a man of character and only

wanted his people to succeed in a world that he felt was made to be against him.

In other words, John Lewis led a non-violent campaign that was successful due to the

traits he possessed which consisted of perseverance, peacefulness, and forgiveness. Peacefulness

that was instilled in him as early as his childhood. John Lewis being a farm boy had made him

developed personal connections with the animals he took care of. So, when it came time for one

of chickens being sold, he stood up for himself but rather passively. Decades has passed since

John Lewis was last organizing his sit-ins when he encountered a father and his son. The man

had come up to him to apologize for his wrong doings in the 1970s and John Lewis had forgiven

him tearfully. It is no question; life was rough for a protestor that was battling segregation. John

Lewis was one of those protestors. He was severely beaten and accosted with on many occasions

which makes you think he was one tough cookie. Any sane person in his shoes would had given

up and just succumbed to the suffering that was associated with segregation. But that was not

John Lewis, he was a man of steel and wanted to conquer that suffering that his plagued his

community for years. Seeing no end in sight made him a man of perseverance. This will inspire

generations that are forthcoming because seeing the likes of Mr. Lewis, it will only bring
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motivation. Motivation to help anyone that is going through a moment of suffering, feel like it

can be conquer.
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Works Cited

“Alchemy: Definition of Alchemy by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of

Alchemy.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries,
www.lexico.com/en/definition/alchemy.

Lewis, John, et al. March: Book One. Top Shelf Productions, 2013.

Malveaux, Suzanne, et al. “Civil Rights Legend Rep. John Lewis Dead at 80.” CNN, Cable News
Network, 18 July 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/07/17/politics/john-lewis-dead-at-
80/index.html.

Park, Catherine, and FOX TV Digital Team. “John Lewis: 'Good Troublemaker' and Tireless
Activist - a Look at the Life of the Civil Rights Icon.” FOX 5 Atlanta, FOX 5 Atlanta, 18
July 2020, www.fox5atlanta.com/news/john-lewis-good-troublemaker-and-tireless-activist-
a-look-at-the-life-of-the-civil-rights-icon.

Ricard, Matthieu. “The Alchemy of Suffering”. Pursuing Happiness, edited by Matthew Parfitt

and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 34-42.