The mid 20th century was a time of racial tension and political unrest not only in the United States but also on a global scale. This racial tension caused many civil activists to stand up and speak against the racial injustice that was going on during this time period. Martin Luther King Jr was one of these civil activists. He quickly rose to fame because of his many speeches on the subject and how he believes in a nonviolence approach. Other activists such as Malcom X disagreed with King and practiced a more radical approach. In Kings "The World House", King clearly states how we are all brothers and that we should live together in peace and harmony. In Malcom X's speech at The Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, he contrasts Kings statement of nonviolence by saying that the African Americans want freedom by any means necessary. These two examples contrast each other and help show both sides of civil rights activists. Joseph Ross wrote an article relating what King said in "The World House" to modern day times. When we consider the way these three sources are connected, it is evident that the conflict between violent and nonviolent resistance to social injustices was the key contributor to many ideas of this historical time in America. 

One major idea of this time period was peace. King was a major advocate of peace and this can be observed through his chapter "The World House". This can be seen when King says, "We have inherited a large house, a great "world house" in which we have to live together   black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu   a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace." This quote is insanely important to help King get his message across. While King mentions the issue of whites verses blacks, he also mentions everyone else who may be facing the same troubles. This shows that King is not solely concerned with what is going on in his own nation, but everyone's nation as a whole. King says all of this without wanting to be violent. While analyzing Malcom X's speech, it is evident that he does not share the same kind of care for the entire world and is more focused on what is going on in the United States. Malcolm X never states that he wants to unite the world, he instead states that he wants to unite all of the Africans of the world. Malcom does state that he wants peace but he contradicts himself by saying that he will get that peace by any means necessary.  Malcom X's speech allows me to understand more clearly the differences between the two extremes. Joseph Ross interprets Kings statement and applies it into modern day life. He says "It's true. No one is far away, not really. We must use this new reality to learn, not just to profit." Ross interprets what King is saying and makes it clear that we should learn and not just profit off of what king is saying here.

Another major idea of this time period is equality. Both Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr speak bountifully on equality. King addresses equality all throughout "The World House" just like when he says "The present upsurge of the Negro people of the United States grows out of a deep and passionate determination to make freedom a reality "here and now"". King is an advocate for equality and has become famous for his beliefs on it. Malcom X is also an advocate of equality. If you analyze these two pieces you can tell however that they have two different stances on how to obtain that said equality. Malcom X is not afraid to do anything in order to get equality. That includes violence and he says in his speech that people should get equality by any means necessary. This shows how radial he was and how he believed in a more radical approach to getting equality. King believed in nonviolence. These two beliefs contrast each other and really show the opposite ends of the civil rights movement. 

Lastly, a major idea of this time period was poverty. In Kings book poverty was a major focus and he made that very clear. Poverty has always been an issue in the world and King openly provides his own solutions and ideas of how to get ride of poverty completely. He even shows us how important poverty is by saying, "Equality with white will not solve the problems of either whites or Negroes if it means equality in a world society stricken by poverty..." King has always spoken on equality and speaking on equality is what made him a national hero. This quote however gives a different perspective. King is saying that equality is important but that means nothing if the world itself is stricken by poverty. Is a civil rights activist ranking poverty above equality? Joseph Ross openly thinks so and even agrees with King when he says "We cannot just roll along blindly, refusing to look at the plight of those who lack the necessities for a dignified human life. Ross gives his own insight while also agreeing with what King is saying. King is not only talking about being poor monetarily, but also emotionally. King states "The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually." This statement alone says a lot. King is trying to tell us that our materialistic items have caused the human eye to turn a blind side to the problems that are going on in the world. Whether it be equality or poverty. Malcom X does not address poverty in his speech because he is too concerned with getting equal rights. Ross provides a second view on what King is saying. He states "Whether it's our use of energy in the first world, or our demand for smart phones requiring minerals from poor parts of the world, our actions here in the United States quickly echo in other parts of the world." According to Ross, King is saying everything we do in first world countries has an effect on the poverty rates of the poorer countries. Both Malcom X and Joseph Ross have opinions on this subject that have helped me understand and interpret what King was saying more clearly in and more depth.  

The civil rights movement was a huge discussion of the 60's. This was a major issue of the time and people wanted a change. After analyzing my two sources I have gained and alternate perspective on Martin Luther King Jr's The world house. At first glace the reader may not see how against violence King is until they compare it to that of Malcom X. Doing so heled me get a better understanding of what King was trying to say. Whereas Malcom X was solely talking about The United States, King was talking about the entire globe. My secondary source was an interpretation of "The Would House" by a credible editor. As he described his perspective of what King was saying it also helped me get a better idea of what he was saying. All three of these sources worked together to show the two opposites of violence and nonviolence that of which were both practiced at the same time about the same issue.

