John Lewis March Character Analysis

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In the graphic novel, March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, Lewis had demonstrated leadership, but was not always aware of his surroundings and the needs of the world until he encountered stages in his life that had influenced him to help his African American culture. The main events that directed him towards his awakening were, his trip to New York, his first-time hearing Martin Luther King’s speech, and the tragic story of Emit Till. These stages awoke him to the disorder of his surrounding and seemed to have directed him towards fighting for a better future. Without these main events in his life, Lewis would not have strived to achieve his dream of making peace between both ethnicities. On the year of 1951, John’s uncle had arranged for …show more content…
Martin Luther King Jr. speech’s. It was during a talking interview on the radio station, that Lewis was truly moved by the words from Dr. King. Lewis points out, “I felt like he was preaching directly to me (Lewis et al 56).” Sure, several people did hear the message that king was preaching about, but Lewis took King’s words to heart and thought of it as his call to action. Immediately, he began his research on King and followed up on every one of his speeches. One of the things that Lewis began to learn through king’s speeches, was about the boycott that was occurring at the time. King points out, “50,000 negroes are believed to be participating at this time (Lewis et al 59).” When King said those words, Lewis felt as if he had been one of those 50,000 people protesting for their rights because in his young mind, he really did want to support his ethnicity. As time progressed, Lewis admits he was inspired; “Dr. Kings example showed me that it was possible to do more as a minister than what I had witnessed in my own church. I was inspired. (Lewis et al 59).” You would think Lewis would spend his time with young boys his age, but through Dr.King’s speech Lewis knew that at some point in his life he needed to join his people and begin his adventures until they overcome

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