Kolvenbach + King Literary Analysis

In discussing postcolonial literature, the class has encountered people who face a variety of forms of injustices. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Fr. Kolvenbach each present a distinct guide to justice which serve as a potential solution. Although their ideas were originally documented for different audiences, they contain several similarities.
They both, for example, identify man as the source of injustice and place responsibility upon man to amend it. King recognizes the temptation to view time as a cure. However, he argues that “time is neutral,” (4). Instead he encourages people to make action and make use of time to combat injustice. While Kolvenbach casts blame on man as well, he cites another reason in addition to “lukewarm complacency,” (3). He blames man’s “selfishness” in light of the solutions to injustice which have been made available through modern technology. According to Kolvenbach, in addition to being complacent, “we are simply not willing to pay the price of a more just and more human society.” He refers to this “price” as an integral part of the phrase “‘service of faith,’” (26). He explains that the term refers to the idea that “God invites us to follow Christ in his labors,” (26). 
In short, King and Kolvenbach are in agreement that man must play an active role in combating justice. They believe that until people take the time to understand the root of injustice and then take action to amend it, there will not be meaningful change. In light of these thoughts, I think the idea that “Solidarity is learned through ‘contact’ rather than through ‘concepts’” (34) is an interesting one. While the phrase suggests that physical contact is necessary in order to develop solidarity, I think our experience in the classroom suggests that reading can be a comparable tool. In class, many of us have noted feeling empathy towards the characters in our reading. We have felt despair alongside the Maori people and frustration alongside Okonkwo, for example. These feelings demonstrate that we have entered into the worlds of these characters and related to the injustices they are facing. I certainly agree that there is no substitute for personal contact with injustice, such as through service learning in Baltimore. However, our readings and discussions have allowed us to understand perspectives we may not have otherwise had access to.  

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