Places and forms of power

                                Places and forms of power

Introduction:

I am going to talk about Places and forms of power. First of all, I would like to give a definition of this notion: “places” could be important building or institutions that represent a certain form of power, for example Buckingham Palace –a symbol of the British monarchy -, the White – a symbol of the American presidency. A place can also be a country or a state, for example China is a major economic power in today’s world. “Forms of power” is the ability to control others, events, or resources. The ability to make things happen despite obstacles, resistance, or opposition. This of course leads to conflict between those who have power and those who don’t.

This year in class we studied several documents about Places and forms of power and in particular firearms in America.

In order to illustrate this notion I have chosen to talk about the place of arms in America and attempt to answer the question:  Is it necessary to delete the carrying of weapons in the USA?

To answer this question, I will present several documents such as a poster about gun violence, a photo which shows a father and child, a video by Michael Moore “a brief history of America”, a record entitled “gun owners of America” by Ted Nugent and “getting a gun in Colorado” and an extract of novel by Laura Kasischke “The life before her eyes”.

 I/ The life armed of the Americans: often not understood

        For begin, you need to know that the firearms were part of the history of American. The Americans were using firearms to defend against natives and kill English to become free in 1775. After the independence of Americans, they went to Africa for to repatriate black men to exploit them. Once black men became free in 1865, the firearms were used for that black men knew their place. The blacks didn’t have the right to bear arms. Until 50 years where blacks rebelled against this fact. Many white, terrorized, fled to the suburbs and have purchased millions of weapons. In 1955, there were changes in the country due to events related to Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat to a white in the bus. Michael Moore made "A Brief History of America”. This animation is for children to enhance their understanding of American history. The author shows that Americans have become ridiculous. They are afraid of everything and nothing. At the end of the video he shows us a family (including a baby) with weapons. This video shows the US vision with the weapons: they think they are safe with guns. The picture, “father and child”, illustrates that Americans think about guns. In this image, we can see a father holding his son in his arms. The father wears the military trousers and pointing a gun at his son. With the holding of the father, it is likely that the father represents the army that protects his family. Moreover, we can notice that the father did not put the finger on the trigger.

        Today, the carrying of weapons in the US is controversial and raises the question whether or not we should ban the carrying of weapons. Both groups, the NRA (National Rifle Association) and the GOA (Gun Owners of America), defend this right to carry firearms. Ted Nugent, a guitarist, is part of the GOA group and posted a video to encourage people to follow the GOA. In his speech he mentions several times "American dream" and he said that without weapons the people are helpless. In some people the American dream means prosperity. But here, Ted wants to show that because of the suppression of the right to bear arms, they suppress their happiness because they are powerless. In the audio document “Getting a Gun in Colorado”, a man explains that is easy to get a gun in America, and precisely in Colorado. If you are 18, and if you have not committed offenses, you can wear a gun. A permit is not required. We can note that in Colorado they inherited from the Wild West. This can be seen in the way they wear their weapon.

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