Civil Rights Movement: A Letter Home And Waiting For Dan

Can the disagreements of surrounding citizens affect individual Americans? During the Civil Rights Movement, this sure was the case. Kara in “A Letter Home” and Dan in “Waiting for Dan” both were involved in protests during the civil rights movement and they were both put in danger because of disputes between other people. In difference, their individual protests affected Kara and Dan different ways and prior to their events, Dan knew the potential dangers and Kara did not.
What do you think of when you hear the Civil Rights Movement? Martin Luther King Jr., The Vietnam War, and protesting might be a few of the ideas that come to mind. The Civil Rights movement was a time of change. The Vietnam War was a great topic of dispute where Americans …show more content…
Kara was emotionally restricted, but she was not physically moved or injured in any way. Dan was arrested because of his acts in the Freedom Ride and thrown into jail. This means he did not have the granted freedoms he did before. In addition to Dan being physically affected and Kara not, Dan was aware of the dangers of the Freedom Ride. In “Waiting for Dan,” his wife states, “Despite the history of these past dangers, my husband Dan decided to join the ever-growing number of people on the Freedom Ride.” This quote confirms that Dan was cognizant of the risks that come with protesting via the Freedom Ride. On the other hand, Kara states “I hadn’t planned to attend… but I stopped to see what was going on because the crowd was so large…” This quote suggests that Kara was not aware of what events were to come and what dangers (the rocks and M-1 rifles) were present. Despite the facts that Dan and Kara were put in danger because of a dispute between Americans and despite both of their protests were a part of the Civil Rights Movement, Dan and Kara were affected by the protests in different ways and Dan knew what his risks were while Kara did