Yourlastname 1 Student Name Professor Name Subject Date Similarities and Differences in Politics between Martin Luther King,

Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger Thesis statement: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two politicians that could not be any more different: they lived in different time, have different background and used different methods and ways in their politics, but one thing that unites them is that they wanted a better life for the people of America, and they did their best to improve it. Martin Luther King is a famous figure in history and one of the leaders of the AfricanAmerican Civil Rights Movement. Although his name is very often associated with politics, he never considered himself to be a politician and did not support any particular party. His activity was aimed at supporting the rights of the African-American people in a radical but nonviolent way. Martin Luther King is also famous for being the youngest person to get the Nobel Peace Prize (Wintle 272). Arnold Schwarzenegger is known not only for his acting career, but also political career on the post of the governor of California (2003-2011), member of the Republican Party. Because he was famous before his political career, his success in politics is often said to be overrated. Nevertheless, the politics of Arnold Schwarzenegger had many positive results and is seen by many people as successful. First of all, I would like to speak about the completely different background of these two persons. Martin Luther King, Jr. was prepared to become a cleric from the early childhood, and

Yourlastname 2 all of his political activity was connected with religion and church. He was born to become a civil rights activist and started his activity by giving speeches at a rather young age. On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger came into politics at an older age and did not have enough experience, although he was always interested in politics and was a registered Republican for a long time (Schwarzenegger). He never connected his political activity with the church. These facts do not make Arnold Schwarzenegger a worse politician that Martin Luther King, Jr., but they explain the difference in their outlook and politics. As it can be seen from the given facts, Martin Luther King never entered the politics officially and preferred to be out of it while staying politically active. He did not support either the Republican Party, or the Democratic Party, because he said that the Negro has been betrayed by both the Republican and the Democratic party (Carson 84). His activity lay beyond politics, and at the same time was closely related to it. In contrast, Arnold Schwarzenegger has always claimed that he was a republican, and took part in politics directly by becoming the governor of California. Speaking about the areas of politics of these two people, here we can also see some great differences. The politics of Martin Luther King, Jr. was centered on the Civil Rights Movement. King was a radical opponent of racism and discrimination. He also protected the rights of the poor and was an opponent of the Vietnam War. These are the main topics of his speeches and written works, and we can see that King discussed the most important issues of his time. If we look at the politics of Arnold Schwarzenegger, it is difficult to speak about particular areas. Schwarzenegger was a governor who ruled a whole state, and it means he had to deal practically with all the areas of politics. However, every politician has his or her own programme and

Yourlastname 3 strategy, and Schwarzenegger aimed his politics at labour reforms, tax reforms, and ecological problems. As we see, the areas of politics of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger are completely different, but it can be explained with the fact that their epochs are also different, with different issues to solve and priorities. The issue of racial discrimination was much more serious back in the 1950s, that is why it was paid much attention; while at present politicians have new problems, such as the improvement of the ecological environment due to major pollution. The means of influence that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger used also differ. As I have already said, King gained influence and power by giving radical speeches and sermons which were mostly based on religion. On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger gained popularity by his charisma of a famous actor. It is a rather unusual move, but it proved out to be effective his popularity was the highest among California governors in 45 years (DiCamillo 3). Despite so many differences in their background and politics, Martin Luther King Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger have something in common. First of all they tried their best to make their citizens life better, and in many ways they did it. Speaking about Martin Luther King, Jr., his huge work in the Civil Rights Movement resulted in a great decrease of racial discrimination and protection of the rights of the African-Americans. One of his most important achievements is that he showed everyone that to be radical does not mean to be violent, and that protests can be held in a nonviolent way. Arnold Schwarzenegger also made many improvements, mainly in the area of ecology. Many people are grateful to him for leading California to so-called green living and using alternate sources of energy, which is a very important step.

Yourlastname 4 If we compare the achievements of these two politicians and try to understand who has done more for their people, we will see that it is not so easy to decide. On the one hand, Martin Luther Kings political activity reduced racial discrimination, which is a very serious issue. On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger also did many good things while being on the post of the governor of California, and their achievements cannot be so easily compared. However, in my opinion the influence of Martin Luther King is more global. He inspired many people and made them change their attitude to racism, and he is still a symbol of opposition in the hearts of many Americans. His actions even inspired people outside America. So far, Arnold Schwarzenegger has not gained such a huge influence. His achievements are more local, but this can be explained by the fact that his politics was restricted by the territory of a single state. Also, King acted beyond political parties, which gave him more freedom of speech and action, while Schwarzenegger was obliged to keep to the principles of the Republican Party which he represented. Arnold Schwarzenegger is known to respect Martin Luther King, Jr. and his work. In 2006 he attended the annual Martin Luther King breakfast, where he spoke about all the best qualities of this brilliant man. Schwarzenegger told that Martin Luther King was one of the chosen individuals who can move an entire nation by their ideas of peace, equality and harmony (Globalarnold). In conclusion I would like to say that, in spite of all the differences between the two politicians, they were moved by similar principles in their work, among which was a sincere desire to serve people and to improve their lives. They have both made their important contribution to the well-being of the United States of America.

Yourlastname 5 Works Cited Carson, Clayborne; Holloran, Peter; Luker, Ralph et al. eds. The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr: Symbol of the Movement, January 1957 December 1958. University of California Press, 2001. Print. DiCamillo, Mark, and Field, Mervin. The Filed Poll. San-Francisco: Field Research Corporation, 2011. 5 Dec. 2011. Print. Schwarzenegger, Arnold. No country more welcoming than the USA. CNN. 31 Aug. 2004. Schwarzenegger Honors Dr. Martin Luther King! Globalarnold. 17 Jan. 2006. <http://www.globalarnold.com/en/news_jan_17_2006.htm>. Wintle, Justin. Makers of Modern Culture: Makers of Culture. London: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Yourlastname 6 Outline I. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger are politics with completely different stories. A. Martin Luther King an innate orator, inspirer and radical Civil Rights Movement leader, versus Arnold Schwarzenegger a charismatic actor, republican and reformer. B. Martin Luther King tried to stay out of official politics, while Arnold Schwarzenegger became a member of the Republican Party and the governor of California. C. The area of Kings politics was mainly racism and discrimination issues, while Schwarzenegger focused on labour reforms and ecological problems. D. The popularity of King was caused by his oratory talent and inspiration; that of Schwarzenegger by his charisma and acting career. II. Both politicians made their contribution to the well-being of the USA, though in different ways. A. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought against racism in a nonviolent manner, showing that to be radical does not mean to be violent; while Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a huge step towards green-living. B. The influence and contribution of King is more global than that of Schwarzenegger. III. Both politicians had similar ideals of equality, peace and harmony, which they tried to bring to life, and did to a certain extent.