Tow #15- Apotheosis of Martin Luther King by Elizabeth Hardwick

      In honor of it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day I decided to read Elizabeth Hardwick's The Apotheosis of Martin Luther King. Hardwick, a critic, essayist, fiction writer and co-founder of The New York Review of Books, composes a beautiful article of MLK's death on April 4th, 1968. She demonstrates her substantial knowledge through small anecdotes. Hardwick notes that because his unfortunate assassination, the civil rights movement faced a great disturbance as many of the people lost a great leader, as well as supporter. Throughout this piece we are able to see the amount of affection she has towards, even through her morose tone, and the justifiable actions done by him during his fight towards equal rights. Similar to Hardwick's tone, her mood is very depressive towards her audience, evidently activist of the time, and supporters, . At the time the excerpt was written in Memphis, Atlanta (1968) the town is "decaying" (Hardwick 319) and "streets are completely empty of traffic and persons" due to the loss of Martin Luther King Jr. being a devastation for many southern towns. Although his death was a catastrophe to many people Hardwick is able to efficiently and successfully create a piece that mirrors the amazing achievements and aspects of his life. He empowered so many lives, and demanded change. Ultimately she demonstrates the accurate meaning behind MLK's death. Hardwick uses a generous amount of imagery allowing the readers to get a picture of what was going on, along with the reactions of many. Her application of imagery also put emphasis on the hardship she was facing along with the rest of the country. To finish the except she poses a valid question, "What did they mean beyond a wish for the genuine act, a consoling communion with the garbagy streets?"then proceeds to answer it by saying the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve equal rights and that hope should not be lost.  

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - MLK