My Perception of Any Human to Another Essay Sample

My Perception of Any Human to Another Essay Sample Countee Cullen was an outstanding representative of the Harlem Renaissance and his poetry remains topical even now, almost a hundred years after it was published. I find that the poet’s “Any Human to Another” is a masterpiece, and it left its imprint on me the first time I read it. Although I had known about racial inequality before, I used to take it as a bare fact. My parents always told me to treat everybody equally well regardless of their ethnic origin and social status, and it was a dogma to me. But only after reading the poem did I realize what it feels like to be in the shoes of an underprivileged person and understood their perception of the world in which no matter what they do, they will be an underdog because of their skin color. The poem evoked compassion in me. I deeply sympathize with the people who cannot find a place in the sun because of the conceited and arrogant people who think they are masters of the Universe and can decide on a fate of another person as if they were a God. Countee Cullen emphasizes equality of any humans, for we all experience grief and sorrow in the same way. Everybody knows what it feels like to be devastated and how painful it is to live through such strong emotions. However, the poet tells that proud people feel good about themselves by humiliating others, and he metaphorically describes that a wreath of bitter sorrows crowns the head of the one who affronts others. The significance of those words resonates today, almost a hundred years after the poem was published. At a first glance, we live in a politically correct world where minorities have the same rights as anybody else. But if you have a closer look, you will notice that equality exists mainly on paper. And I do not talk about racial equality only. What I mean is irregular allocation of funds across the world, poverty, need and starvation that the rich seem to turn a blind eye to. There are millions of people living in constant pain because of malnutrition, lack of medical care and terminal illnesses. Their lives can be compared to survival. At the same time there are rich people who have personal planes, yachts and grand mansions on each continent of the world. According to the data from Credit Suisse, 1% of the world have the same amount of wealth as the remaining 99% combined. How can we speak of equality here? Surely, large enterprises and corporations give working places to the peopl e in countries of the third world. But how can a person benefit from a salary that keeps them below poverty line? How can they break from a vicious circle of hard work, hopelessness and need? It is a sad fact that these days one can enrich themselves only at the expense of making someone else poorer. And so the gap between the rich and the poor increases day by day and leaves fewer chances for the underprivileged. How do I think that could change? In my opinion, the world should be driven not by the greed for gain but by compassion, mercy and love. People who come to power and great fortune should remember that they are given welfare not to pamper their own ego and lead an extravagant life but to be able to help to the less fortunate of the world. For is it not noble to save a child’s live or build a school that would give people access to education instead of buying the 5th mansion? Everybody else, who is not awfully rich, should remember that they should treat the minorities and the poor with due respect and understanding. After all, we are all human and we do not know what tomorrow will look like, and what life has in store for us. Such a brotherhood of people would make our world a better place to live in.