Robery Kennedy: His Life Post 6

The book ends with Robert Kennedy finishing hisvictory speech to a crowd of supporters. Tragically, as he turned to look for his wife, Sirhan Sirhan shot him in the head with a .22 caliber pistol. His bodyguard leaped towards the gunman. The crowd was screaming and crying. A woman in a red party dress said, "No, God, no. It's happened again."(391). At 1:44 am on June 6th, 1968, Robert Kennedy was pronounced dead. His brother, Edward Kennedy, gave a eulogy at his funeral. He said,

"My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. Rather, he should be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it"(393).

These powerful words summed up Robert Kennedy's life. He tried to make the world a better place. He inspired thousands of people to better their lives. He taught his children to love America, but he also showed every American how to: by respecting it's laws and upholding it's ideals even when it's not the popular thing to do. He was an everyday man who did great things. Today, he is buried in Arlington National Cemetary, only 30ft away from his brother, John F. Kennedy. While JFK's grave is elaborate and large, RFK is buried beneath a simple white cross. Americans will forever remember and thank him for the personal sacrifices he made to better our country.

Robert Kennedy: His Life Post 5

Kennedy was on the campaign trail on his quest to become president when martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis. He gave a speech to a rapidly growing African American crowd. He had to tell them that Dr. King was dead. To them, he said this:

"My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in out own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God" (367).

He later continued on this idea by saying:

"What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within out country, whether they be white or they be black" (367).

He urged them not to take out their anger and sadness in a negative way, but rather in a way that would help the greater whole of the country instead of making a terrible situation worse. He was also able to connect with the crowd because his brother, John F. Kennedy, had been assasinated similar to Martin Luther King Jr. i can not imagine how hard it must have been for RFK to give this speech. His advisors didn't even want him to go into the crowd because they were afraid for his safety. I do not think a single person would have wanted to trade places with him during that speech. Not only was it very personal for him, making it very difficult to stay composed, but when he broke the news to the crowd, they were extremely saddened and angered. However, he took this energy and somehow turned it into a want to better our country. His words were inspiring in a time of extreme sadness. This skill helped Kennedy connect with Americans and helped him be remembered for the person we honor him for being today.

Robert Kennedy: His Life Post 4

The more I read this book, the more I believe that Robert Kennedy was a true ethical crusader. Some things he said took real courage and insight to say. He gave a "Day of Affirmation" speech in South Africa to around 15,000 people. He said, "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustive, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep fown the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance"(322). At this, the crowd went wild. I believe this insightful says a lot about RFK and his morals. He realized that even the smallest things one can do to help can make a huge difference in the end. He inspired people and that is why I believe he was such a good politician and human being. Margaret Marshall, who at the time was a student activist but later became the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, said this about Robert Kennedy and his speech: "He put us back into the great sweep of history. Even if it's just a tiny thing, it will add up. He reset the moral compass, not so much by attacking apartheid, but by simply talking about justice and freedom and dignity - words that none of us had heard in, it seemed like, an eternity....How simple it was! He was not afraid"(323). This proves that Kennedy inspired many people to lead better lives and lead them with the proper ideals. It takes someone who is not afraid and is willing to sacrifice a part of themselves, like their reputation or popularity, to get things done in our world. Kennedy was selfless and helped to improve many people's lives. I truly believe that Robert Kennedy was one of the greatest ethical crusaders of his time.