Martin+Luther+King+Jr.+Prompt

Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Prompt Imagine that you live in a world where people are separated based solely on their appearance. Not based on skills or the content of their character. Completely on color, height, weight, or any other shallow form of judgment there is to be made. After truly imagining a world such as this, consider what it would really be like to be in that world. How would individuals react or how it would drastically change their life? I’m about to venture into my alternate reality. I’m about to discover what it is really to be discriminated against.

First off, it is essential to understand what my world is like. To make matters fairly simple, I’ll ask my readers to recall what life was like for African-Americans before segregation was lifted. Replace the term African-Americans with Overweight-Americans. Once you’ve done that, you have a fairly good understanding of my new life. I’ll now go a day in my newly concocted, hate-filled world of segregation where the “skinny” people are superior to me and many others like me.

I wake up in the morning and start my normal routine. Once I’ve finished, I head downstairs to see my family before I go to school. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I notice that it is just my father and I in our house. I ask him where my brother is and he has a kind of puzzled look about him. He then informs me that he had to live with some of my relatives because he just wasn’t like us. I couldn’t understand it at first, but then it sank in that life was now very different.

I start to walk to school and I see all these skinny folk give me really dirty looks. Some even shouted insults at me. Insults such as: fatty, lard-boy, and tubby. I try to shrug it off until I get to the school. Although, when I get there, there in big letters says: Thin School Only. So I turned around with my head down and walked towards the bus stop.

When the bus arrived, I got on with extreme hesitance. I looked around and saw all these skinny faces staring at me and further back I started to see faces that were thicker. I realized then that the buses, too, were segregated and that I must sit at the very back. When I finally reach my stop, I get off of the bus and walk up to the school that reads: School for the Fats. Initially I see a few familiar faces but I can’t help but to remember all of my skinny friends who I can no longer see. Who no longer accept me as a person. Friends who are no longer friends. All day I am so distraught. I’m almost too distraught to notice that all of the facilities are worn down, out of date, and barely acceptable for use in a school. When I realized that my weight meant a downgrade in education, I almost couldn’t go on the rest of the day.

After school got out, some of my other “fat” friends and I decided to go grab a bite to eat. When we arrived at the restaurant, we noticed a daunting sign that read: No Fats Allowed. However, we decided to try our luck anyway, and we strolled on in. Once inside, I happened to see some of my skinny “friends”. I tried to approach them but they all started to jerk back with fear and disgust. The manager came to greet us, though, he wasn’t much friendly. He told us that we could leave or his friends, Smith and Wesson could help us find the exit. I was so appalled and frightened that I had no idea what to do. I looked over at my former, skinny comrades for reassurance that this was all some big joke. An elaborate attempt to pull my leg. But what I saw when I looked over was not reassuring. Some were stony-faced and some were snickering. Even worse, I saw genuine hate in their eyes. Feeling absolutely demolished, I made my way for the door with my overweight friends close behind.

I didn’t feel like doing anything else go I just went back home. When I got home I was hoping, just hoping, that I would see my brother. I opened to door to discover that, no, he was not there. I journeyed up to my room to reflect upon my day. I soon realized that not only was that the worst day of my life, but that I would wake up and do it all over again. With that thought, I broke down sobbing. I hadn’t cried in years and take a lot to get me to cry. I wept until I drifted off into a deep, comforting slumber.

I awoke and started my routine. I then went downstairs to see my father, when, who should I see, my brother runs up to me and tells me good morning. I look at my dad with bewilderment but he only stares at me with another quizzical look. I walk to school, but this time, I don’t see a sign that would exclude me from it. Inside I see all of my friends, skinny and fat alike, and they all greet me with the same warm and welcoming smile. I realize that all is well and I can breathe easy again.

When one imagines a world as dark and as cruel as this one or the one we were in fifty years ago, one can really grip the pain of an African-American’s struggle in every day life. We lived in an awful environment with hatred bubbling in the air around us. Now I feel we have become better people and have changed our environment to be better equipped to our new and improved selves. Fortunately, we live in a world dissimilar to my own creation, and I hope to continue in that worl