The Barefoot Lawyer Chen GuangCheng

Mr. Chen's village when he was youngblogs.wsj.comIt would be bizarre if someone would oppose their government for a wrongdoing that the local government had done to their own community. Yet, during the Cultural Revolution period in China, Chen GuangCheng a self-taught lawyer was born. As he grows up, he uses his actions to go against the local government to give a more comfortable life to everyone. “Mr. Chen, 40, a blind, self-taught lawyer, displayed anger at the Beijing government for failing so far to investigate the local officials who persecuted him and beat his relatives.  He and his wife, Yuan Weijing, said they remained desperately worried about the harsh treatment of those they left behind in Shandong Province” (Eckholm 3). Mr. Chen, an internationally well-known activist demonstrated traits that shines him a hero. As a hero of his own, he possesses the hero quality of courage and willingness. Courage, being able to do something facing pain or trouble and also having the ability to do something that or inspires people. Willingness, is the desire to do something from the bottom of your heart to make someone feels better. Mr. Chen, a self-taught lawyer has the courage to stand up for everyone’s and fight for their justice and equality when they are being treated differently and also has the willingness and eagerness to help make his community or beyond a better society for many people to have an equal chance to strive for their dreams.

Mr. Chen being interviewedwww.rfa.orgChen GuangCheng changed many people’s life in his village or beyond it by standing against the government to do what is right for the people that are living in his village. The result action of him fighting against the local government was cruel, “In 2005, he brought a groundbreaking lawsuit against his local government in Shandong, for their savage and illegal enforcement of the one-child policy. In retaliation, party officials kidnapped him and sentenced him to over four years in prison” (Lowell 1). This courageous action made him different from everyone else in his village when local government is illegally doing something that harms people. During the government’s cruel action, everyone is fear to stand up because the government has more power than other people. Chen, the only person to stand up for everyone that brought up a lawsuit wanting the government to stop their action. He might understand the consequences for doing something against the government, but he also realizes doing so can bring hope to people that their life is not controlled by the government, they have to stand up for what is right for them. Chen’s action had brought a tremendous amount of hope to everyone in the village except for his family because he had angered the government and they have kidnapped Chen and sent him to prison for 4 years. The quote relates back to the thesis because with his courageous action he helped everyone to bring back justice to their village, but doing so resulted him in the prison. With his courage, he earned a large amount of respect from people in his village and they all have been influenced by him to help others when they are being treated differently. When him and his family safely escaped to New York, and him being sent to prison, he interviews in New York to threatened the Chinese government to open investigate on the local government for retaliation for agitating on behalf of the disabled, farmers and women who were forced to have abortions. “If they don't open an investigation in a timely manner, I will quickly make my next step, then the central government will not have an opportunity to be the good guy'” (Eckholm 6).  Knowing what might will happen if he threatened the officials to open investigate, but he still has the gut to do it because all he wants is equality within between the officials and everyone. By the courage action of himself, it might lead to people having attention on him and support him and let people what he does is for them. With the power of people, hopefully, the Chinese government will open investigate and bring justice to people. This quote relates to the thesis because Chen shows absolute courage to threaten the government for the better good of people that are being harmed. He uses his speech to tell the government I'm not at the place to protect the people doesn’t mean I don’t have the courage to speak out for helping them, it also doesn’t mean that I won’t help them. Chen uses his courage to be the backbone of the people in his village and using all his ways, ability, a power he has to protect the people from the local government in his area.

Mr. Chen being welcomed to New YorkCNN.comChen GuangCheng an unquestionable warm-hearted “barefoot lawyer” in China has the passion and willingness to help many people in his community to strive for their freedom and to have a happy life with their family. After his successful escape to New York to attend NYU for an internship, he continued to study deep about his beloved major law, “Chen has barely paused for breath since arriving in the US: studying law at New York University, giving interviews and lectures and producing this fascinating volume of memoirs in English” (Chen 3). After a safely escape to New York, he has taken none good rest and just continued to study his major, law, and hopefully one day he can use the knowledge he learned to help more people. Even though he was safe in the US, but his heart is still in his community and thinking what can I do to help those people to survive through the tough time. He is also willing to help people in Us by giving interviews, lectures, and producing some captivating memoirs. Even Chen was safe in the U.S., he was still studying is NYU to increase his knowledge about the law so he can help more people and have a better understanding of law when going against the government. This quote ties back to the thesis it doesn’t matter where he is, he still has the heart and the willingness to help people and finding many opportunities to spread his actions. By doing such a thing hopefully it can lead more people to do the same thing as him and to help others are not in the downfall of their life to help them go through their tough times. With his willingness to help people, even when he is somewhere safe or somewhere he doesn’t know, he will never break away from law and helping people. Since Chen is a disabled person, he wanted to help everyone he can especially disabled people. “He plans to learn about disability law, among other topics” (Eckholm 9). Chen is blinded at a young age, he was always treated differently or unfairly by other people, and there was no any law to protect them. When disabled people are treated unfairly in his community because other people think disabled people differs from regular people and they also think they can’t do many useful things than a regular person. He knows what it feels like and he wants those actions to stop. The quote relates back to the thesis because he showed a willingness to help all the disabled when they are discriminated. Using his learning of disability law to help bring back justice to the disabled people. A warm-hearted “barefoot lawyer” Chen GuangCheng, have the willingness from the bottom of his heart to help many people especially disabled people like himself to go through their tough time.

People supporting Mr. Chen in China to give him freedomwww.amnesty.org.ukChen GuangCheng an internationally well-known activist and a blind self-taught lawyer has a courage that no one has to start a lawsuit against the local government to fight for people’s justice and equality when they are being treated differently, especially disabled people like Chen himself. Chen GuangCheng a hero in many people heart by standing up for them to go against the local government about some illegal actions and also using his knowledge of law learned in NYU to go back to his village to help the people that in need to give them a better life. Chen GuangCheng inspires the people in his village by his actions by standing up against the government. He wanted to tell people that don't be afraid of anything, there will be someone here to help you go through it. “BEFORE MY ESCAPE, many friends among human rights activists, common people, and intellectuals felt a very strong sense of powerlessness. Some friends told me that after this thing happened, this voice of powerlessness is almost entirely gone. I think it's great. I've always wanted the common people to believe that one's own strength can change everything” (Fish 2). The action of Chen inspired everyone to feel that they are important to the society and they have the power to make their community a better place. Everyone is important to their society, and it’s crucial that everyone contribute to make their society a better place!

Work Cited

Eckholm, Erik. "Even in New York, China Casts a Shadow." New York Times, 19 June 2012, p. A4(L). Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A293577814/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=fe5778a1. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018.

Fish, Isaac Stone. "'China has to change': Chen on revolution, reform--and the rights that matter." Foreign Policy, no. 197, 2012, p. 43. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A311049390/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=c76d34fc. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018.

Gladstone, Rick. "Dissident From China Expresses Optimism." New York Times, 1 June 2012, p. A10(L). Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A291535777/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=21ed39fd. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018.

"Guangcheng Chen." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2012. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650008348/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=0f60562d. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018.

Lovell, Julia. “The Barefoot Lawyer by Chen Guangcheng Review – a Story of Imprisonment, Escape and Tenacity.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Apr. 2015, www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/23/the-barefoot-lawyer-chen-guangcheng-review-determination.