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Jennifer Le
Professor Jennifer Santiago
Writing and Inquiry in Academic Context II
26 October 2016
What Nobel Peace Prize Winners Have Done for Society
With what many Nobel Peace Prize winners have accomplished throughout history, the
social impacts of Nobel Peace Prize winners have shaped society to value the bond of mankind
working together. What these winners have done for society reveal their humble dreams to make
the world a better place. Previous Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Martin Luther King,
Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa have shown the world what the definition of peacemaking
is. The primary purpose of what these laureates have done to spread awareness to the general
public about what kind of impact the actions of what they have achieved have impacted the
world that has affected our everyday lives. The Nobel Peace Prize winners have made a change
to society and their actions have shaped society as a more open-minded country. The benefits
that previous Nobel Peace Prize laureates have done for society allows them to become more
aware of social problems such as equal rights and peace throughout the world.
The Nobel Peace Prize is an award to individuals that represent significant efforts to
achieve peace. The prize is usually presented to diplomats or mediators that work to prevent war
through diplomacy and peaceful negotiation. The Nobel Peace Prize committee consists of five
people that are chosen by the Parliament of Norwegian. The purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize is
to encourage others to promote peace all over the world and to encourage society to work
together as one. Many winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have significantly changed many
perspectives of individuals due to their actions to make a positive impact towards society.

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Martin Luther King Jr., who has won a Nobel Peace Prize, has promoted peace in the
United States with his popular I Have a Dream speech. His speech has influenced many
individuals to stand together no matter what color their skin is. Kings primary goal was to
promote equality to society and to have citizens of segregated communities come together as
brothers and sisters. Kings speech has improved society to become more open to change and for
racial groups to come together (Logsdon, Murrell 419). This impact has spread awareness to
other communities such as LGBT (Lesbians Gays Bisexuals and Trans-genders) groups and
religious groups to not allow such beliefs to separate communities in society and how these
groups must work together to get through the social issues of the world (Fairclough 5). With
Martin Luther Kings speech, he has promoted non-discrimination, equality, poverty and factors
that initiated from discrimination (Logsdon, Murrell 413).
Equal rights refer to every man and woman of any race being treated equally and fair. In
the past, it was not always like this. For women, they were not given many rights. Women were
not paid enough if they had worked and women were not given many basic rights such as not
being able to vote and having to stay home to take care of the family (Means). With women not
being able to have a say in anything in the 20th century, Alva Myrdal made it her first priority to
push the government for women to have equal rights in the Sweden government policy. Alva
Myrdal is a Swedish female Nobel Peace Prize winner who fought for no use of nuclear
weapons, mainly in Europe. She shared her prize with Alfonso Garcia Robles of Mexico. By
doing this, she influenced the government to allow women to have sex education classes,
contraceptives, abortion, maternal benefits, and rent subsidies for large families. With these
changes, Myrdal has shaped a country that gives women more basic rights than what women
have had previously (Stiehm 266).

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In other countries such as Iran, Shirin Ebadi has protested for equal rights for women
(Monshipouri 3). Shiri Ebadi is the first female Iranian attorney and a human rights activist. Her
accomplishments have encouraged feminism and promotes equal rights globally (Monshipouri
10, 11). She founded the Association for Support of Children's Rights in 1995 and the Human
Rights Defense Center in 2001. She received a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in human rights
and democracy (Monshipouri 3). Ebadis Nobel Peace Prize has promoted a morale boost and
unique victory not only for Iranian women and the democratic and peaceful reform movement in
Iran but also for Muslim feminists throughout the world. Ebadis prize has promoted womens
rights in Muslims as well as communities in Iran (Monshipouri 5). What Ebadi has done for
womens rights has shown what Nobel Peace Prize winners can achieve and push for more
awareness of certain issues.
Nobel Peace Prize winners have their names nominated for special reasons. Many of
them have changed lives and have especially shaped many individuals perspectives. Some
Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa are
some important figures to society. Their actions have impacted a new world and their
accomplishments are worldly known. These individuals have received their prize due to the fact
that they have changed societys perspective in how the world works and how much the world
needs to come together to act as one to bring world peace.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist who believed in nonviolence and equality. By
promoting his beliefs, he would lead nonviolent protests in Birmingham and Selma and support
others who believe that segregation and discrimination are morally wrong (Fairclough 10). His
protests in Birmingham and Selma were the most effective nonviolent protests in recent history
and promoted nondiscrimination towards voting rights (Fairclough 1). Stated previously, Kings

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I Have a Dream focused mainly on equality. His speech reaches to many individuals that do
not understand the powerful meaning of when a community must come together as one to
become strong and powerful. Individuals brought together can help end the discrimination and
segregation, which promotes world peace (Logsdon, Murrell 413). Society can look up to what
he has done to spread awareness for peace. He has promoted non-discrimination, equality,
poverty, and factors that have initiated from discrimination. He has pushed for peace in the world
with his peaceful protests and negotiations with certain groups such as the white supremacy
group to end violence. What King had done back in the 1950s has left a mark in society today; he
has lead marches to end violence, negotiate with other groups to reach his primary goal of world
peace, and encouraged many citizens of his community to have a general open mind (Logsdon,
Murrell 419).
Nelson Mandela was a young lawyer who had goals of ending the apartheid policies of
the South African government. Like Martin Luther King, he led a nonviolent protest against the
racial policies of South Africa. Mandela joined the Africa National Congress, which is a group
that focused on promoting policies such as giving citizens the right of full citizenship and free
education. He was also part of the anti-apartheid movement by leading campaigns against the
apartheid. Mandela led the Defiance Campaign, which was the first large multi-cultural political
movement against the apartheid laws, and the 1955 Congress of People, which was another
movement to end apartheid laws. The 1955 Congress of People protest created the Freedom
Charter, which is a statement to the South African government protesting for freedom and equal
rights. For his actions, Mandela was arrested in 1956 for treason with hundreds of other
protesters (Biography.com). While Mandela was in jail, he was widely accepted by everyone due
to his heroic actions in ending these policies. Mandelas personality was one reason why he has

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so many supporters. His supporters appreciated his interpersonal skills and his presence of being
able to appeal to the public (Lieberfeld 230). After he was released from prison, he was
introduced as the first black president in South Africa (Biography.com). Nelson Mandela is a role
model to society due to his reputation as a peacemaker. He had the potential to promote peace
and his peacemaking skills changed society by introducing a new perspective to the world about
the apartheid. Mandela was able to bring people on board with his views by his personality.
Many individuals promote others to mock his character (Lieberfeld 233). While Mandelas
characteristics and personal traits have aided him to become a better peacemaker to the world,
Mandelas personality has shown to have a positive impact on social change (Lieberfeld 246).
Due to what Mandela has done for South Africa, July 18th is declared as Mandela Day to
promote global peace and celebrate his legacy of ending segregation and discrimination in South
Africa (Biography.com).
Mother Teresa was a missionary who dedicated her life to helping others. She was
someone who was very passionate about the Roman Catholic religion. While she was originally a
teacher at a high school, the poverty she had witnessed in India had affected her deeply.
Afterwards, she decided to create an open air school for children who were necessitous in
Calcutta, India. Eventually she gained help from others to expand her intuition. Later on, Mother
Teresa had begun her own charity called The Missionaries of Charity. This charity was dedicated
to the people of Calcutta that did not have a family or someone to guide them. Soon the charity
began to branch out everywhere. The charity was gaining awareness around the world. The
charities around the world began to assist individuals and families who were seeking any help
around the world such as shelter or natural disasters (Biography.com). In 1979, Mother Teresa
was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for all of the work she had done in the last few decades. She

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devoted the prize money to help others by building more homes for the ones who need it the
most. Mother Teresas actions were not towards to promote peace in the world, but to promote
acts of care and charity (Stiehm 262). Although she was not hoping to receive the Nobel Peace
Prize, she deserved the prize after committing her life to help the less-fortunate in society.
Mother Teresa is one of the worlds most impactful human beings that has made a change in the
world with her charity and her acts of charity for those in need. Her actions have encouraged
others around the world to promote peace worldwide. Furthermore, the work she has contributed
into helping others around the world reveals her love for peace and helping others, and how her
actions have had a positive impact in the world.
These previous Nobel Peace Prize winners have shown to the communities in their
society to promote peace throughout the world. Martin Luther King Jr. has led protests for peace
and his I Have a Dream speech has affect many perspectives in working together as mankind.
Nelson Mandelas movements and actions have pushed protestors to promote equal rights and
freedom in South Africa, even while he was in prison. Mother Teresa gave up her job as a teacher
to help the less-fortunate of the citizens of Calcutta, India and the awareness of her charity
promotes the acts of care worldwide instead of locally. The Nobel Peace Prize is dedicated to
individuals such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa for their duties to
promote the importance of peace throughout the world, and the Nobel Peace Prize encourages
others to promote peace and encourage society to better the world.
With what previous Nobel Peace Prize winners have done for the world, society has
changed a lot since the mid 20th century compared to the present day time. The world has become
more acceptable and open about interracial relationships, developed equal rights in many
countries, and the awareness of charity has increased. Today, society is aware of many social

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issues and has changed significantly since the mid 20th century. Many individuals are verbal of
their views and opinions. Due to certain events that have happened in the last decade,
organizations, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, have affected many individuals in
society. The Black Lives Matter movement is a movement that goes against violence towards the
African American community. Martin Luther King Jr.s speech has tied back to the Black Lives
Matter movement with their protests and riots (McLaughlin). His speech promotes for equality
and for individuals to recognize the importance of oneness and togetherness (Logsdon, Murrell
419). Many individuals may not agree that these Nobel Peace Prize winners have benefitted
society. During Martin Luther King Jr.s history, there were many organizations that were against
his views such as the white supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan would respond to the
nonviolent protests with violence that revealed their true colors and what they thought of other
races (Fairclough 9).
Throughout history, Nobel Peace Prize winners have had an impact in society with their
efforts to promote peace in the world. Martin Luther King Jr. promoted peace by leading
nonviolent protests to promote togetherness. Nelson Mandela lead protests to promote equality
for the citizens of South Africa. Mother Teresa sacrificed her job as a teacher to give back to the
citizens of Calcutta, India. These Nobel Peace Prize winners have shown that the actions of their
goals can impact the world in a positive way, and this shows how peace can benefit the world.

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Works Cited
Biography.com Mother Teresa Biography Biography.com. 8 Sept. 2016.
http://www.biography.com/people/mother-teresa-9504160#related-video-gallery.
Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.
Biography.com Nelson Mandela Biography. Biography.com. 26 May 2016.
http://www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017. 30 Oct. 2016.
Fairclough, Adam. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Quest for Nonviolent Social Change.
Phylon: The Atlanta University Review of Race and Culture. vol. 47, no. 1, Clark Atlanta
University, 1960, pp. 1-15.
Lieberfeld, Daniel. Nelson Mandela: Partisan and Peacemaker. Negotiation Journal. vol. 19,
no. 3, Plenum Publishing Corporation, 2003, pp. 229-250.
Logsdon, Jeanne M., Murrell, Audrey J. Beyond I Have a Dream. Business and Society. vol.
47, no. 4, Sage Journals, Dec. 2008, pp. 411-424.
McLaughlin, Michael. The Dynamic History of #BlackLivesMatter Explained The Huffington
Post. 29 Feb. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/history-black-livesmatter_us_56d0a3b0e4b0871f60eb4af5. Accessed 17 Nov. 2016.
Means, Sara. Women in American Politics in the Twentieth Century. The Gilder Lehrman
Institute of American History, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/womenshistory/essays/women-american-politics-twentieth-century. Accessed 31 Oct. 2016.
Monshipouri, Mahmood. The Road to Globalization Runs through Womens Struggle: Iran
and the Impact of the Nobel Peace Prize. World Affairs. vol. 167, no. 1, Sage
Publications, Inc. 2004, pp. 3-14.
Stiehm, Judith H. Women and the Nobel Prize for Peace International Feminist Journal of

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Politics. vol. 7, no. 2, 15 Apr. 2011, pp. 258-279.

Reflection Comments:

I have changed my introduction; I used first person to describe my purpose and thesis.
I have taken out the headings and the paragraph that described the structure of the paper.

My peer felt that this took too much time to introduce the topics in my paper, and I agree.
I have changed the title of my paper to help the audience understand the question for my

paper.
I have added a conclusion paragraph and another paragraph to support the argument of
my paper. This helps tie the paper together and the last paragraph that was added supports

more detail in my argument.

I have added information of organizations that are against my argument. This shows that
my argument is arguable and that it is possible that my argument can be wrong.