Henry Indictor
10-2-15
Connections From Gandhi’s Memoir
Mohandas K. Gandhi was a Civil Rights Activist from India who led protests. During his time in prison for some of his political
ideas, he created his autobiography “The Story of My Experiments with Truth.” Gandhi’s main motivation for writing the book was to
tell his readers about problems he solved through self experiments with truth. In his writings he also shared the thoughts by which he
found truth. Three of Gandhi’s stories (Introduction, Shyness My Shield and On the Way to Pretoria) are all chapters that not only tie
into his new ideas on truth but also give the reader a sense of who he is in a humble tone. Spiritually and physically, he takes us on his
journey in a search for himself.
In his essay, Introduction, Gandhi talks about his ideas and thinking that went into writing an autobiography. When his ideas are
questioned by a friend, he humbly states, “It is not my real purpose to attempt an autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my
numerous experiments with truth.” He is saying that his goal is not to share with the reader his life story but to talk about personal life
experiences that had a significant impact on him. Gandhi’s “truth” has more than one meaning because he could be talking about new
and helpful strengths that he learned or figuring out how to do the right thing. However, there is a deeper meaning as a symbol for
Gandhi’s struggles in his search for truth. Gandhi suggests that this deeper meaning is related to God, “I worship God as Truth only. I
have not yet found him, but I am seeking after him. I am prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in pursuit of this quest.” This is
a good use of language here because he goes deep into thought here and is giving the reader a good understanding of his beliefs.
Gandhi is successful in another experiment of truth in “Shyness My Shield” as well, because he is able to figure out a way to convert
what was once a weakness into a strength. Much like in his essay, Introduction, he is relatable to the reader and here he throws in some
humor on his struggle, “I only succeeded in making myself look ridiculous.” And upon revealing his newfound strength he states,
“Silence is part of a spiritual discipline of a votary of truth.” The diction here is excellent because of the way he talks casually and then
goes deep into his spiritual experiment with truth. Gandhi then takes another journey in an experiment with truth while on a train ride
as told in “On the Way to Pretoria.” After he is kicked off a train due to segregation, he is struggling to figure out the right thing to do,
“Should I fight for my rights, or go back to India, or should I go on to Pretoria without minding the insults and return to India after I
finish the case?” He finds truth here knowing that he will have to take a stand in his beliefs, “Regardless for wrongs I should seek only
to the extent that would be necessary for the removal of racial injustices.” Therefore, all of the stories are a connection to one another
because of the new lessons Gandhi learns.
The main purpose Gandhi had in writing an autobiography was to show his readers how he was able to solve his problems through
various methods in seeking truth. He openly shares his encounters in the three different stories and what he has learned from his
struggles. When Gandhi talks about his struggles, the reader can relate to him because it sends a message that he is human. His
willingness to open himself in an honest way is an important connection between each story because it gets him closer to his truth.
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