The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Analysis

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Have you ever experienced being excluded from a place you should feel welcomed? Whether it be from a family, a friend group, a club or organization, or a school setting, this feeling is not a good one. This type of situation is exactly what happened in the 1892 and 1899 rendition of “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte. Just like in this story, there are times an individual must get knocked down lower than they’ve ever been, just so they can stand up taller than they ever were. In this particular short story, a group of people are continuously talked badly about and eventually get banished from their home town of Poker Flat because others in the community deemed their actions unacceptable. If one were to take a deeper look into their communities or school, they could find a very similar situation.
It is easy for others to look upon someone and find the “dirt” they have in them; just like the citizens of Poker Flat did to Mr. Oakhurst and the other outcasts. “Two or three men, conversing earnestly together, ceased as
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“Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people.” When Mother Shipton decided to save her food rations for Tom and Piney, she kept her food hidden under her pillow. Ultimately, she ended up passing away but she died trying to save the lives of two innocent children. In this moment she became a leader. Similarly, Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. rose up as a leader during the Civil Rights Movement. Originally an American Baptist minister, he became an activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He focused on using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs to help make major advancements with civil rights. Sadly, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while preparing for another speech. People like Mother Shipton and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are some of the greatest leaders. Even though each had passed, they both made huge sacrifices for the ones they