Gandhi's Speech Analysis: In-Groups, Out-Groups & Unifying Values

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of Mahatma Gandhi's speech from the movie 'Gandhi' (1982), focusing on identifying in-groups and out-groups, unifying values, and stereotypes. It examines Gandhi's message of non-violent resistance against discriminatory British laws and explores the influence of agents of socialization, such as family, peer groups, schools, and media, in shaping attitudes towards discrimination. The analysis highlights Gandhi's emphasis on truth, love, and non-violence as tools to combat injustice, rejecting violent revolt in favor of enduring suffering to expose the immorality of British rule. The essay also discusses how families, peer groups, schools, and media impact individuals' perspectives on social inequality and discrimination, ultimately contributing to a society's collective stance against injustice.

Running Head: SPEECH ANALYSIS
SPEECH ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1Running Head: SPEECH ANALYSIS
This study aims to analyze the speech of the embodiment of non-violent movements
of India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi. The speech
is from the movie Gandhi (1982). The purpose of the study to find out the in-groups and out-
groups, the unifying values, the stereotypes depending on which the in-groups and out-
groups are segregated. This study delves deep into the statements of the speaker to find out
whether there exists any conspiracy or not. Finally, this study focuses on the agents of
socialization and their influence to influence to inculcate a positive attitude to eliminate
discrimination.
The speaker is here Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian activist famous for his active
contribution in the several movements related to India’s freedom. Gandhi is remembered for
his rigid but non-violent ways of protesting against the British rulers. During the early
nineteenth century, in the midst of the dreadful violence, Gandhi emerged with the noble
concept of non-violent movement (Chakrabarty, 2013). He pointed out that the path of
violence would only lead to destruction of lives-resources, energy, efficiency, morality.
According to the Gandhi, non-violence symbolizes the love for humankind (Gandhi,
2017). Gandhi used to believe that the followers of non-violence have immense love for
mankind, which prevents them from committing any offence that harms other people
(Ghandi, 2018). This is the reason why Gandhi have always tried to generate the messages of
truth, love and non-violence. Gandhi stated that the power of truth and rigid nature is capable
of hurting the enemies, weakening their mental strength and molding them (Modarresin,
2013).. This video clip has been taken from the movie Gandhi, in the year 1982. In this
movie, the role of Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley. This video clip, from the film Gandhi
contains the speech of Mahatma Gandhi that aims to encourage people to show their
disobedience to the biased rules of the British colonial in a non-violent but effective way
(Americanrhetoric.com, 2019). The speaker is capable of casting upon a deep impact on the

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listeners. The speech delivered by the speaker attempts to educate the audience about the
power of non-violence, love and truth. This speaker also inspires the listeners to be fearless.
This is the reason behind selecting this speaker.
In this speech the in-groups is the Indians. The speech was seen to be delivered in a
stage where representatives from all the classes of Indians were present, which include the
upper class Indians, the leaders, the lawyers, social activists, businesspersons, farmers,
workers and so on (Americanrhetoric.com, 2019). The out-group was the British officials
who had imposed laws who had imposed discriminatory laws on the Indians. The law is
completely against the culture, mentality, rituals of the Indians (Cabrera, 2017).. In this
speech, the speaker tried to explain the adverse effects of the laws to the in-groups as well as
the out-groups.
The unifying values were- social discrimination, dedication, non-violent revolt, love
for country, feelings of nationalism (Americanrhetoric.com, 2019). In this speech, the
speakers emphasized on these unifying values to create provision for solidarity. All through
the speech the speaker was trying to provide the message of non-violence, how non-violence
can be utilized as an effective instrument to fight against the unrealistic laws of the British
rulers, to show the disobedience of Indians towards British rules (Snow, 2013). The speaker
controlled the aggression of the in-group and explained that the British leaders were waiting
for the situation when Indians would start a violent revolt, but, Indians should not indulge
into a violent protest. Rather they should receive the torture by the British and their pain
would make British realize their injustice (Miller, 2017). . It is true that British would be able
to take their lives away, but would not be able to take their self-respect away, would not be
able to receive their obedience. This reflected in the statement by the speaker-“They would
have my dead body, but not my obedience” (Americanrhetoric.com, 2019).

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Here stereotype is-discrimination. The in-group was challenging the social
discrimination. For example, in the video the discrimination reflected from the general smut’s
new law. The law was going to compel every Indian to be fingerprinted. This implied that the
law would treat Indians as criminals. Even women were not exempted from this law.
Moreover, the law stated that no marriage other than Christian marriage would be valid
(Americanrhetoric.com, 2019). Thus, the British government tried to impose the rituals of
Christianity forcefully on the Indians. This hurt the emotions of the Indians deeply. Thus, this
law raised the issues of forceful conversion of religion, religious discrimination. Also, the law
was curbing the rights of the Indians to follow their, own culture, beliefs, ideas. Again, this
law invalidated the marriages of the existing Indian couples, this implied that all the Indian
women had been staying with their husbands illegally. Hence, this law also humiliated Indian
women raising questions on their chastity(Americanrhetoric.com, 2019). The in-group aims
to fight against all these challenges.
According to my view, the speaker gathered in-group-representatives of different
classes of India, to discuss about the adverse effect of the law and their non-violent strategies
to combat the challenges. They do not conspire to subordinate the out-group. Rather they are
the oppressed section and trying to free themselves from the bondage of the out-group-British
rulers. Hence, it may be stated that the in-group is operating within their own social structure
to save their religions, cultures, beliefs as well as country from the brutal torture of the British
rulers.
In my opinion one of the agents of socialization-family plays a vital role in shaping
the attitude towards discrimination. The values and beliefs of the parents are automatically
implanted in their children. Parents who are the victims of any kinds of discrimination tend to
portray the injustice they had to undergo, their agony to their children. They educate their
children the importance of protesting against social discrimination. They influence their

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children to fight and achieve their rights. If the discrimination is regarding, the class system,
they explain their children how poor people are deceived by the rich. For example, African
American parents educate their children how a section of African population was brought to
America by the capitalists and made slaves ultimately. Thus, families which are the victim of
discrimination regarding race, religion, class lit the fire of protest inside their children. This is
the reason why their children keep the spirit to fight for their own rights on, since their
childhood. Again families which are not affected by any kinds of discrimination, and ignore
the social issues regarding inequality, racial or gender discrimination, or, class
discrimination, they forward their ignorance to any kind of discrimination, to the next
generation. This is the reason their children do not have any empathy for the victim of the
social discrimination.
According to my opinion the suggestion and ideas of peer groups influence people in
various ways. A peer group consists of people who are conscious about social issues like
gender, racial, class discrimination, or, who are victim of any kind of social discriminations
encourage all the group member to raise their voice against such discrimination. Hence the
positive attitude of the members to prevent such discrimination can be attributed to the
mentality of their peer groups. Again, a peer group full of people who do not pay a heed to
any kind of social issues regarding class discrimination can never inspire their friends to fight
for bringing equality and social justice.
I believe that schools attempt to socialize children by acquainting them with formal
curricula as well as the cultural values. School educate children about importance of
eliminating all kinds inequality as well as discrimination from a society. School teaches the
children to respect all the sections of the society irrespective of their class, religion and
culture. Thus, school help children to build up a positive attitude to protest against all kinds
of discriminations in the society.

5Running Head: SPEECH ANALYSIS
According to my opinion the media is another instrument which is capable of casting
upon a deep impact on the mass. Online newspapers, magazines movies, popular music,
television shows, YouTube videos, Web series, influences our attitude toward social issues
like racial, class, gender and all other kinds of discrimination. For example, researches have
revealed that till 1980s, in the prime-time televisions shows in America 6% characters were
African Americans while 89% were white Americans (Prot, et al., 2015). Later, in spite of an
increase in the percentage of African American characters in television shows, they are
underrepresented and often restricted stereotypical roles. With the advent of 21st century the
situation has been changed. African Americans are seen playing vital roles in movies as well
as television shows. The agony as well as protests of the minorities, the victims of racial
discrimination, are depicted in the news historical channels, news channels, blogs and web
series. Also, the movements over social media regarding the issues of discriminations
influenced the mass. Thus, the transformation in the representation of social discrimination
has inspired them to be united to eliminate such discriminations.
Hence, in the conclusion it can be said that, an in-depth analysis of the history will
show historical figures or leader have always selected some stereotypes to segregate between
in-groups and out-groups. The agents of socialisation have always played a vital role to by
assisting those leaders to accomplish their goal of encouraging people to raise their voice
against social injustice.

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References
Americanrhetoric.com. (2019). American Rhetoric: Movie Speech from Gandhi - Gandhi
Advocates Policy of Nonviolance. Americanrhetoric.com.
Arnold, D. (2014). Gandhi. Routledge.
Bhatt, M. D. The Story of My Experiments with Truth: An Analysis of Mahatma Gandhiji’s
Truth.
Cabrera, L. (2017). “Gandhiji, I Have no Homeland”: Cosmopolitan Insights from BR
Ambedkar, India’s Anti-Caste Campaigner and Constitutional Architect. Political
Studies, 65(3), 576-593.
Chakrabarty, B. (2013). Confluence of Thought: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin
Luther King, Jr. Oxford University Press.
Gandhi, A. (2017). The gift of anger: And other lessons from my grandfather Mahatma
Gandhi. Simon and Schuster.
Ghandi, M. (2018). All men are brothers: Life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi as told in his
own words. Pickle Partners Publishing.
Miller, D. (2017). Mahatma Gandhi: March to Independence. Cavendish Square Publishing,
LLC.
Modarresin, M. A. (2013). Gandhiji on the harmony of religions a critical study.
Prot, S., Anderson, C. A., Gentile, D. A., Warburton, W., Saleem, M., Groves, C. L., &
Brown, S. C. (2015). Media as agents of socialization. Handbook of socialization: Theory and
research, 276-300.

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Snow, N. E. (2013). Scholars have used many traditions to interpret Mohandas Gandhi’s ap-
proach to nonviolence, known as satyagraha. For example, using the life and work of
Gandhi as depicted in Richard Attenborough’s film Gandhi (1982), Joseph Kupfer
(2007) argues that Gandhi displayed central aspects of the feminist ethics of care.
Others have interpreted Gandhi as a reformed. Exploring the Power of Nonviolence:
Peace, Politics, and Practice, 253.