I am responding to the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The letter was a response addressed to eight white clergy members against their charges on the SCLC’s recent movements. He provides several arguments dealing with their concerns, such as their concern that the movement was “untimely”, wherein King notes that being too patience with change would result in none. Other specific arguments in the letter will be touched upon.
While the letter itself was a direct response to those clergymen, I believe the arguments it contained applied to a much wider audience. I think King’s work on this letter was rightfully influential. One reason for this was how articulately and precisely he took on each charge. An example of …show more content…
I feel this way mainly because it is shown in the letter that each argument against the concerns of the clergymen used relevant and accurate evidence. His point is also very much correct. African Americans at the time were being treated with such unjust and discrimination, I can clearly see how the actions he described in the letter as well as his arguments hold ground. If I would have to describe the relatively strength of his arguments, I would argue that there were slightly too strong. A section of the letter where I believe is most evident of this where King lists a variety of abuses against African Americans of his time. With an impactful use of language, King uses words in his sentences like “see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky” or “find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering” to engage the reader into the letter. His writing invokes on the reader’s emotion and, in my opinion, primarily attempts to pull sympathy. As I said before, this section of his writing used the same technique used in the Declaration of Independence, which was one of our readings.
One thing I was wondering about as I read his letter was the immediate impact it had when it was published, along with how long it took the letter to be published and released to the public. Also, what was the initial reaction from the most attractable audience King wanted to influence: the white moderate? It is good to know the long lasting impact his letter had towards the civil rights movement was one of
While the letter itself was a direct response to those clergymen, I believe the arguments it contained applied to a much wider audience. I think King’s work on this letter was rightfully influential. One reason for this was how articulately and precisely he took on each charge. An example of …show more content…
I feel this way mainly because it is shown in the letter that each argument against the concerns of the clergymen used relevant and accurate evidence. His point is also very much correct. African Americans at the time were being treated with such unjust and discrimination, I can clearly see how the actions he described in the letter as well as his arguments hold ground. If I would have to describe the relatively strength of his arguments, I would argue that there were slightly too strong. A section of the letter where I believe is most evident of this where King lists a variety of abuses against African Americans of his time. With an impactful use of language, King uses words in his sentences like “see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky” or “find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering” to engage the reader into the letter. His writing invokes on the reader’s emotion and, in my opinion, primarily attempts to pull sympathy. As I said before, this section of his writing used the same technique used in the Declaration of Independence, which was one of our readings.
One thing I was wondering about as I read his letter was the immediate impact it had when it was published, along with how long it took the letter to be published and released to the public. Also, what was the initial reaction from the most attractable audience King wanted to influence: the white moderate? It is good to know the long lasting impact his letter had towards the civil rights movement was one of