Martin Luther King Jr. led the way towards the end of racial segregation by his irrepressible drive to achieve social change. During his lifetime he endured many acts of discrimination to which he responded by peaceful protest and strong pieces of writing. One example is his letter written after his imprisonment in Birmingham jail because of a coordinated march against segregation. The purpose of his letter was to respond to the clergymen that labeled the march unwise. Martin Luther King uses ethos, logos, and pathos to argue to the clergyman that the strategy of peaceful resistance against discrimination is necessary.…
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.…
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” Primary Source Analysis Martin Luther King, Jr. seldom had time to answer his critics. But on April 16, 1963, he was confined to the Birmingham jail, imprisoned for participating in civil rights demonstrations. “Alone for days in the dull monotony of a narrow jail cell,” King pondered a letter titled A Call for Unity that fellow clergymen had published pressing him to drop his crusade of nonviolent resistance and to leave the battle for racial equality to the courts. Within that document, King’s fellow clergymen caste him as an ‘outsider’ and ‘extremist’ interfering with life in the City of Birmingham.…
Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr, in his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” highlights his views as to why he believes demonstrations are needed towards justice for Blacks. King’s purpose is to refute and provide counterarguments regarding the urgency of changing segregation laws. He accomplishes this by arguing against the clergymen’s claims that opposed his views on why the Civil Rights Movement is needed and why he is calling for demonstrations involving direct action in Birmingham to continue. He adopts a civil and persistent tone in his letter to show how Blacks will stop at nothing to gain their basic freedoms and rights. In paragraphs thirteen and fourteen, King emphasizes the need for change in Birmingham by using diction, anaphora, and anecdotes to support his claims on the fight for justice.…
Backed up with information he proves that there are steps and a plan to solve the issues, “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham.” This further explains his claims that the actions he partook in Birmingham were out of good intentions and nonviolent. King makes another statement regarding nonviolent action, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored,” that explains creating tension opens the door to negotiation, referring to Socrates for an example.…
Martin Luther King, Jr. states that although he is not from Birmingham, he wants to stay there because of the discrimination and injustice that white people do with black people. If he helps the people of Birmingham, that means he is helping the people from everywhere as stated with: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Luther, 1963). He thoroughly explains the reason for involving in the non-violent protest. The thesis statement provides a substantial reason for the lack of people’s wish to achieve equal…
In Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” King responds to the criticism written by a group of clergymen about the work that King is pursuing in Birmingham. Although King directly addresses his fellow clergymen he also expresses his strong disappointment in the white churches of the south and the wide range of white moderates. Making it clear that these groups are not in favor of king and the work that he is doing, King explains the flaws of how those who fight against him are not solely fighting against their own brothers and sisters, but are also damaging themselves. Kings followers are the many oppressed people in the black community in need of secured civil rights, as well as select individuals of white churches, businesses,…
Martin Luther King was arrested and taken to jail in Birmingham for protesting for their Birmingham campaign. While in prison he got to read a newspaper which had a letter that several priests wrote about him. In this letter they were judging King and his actions. King then wrote them a letter back trying to persuade them about how discrimination towards them should be stopped. In this letter King used many techniques to persuade his readers like emotional, logical, and credible statements.…
Expository Writing Prompt Brennen kaawa feb.1/ 2017 In this writing prompt i'm going to explain the importance of martin luther king's letter from birmingham jail and i am also going to explain the cause and effects of his letter in specific detail The letter that martin luther king wrote was so into detail that it was like this man was ahead of his time. He stated in his letter so many metaphors, quotes and so many heartbreaking facts that it was absolutely unbelievable. What also made his letter good is he went to church with it and used countless facts strait out of the bible i guess that it really payed off being a theologian.…
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, argued to his equality supporting peers that non-violent and instigative protests, while not as dignified as court battles, were fundamentally more potent and provocative. King successfully produced an appealing and effective message by integrating pathos and logos, utilizing faith based ethos, suitable literary devices, and a unique subtle tone that allowed him to maintain even-tempered and reasonable appeal in subject he was passionate and infuriated about. King wins the credibility of his peers by, firstly establishing they are his peers. He reminds them of his position as a reverend by citing the Alabama clergymen as “fellow clergymen”. Referring to his position as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and his invitation not Birmingham, he further established credibility by highlighting he is not merely a reverend creating social upheaval but a revered civic and religious leader whose presence is desired by the people of the city.…
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for freedom and equality of African American people and is now a well known historical person for what he did for people all around the nation. Segregation and discrimination have been going on for quite some time now. Negroes didn’t have their rights, there are separate places for white people and colored people, white people feel superior to African Americans, and nothing is changing. This is until Martin Luther King Jr., a minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, gave his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech and wrote his cogent letter directed to the Clergymen, “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” King was a leader of the African American civil rights movement, lead nonviolent protest, and spoke out against poverty…
In Letter from Birmingham City Jail, the attempts to assert the direct action of a peaceful civil rights demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama was wholly necessary, justified and long overdue. This is a response to an open letter written by “eight prominent ‘liberal’ Alabama clergymen” (46). The clergymen argued that the decision was badly timed and that the participants should let the fight for integration continue only in the federal courts. Martin Luther King JR’s defense begins with his admission that he rarely ever takes the time to defend himself against his opponents. King then transitions into his argument for “direct action”.…
When learning something new, it is easier to understand a topic or a philosophy when the person learning can feel a connection to what they are learning about. For example, teachers, authors, and philosophers often use metaphors or similes to help their pupil connect with their views, ultimately furthering their understanding. A string of facts behind facts does not register as well as something that can be directly connected to someone. Although both Martin Luther King, author of “Letter From Birmingham City Jail” and a strong advocate for African American rights, and Gandhi, author of the “Dandi March Speech” and leader of the Indian Independence Movement, both use rhetoric to further convey their message of equality and nonviolent direct action to their audience, King’s passion infused diction is ultimately more convincing than Gandhi’s logical approach. While using…
Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail was a detailed letter explaining the motives and emotion behind the non-violent protests that took place in the South. As a result of these protests, a few white religious leaders criticized the actions of Dr. King and those encouraging the non-violent campaigns. The purpose of this letter was to respond to criticism made by these leaders. In the letter Dr. King expounded on four of the leaders’ comments. He responded to the comments regarding the untimeliness of the campaigns, the willingness of the campaigners to break laws, the allegation that the campaigns triggered violence, and the description of the campaigns as extreme.…
Analysis of Letter From a Birmingham Jail In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was asked to go to Birmingham to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program and was arrested as a result of this protest. A letter from several clergymen arrived to him during his incarceration criticizing his work as untimely and unwise. Martin Luther King responded to their critique in a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and explained the necessity of his presence. He explains that his actions were thoroughly planned out.…