Compare And Contrast Franklin And Martin Luther King Jr

No two things are exactly alike. On the surface, it may seem as if something or someone is the same because they may hold similar characteristics and appearances. However, people carry different thoughts, attitudes, believes, and ideologies. Objects hold different attributes, functions, contents, and styles. Literature cannot be excluded from this reasoning because it to is made up of more than just words and stories. When authors begin to develop their works of literature, they draw from personal experience to create something that is truly unique. In John Hope Franklin’s story “The Train from Hate” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the idea that no two stories are exactly alike is demonstrated. Both stories may hold …show more content…
They describe their thoughts towards segregation and their actions toward it through examples of pathos. Franklin achieves this by recalling a story from when he was a boy. His mother, his sister, and he were traveling by train to Checotah, Oklahoma, a town located six miles from his hometown, to buy supplies. He retells the story of how the only place for he and his family to board the train was the “white-only” car. Once the train began to move, the conductor asked his mother to relocate themselves to the “colored” cars. When Franklin’s mother refused because she was concerned about the safety of her children, the conductor had the train stopped and commanded them to leave the train. They were left stranded in the woods and had to hike back to their town on foot. In Franklin’s story, he quotes, “She told me that the laws required racial separation, but that they did not, could not, make us inferior in any way,” (Franklin 4). Franklin’s statement demonstrates his journey to understanding of how to handle the racial injustice that he and his family were subjected to. By using pathos, he appealed to the reader’s sense of emotion when recounting his horrific tale from his childhood. Mr. King presented the exact same method as he wrote a letter to his critics from the Birmingham jail after he nonviolently stood against the oppression of African Americans. In this letter, King …show more content…
Although Franklin and King both experienced strenuous accounts of racial hatred, their perspectives on issues and their recounting of experiences leave a different mark that is unique to each of them. Because Franklin endured racial hatred at such a young age, his mother taught him early on not to determine his character based on how other people treated him. “But, it is not too much to say that her observations provided a sound basis for my attitudes and conduct from that day to this,” (Franklin 5). He learned a lesson as a result of segregation that he carried for the rest of his life, and although the situation that led to the lesson was terrible, Franklin learned that he is more important than any demeaning label or stereotype that is placed on him. Not only did Franklin put aside the hatred of others, but he brought forth that focus to build himself up, to make himself a better man, and to keep his anger at bay in the face of racial discrimination. Take note that King’s letter is different from Franklin’s experience retold because King addresses his beliefs, similarly to Franklin, however, King describes and gives an account on his actions to end racial injustice. Because King is writing from a different perspective and has already learned how to stand firm in his beliefs, he develops an argument against his oppressors. Instead of learning how to stay calm in chaotic,