In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King addresses many controversial issues that were a problem during his time and that continue to be an issue in our lives today. A few examples of these issues being police brutality, racism, and discrimination of races. Even after about 53 years, White and African Americans continue to bicker over racial issues. The issue that this essay will focus on is the withholding of African American freedom as well as discrimination and racism which are shown through the use of pathos, logos, and imagery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” implying that those in power, would never give up
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King states that he is in Birmingham due to “basic organizational ties” that he has there giving him the credibility to be in Birmingham. King makes the clergymen aware of the fact that he is “serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state,” this as well as his organizational ties give King credibility to speak on the topic of freedom and how the clergymen and White population are not disbursing it equally between races. King expresses that “injustice is here” this lets the reader know that Dr. King is in Birmingham on more than just organizational ties. King is in Birmingham to protest the idea that African Americans and Whites should be allowed to coexist equally. Instead there were the Jim Crow laws which were put into effect in order to ensure that the White part of the population would be safely separated from the African American part of the population. This in turn created both a physical and emotional barrier between the …show more content…
According to Dr. King, the White moderate were the ones inflicting damage to those who were anti-segregationally inclined. The White moderate’s interest was set more to keeping things as they were and keeping order, than to ridding themselves from injustice and discriminating African Americans. An example that is easier to understand for us in today’s thinking would be the dispute between the Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter movements. Recently there has been increase of African Americans being shot by cops, who are supposed to be the ones you count on to keep things in order. Thus the Black Lives Matter movement began, which in turn started the All Lives Matter movement saying that not only African American lives matter, but all lives. The All Lives Matter represents the White moderate in that they are inflicting damage upon the Black Lives Matter movement. Besides the White moderate, King also states that he is “disappointed with the white church and its leadership” in its ability to support the African American population when they needed them the most. King thought that the southern white ministers, priests, and rabbis would be allies to African Americans, however they turned out to be right
King states that he is in Birmingham due to “basic organizational ties” that he has there giving him the credibility to be in Birmingham. King makes the clergymen aware of the fact that he is “serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state,” this as well as his organizational ties give King credibility to speak on the topic of freedom and how the clergymen and White population are not disbursing it equally between races. King expresses that “injustice is here” this lets the reader know that Dr. King is in Birmingham on more than just organizational ties. King is in Birmingham to protest the idea that African Americans and Whites should be allowed to coexist equally. Instead there were the Jim Crow laws which were put into effect in order to ensure that the White part of the population would be safely separated from the African American part of the population. This in turn created both a physical and emotional barrier between the …show more content…
According to Dr. King, the White moderate were the ones inflicting damage to those who were anti-segregationally inclined. The White moderate’s interest was set more to keeping things as they were and keeping order, than to ridding themselves from injustice and discriminating African Americans. An example that is easier to understand for us in today’s thinking would be the dispute between the Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter movements. Recently there has been increase of African Americans being shot by cops, who are supposed to be the ones you count on to keep things in order. Thus the Black Lives Matter movement began, which in turn started the All Lives Matter movement saying that not only African American lives matter, but all lives. The All Lives Matter represents the White moderate in that they are inflicting damage upon the Black Lives Matter movement. Besides the White moderate, King also states that he is “disappointed with the white church and its leadership” in its ability to support the African American population when they needed them the most. King thought that the southern white ministers, priests, and rabbis would be allies to African Americans, however they turned out to be right