• Home Page
  • Response To Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Response To Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Decent Essays
Show More
RESPONSE TO LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL

In the essay “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther king responds to a criticism letter he received from his fellow clergymen about a peace march for civil right against injustice toward African-American in Birmingham, Alabama. In the essay, King and other protesters are in Birmingham city jail for demonstrating a peace march for Civil Right. King tells his fellow clergymen he’s in Birmingham because of “injustice” toward African-American. He answers all questions put before him by his clergymen and even uses historical evidence such as: segregation in public schools, Montgomery bus boycott, and brutality of African-Americans by racial policemen, racial profiling and other things to help his

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail
    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail

    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.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rhetorical Devices In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King was writing a response to a group of clergymen that had written an open letter in the paper about his unlawful protests. He was in jail for protesting in Birmingham without the proper permits. In the open letter, the clergymen, “called for the community to renounce protest tactics that caused unrest in the community, to do so in court and "not in the streets. ”(Rothman). King’s response, which he wrote while in jail, was 20 pages long.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and an advocate of the civil rights movements, wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to the clergymen who questioned his demonstration techniques in their “Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen”. These eight clergymen voiced their concern that King, an outsider, controlled peaceful demonstrations against discrimination in Birmingham. Whilst the clergymen stated that they supported King’s ultimate aims, they disliked his “untimely and unwise” (“Public Statement” p 3) demonstrations. King, hoping to incite peaceful public action against segregation, discredits the clergymen's claims in his “Letter” using rhetorical devices and strategies to repudiate the clergymen’s concerns and support his argument. King asserts his credibility as a minister and civil rights activist throughout his letter using allusions.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetoric In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rhetoric In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a correspondence from notable civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. to area members of the clergy who had criticized his manner of advocacy (King 1300). While pointing out he does not make a habit of responding to criticism, King nonetheless indicates he is responding to the pastors because they are level headed and mean well (King 1302). King articulates the purpose for which he is in the Birmingham jail by illustrating ideas of justice and instances of abuse while underscoring the urgency of a response from the Christian church to persecution of black individuals by unjust laws and law enforcement. King begins by exposing that he is in Birmingham in the first place because all Americans are harmed by immoral conduct (King 1302). Using a biblical reference, King calls attention to the clergy members’ lack of sympathy toward black Americans’ requests for equal treatment (King 1302).…

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Appeals In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rhetorical Appeals In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Up to this day, Marthin Luther King still plays a signigicant role in equality between different races. When he was imprisoned in a Birmingham jail for no apparent reason in 1963, eight white Alabama clergymen wrote a letter to African-Americans and urged them to stop protesting in the streets. A few days later King responded by writing “A Letter From a Birmingham Jail” claiming that African-Americans will never receive the rights they deserve if they stop protesting. King wonderfully used the three rhetorical appeals to help get his point across to his audience.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail
    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail

    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,…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis
    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

    Analysis on Letter from Birmingham Jail In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to his fellow clergymen. King aimed to persuade the clergymen as well as the other readers of his dedication to the civil rights movement and his work. His expert use of pathos, logos, ethos, and other literary devices reflect Kings’ intelligence, and credibility on the matter of segregation, injustice and discrimination. King was and continues to be one of the most quintessential examples of “civil disobedience” and his work is often quoted on the subject of racism and prejudiced.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis
    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

    Letter from a Birmingham Jail Analysis Essay In this letter, King uses various tones to respond to a group of white clergymen who argue that his way of fighting social injustice is improper and to justify his means to try to achieve his purpose. King is a true civil rights activist and believes in only acting respectfully and nonviolently, but at the same time, the white clergymen, advocates of civil rights, condemn his nonviolent protest. King is “not unmindful of the difficulties involved” so he and his fellow activists have “decided to go through a process of self-purification” to be able to “accept blows” and to endure the “ordeals of jail” (King 1, 2). King uses his calm, explanatory tone to establish his creditability to his critics.…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail: Primary Source Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.
    • 1001 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail: Primary Source Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.

    “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.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” encompasses the purpose behind the movement and reveals King as a strong rhetorician. Through his letter, King provides a detailed look into the racial inequality taking place in that time. King’s eloquent response to the clergymen dispels their criticisms and presents a strong argument for racial equality. Throughout the letter, King references different philosophers in order to establish himself as an intelligent and legitimate authority.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Arguments In Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Arguments In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American that lived and fought through racial oppression. He was one of the most well known leaders of nonviolent protests. Being a minority trying to persuade the privilege that it’s time for change is a tough job. In King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” has many components that are crucial to catching the audience attention and proving a point. In this letter Martin Luther King Jr. was responding back to rude comments that clergymen made about him and the protesting.…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham City Jail
    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham City Jail

    Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the best interpreters of the Socratic tradition of philosophy because of how he used Socrates' meanings of philosophy in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail. King Jr. not only stated great key points of Socrates ideas throughout the letter but he also had many of the same beliefs as Socrates. However, one can argue that King Jr. mostly defended a racial problem throughout the letter and Socrates faced the facts about philosophy and what he believed to be just, but King Jr. was also using philosophy to show that a law can be just in the eyes of people but really at the same time it is unjust. He used Socrates theories and questioning as a wakeup call to all the people in America; through philosophy he showed…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Letter From Birmingham Jail And Malcolm X's By Any Means Necessary
    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Letter From Birmingham Jail And Malcolm X's By Any Means Necessary

    In 1936, civil movements started to be made for gains in the United States regarding Civil Rights. The first case was “Murray v. Pearson”. Donald Gaines Murray made an application to attend to the University of Maryland School of Law on January 24, 1935, but his application was rejected because The University of Maryland did not accept to admit black students. However, in 1936, the Court of Appeals decided that black people must be accepted because there wasn’t any other law schools in Maryland for black students. Lawyers Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall won the case even though Marshall had been denied admission himself.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Comparing Martin Luther King Jr. And Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1463 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comparing Martin Luther King Jr. And Letter From Birmingham Jail

    While writing the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers knew the importance of human rights for Americans. The ideals of equality for everyone were challenged as discrimination rose. The fight for equal human rights led to the Civil Rights Movement. During this movement, many prominent leaders led the way for change. In the writings, “Racism: The Cancer that is Destroying America” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, two emerging human rights activists present their perspective on eradicating racism in America.…

    • 1463 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Letter From Birmingham Jail
    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Letter From Birmingham Jail

    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…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings