Letters from Iwo Jima

Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr., is a response to a group of Alabama clergymen, who critique King’s actions in protesting racial segregation and injustice in Birmingham. I Lost My Talk, by Rita Joe, is a poem that uses an extended metaphor to highlight the identity crisis of many Aboriginal people who grew up within the residential school system. Both poems, through the use of the three persuasive appeals, logos, ethos, and pathos, and by addressing their opposition,…

dismissed that such actions would incite only violence and hate to build up in the community. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, the leader of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, articulates that their convictions are wrong. In his response letter, King argues that nonviolent resistance promotes peace, and by using many rhetorical devices but mainly allusions and repetition and imagery, he eloquently justifies that his demonstrations advance camaraderie in the community and a lack of…

harm others. Those people in danger should always protect themselves. If one experiences injustice they should defend their beliefs and let their voice be heard. Martin Luther King Junior had many ideas on how to stand against injustice. In a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Luther talks about his opinions about campaigning. Martin Luther says “ In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists; negotiation; self purification;…

I found it interesting how Martin Luther King used his influence to relate history to his current problems. King used famous quotes from various locations to describe his role in the context of Christianity, its history, and American…

Merriam-Webster defines civil disobedience as “refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government.” While this definition may have slightly changed from Henry David Thoreau’s coined term in the mid 1800s, the idea of peaceful protest is still central. The people have a right to protest as stated in the first amendment to the Constitution, so why does the term civil disobedience have a negative…

On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen released a letter addressing the recent events in Birmingham, Alabama concerning the civil rights movement. They first acknowledge the positive, yet slow steps being taken by citizens through the court system. This is followed by them discouraging citizens participation in recent demonstrations “directed and led in part by outsiders” condemning them as “unwise and untimely.” The letter also expressed their shared belief that all racial issues in their city…

On April 16th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr composed a letter to eight clergymen in order to defend himself and answer to the criticism presented from said clergymen. In Martin Luther King Jr’s letter from Birmingham City Jail, he argues why the use of direct action, such as marches and sit-ins, are justified. He begins to discuss facts that injustices are still present. Shortly after that he details one of the many causes of direct action; due to a lack of negotiation. The author then talks of…

On May, 19, 1963 the “New York Post Sunday Magazine” published Martin Luther King, Jr.’s letter “My fellow clergymen”. It addresses Clergymen who were upset with Dr. King and criticized him. King was put into jail for protesting for Negro’s rights. King was disappointed in the white moderates, not so much the members of the KKK or white council. Throughout the paper King discusses how the protesters are not causing tension but merely bringing it to the surface. How not all Negroes are…

demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama. From his jail cell Dr. King eloquently writes a timeless piece of American rhetoric that will be heard for centuries to come. Dr. King read a paper in which white clergymen were speaking out on the black movement, asking the black demonstrators “to withdraw from demonstrations (Wright, Barnett. Par. 4).” Dr. King felt persuasion by the request of his long-time desperation that was ringing in his heart. However, his letter is not only to the white clergyman,…

Martin Luther king Jr is a determined right activist who’s willing to do anything for getting the rights that all colored people deserve even if it requires him to write a letter convincing someone in a jail. He writes a letter responding to a criticism said by eight prominent clergymen. He expresses his feelings towards the unjust event. He also shares the current events in Birmingham in 1963 as well as in the rest of America while emphasizing on rhetorical devices ; anaphora and repetition.…