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Martin luther king's impacts on society
Analysis letter from birmingham jail
Analysis letter from birmingham jail
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Anthony Patino Professor Loubser English1301 28 September 2014 Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail Outline i. Introduction: King utilizes the rhetorical appeals to prove to the clergymen of Alabama that segregation laws are unjust and must be ceased. Topic Sentence: In his letter, King utilizes ethos to emphasize that he is a significant figure in the community; and it is knowledgeable about the argument he is opposing. He uses historic references that have played the role of activist during the Civil Rights Movement. A. During the civil rights movement, many African Americans result to violent protest to act as a means to vent their frustrations of being oppressed. King’s method differs from others as he protested non-violently but the clergymen still label him an extremist. B. King respond to …show more content…
Religious leaders in the south are failing to take a stand for segregation because it is morally wrong instead they are only willing to follow segragation if it is imposed upon them.he states that" but I have longed to hear white ministers declare: "Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother." B. He is very disappointed in the lack of support for right and equality; and these are supposedly people of god. King states" I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? C. King is disappointed in the religious and their followers. For not with holding their obligation as Christians. He is asking what kind of people worship here, where were they when Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification. Because recently when Governor Barnett was elected he stated "segregation now segregation tomorrow segregation forever" This words are filled with arogants and are against Christian views and ideals in Alabama Christians compose most of the
In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. uses his personal experience to convince others of the importance of revising the segregation laws that were in place during 1960’s. In paragraphs 13 and 14 in particular, there is a lot of language used to persuade the reader’s opinions and emotions toward King’s argument. He does this not only convince his fellow clergymen, but to inform others of the reality that African Americans faced in the 60’s.
The letter from Birmingham jail by Dr. Marin Luther King was written as a response of King to nine criticisms made against the Southern Christian leaders and King’s participation in demonstration in Birmingham. King handled many rhetorical devices to convince his opponents such as the white clergymen with his rights to protest, create tension for direct action and to achieve the racial justice. The devices fluctuate between Logos, Pathos and Ethos in a clever way to appeal to his audience and criticize them at the same time. King provided logical supports such as biblical figures, historical and philosophical references. In addition, he used verities of metaphors, allergy and poetic language. In my essay, I will point out some of the rhetorical devices and
Dr. King uses his credibility to convince eight Alabama clergymen that his direct action protests are (right, constitutional, essential, should be accepted or supported or……...?). At the beginning of his letter, Dr. King indicates that there are 85 organizations across southern states that associated with his organization. This shows reader that his organization is backed-up by other organizations and (protesters are not bad [in different words]………?). Then he says that he cannot ignore what is happening in Birmingham while he is sitting in Atlanta, Georgia (). He mentions this to let his audience know that there are some problems in Birmingham and he is trying to solve them. He says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” () He gives his reader an idea that there is injustice in Birmingham. It also indicate that King is unhappy and protesting because injustice exists in Birmingham. Dr. King says that he and people who are involved in direct-action protests are not the ones who create tension, but they a...
King unmasks a harsh truth about the transgressions taking place in Birmingham. This shows that the legislators are going to extreme lengths to keep African Americans from voting, even in places where they make up most of the population. Not only is this a problem because they have no voice in the decision of the segregation laws, but they don’t even have an input for any other laws. This is a violation to their constitutional rights and is most likely the reason why King ended the paragraph off with that question. He knows that the U.S. is supposed to be founded on the grounds of democracy, and yet they are selective to whom its beneficiaries of democracy
“In spite of my shattered dreams of the past, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and with deep moral concern serve as the channel through which our just grievances could get to the power structure.” This appeal seems logical enough, the church is typically the first to offer aid and is usually quick to join a cause that benefits mankind. However in the case of Birmingham King said, “But again I have been disappointed.” This is because of the inaction of the southern white church who stood passively as their Christian brethren struggled, this is perhaps the greatest cause of King’s frustration. The idea that Christians would ignore the suffering of those around them was, perhaps, novel to King, who strongly believed in loving thy neighbor as thyself. For him this inaction was possibly similar to a slap in the face, to be ignored by other Christians whom he should have been able to rely on based on principle. King does mention a few noble white churches whom helped in the struggle such as “Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand this past Sunday in welcoming Negroes to your Baptist Church worship service on a
In 1963, Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the South, so civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. brought his campaign of nonviolent resistance to Birmingham. After leading a demonstration on April 12, 1963, King was arrested for violating demonstration ordinances. Shortly after, eight white clergymen in Birmingham sent out a public statement claiming that although they support desegregation, they advise against anymore protests advocated by King, stating that the “demonstrations are unwise and untimely” (Carpenter et al). While in jail, King took an opportunity to continue his campaign by responding to these eight white clergymen. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King uses religious and philosophical allusions to effectively convey his intellect and credibility to his audience: the clergymen and his followers.
King writes the letter to defend his organization's actions and the letter is also an appeal to the people, both the white and black American society, the social, political, and religious community, and the whole of American society to encourage desegregation and encourage solidarity and equality among all Americans, with no stratifications according to racial differences. King's letter from Birmingham Jail addresses the American society, particularly the political and religious community of the American society.
In accordance to the TRACE elements needed in a rhetorical situation, all five are present. The text includes a letter type written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explaining why he is in a Birmingham city jail and the injustices he sees in the state of Alabama. The targeted audience is the eight fellow clergymen whom he is replying to after being presented a letter by those clergymen. The audience also includes the general public like the whites and the blacks in the community. The author of the letter is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself, a Baptist minister who preached nonviolence and was a pivotal leader in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Dr. King was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a vital group that led many affiliations to peaceful marches and sit-ins throughout the civil rights movement. The main motivation for this letter is Dr. King’s own view of the injustices apparent in the Negro community and the intended actions the community is taking. Some constraints Dr. King faces...
Martin Luther King, Jr. is known to be a civil rights activist, humanitarian, a father, and a clergyman. He is well known for fighting for the equal rights of colored people and ending discrimination. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an important part of history that showed King’s opinion of a letter that he happened to read in the newspaper written by a group of clergyman. In this letter, the group of clergyman report that colored people, also known as black people, are being violent towards Birmingham City. Also, the clergymen believed the time that will allow segregation to be diminished was not happening anytime soon because it is not convenient. King refuted the clergymen’s argument in a variety of ways using tactics of argumentation and persuasion like appeal to emotion through real life examples, appeal to logic, and even articulating certain phrases through metaphors and word choice. Many of these different tactics of argumentation and persuasion made his letter very effective and is now seen as a great piece that is looked upon highly today.
In his letter, Martin Luther King is trying to persuade his readers to understand his action and point of view of an African-American living in this era. He did so all while replying to the public published statement and criticisms written to him by the eight Alabama clergymen. This illuminating work of art that King had created was filled with heightened terminology which was gratified by his precise framework. By King writing this response letter with such high dialect, it reflects off of his determined and highly educated mentality immensely. In this letter King directly tries to build a connection
He remarks on his surprise and disappointment with the church and white Christians in general when he says, “I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests, and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders” (King 9). This statement is incredibly powerful because he and other colored people have been hurt by the very system that is supposed to be accepting of all people. King thought that people of the church would act as an ally and support the colored people, but they did exactly the opposite. By saying this, King places guilt on the clergymen that hits deeper than individual guilt but on the church as a whole. Clergymen typically have an attitude where they want people to think highly of them and think they are good people, and this opposes that
In 1963 on April 16th, Martin Luther King Jr, who was in the Birmingham jail for non-violent protesting wrote a letter in response to a statement from eight white Clergymen, in which they stated that his recent activities were “unwise and untimely.” In this letter King proceeds to state his purpose and reasons for his timing and his protests and powerfully he does so. He most obviously directs the letter to the Clergymen but there seems to be a many different audiences he wishes to enlighten on his thoughts. From what I gather he wants public figures and everyday men to read his letter, and by doing so he hopes to raise awareness for the cruel acts that have been done to the blacks. King gets his point across, that segregation is unfair and morally not right and that man has a responsibility to act against unjust laws, by using many different strategies throughout the letter. He uses logos, pathos, and ethos to do so. While using these devices he shows emotion, gives logic to his reasoning’s and gives credibility as well.
King uses numerous biblical allusions to resonate with his clergymen audience and to make them realize that they were condemning a righteous movement. The vivid language in metaphors captures emotion and expands understanding. Mr. King was able to do anything to end the injustice in Birmingham and his commitment was shown in his tone.
The tone set by Dr. King in the part of the letter where he describes “pent-up resentments and latent frustrations,” and where he recognizes the “vital urge” being suppressed, is very passionate. His passion shines through loud and clear. The way Dr. King feels is, in fact, quite clear throughout the entire letter, yet the overriding sense of reason and logic that anyone can relate to is ever apparent. As he describes the unrest he finds in his community, the community as a whole really; he explains that he did not encourage them to “get rid of your [their] discontent” he instead encouraged them to, “make prayer pilgrimages to city hall;… go on freedom rides,… and try to understand why he [they] must do so”; these quotes from the letter point out the ways Dr....
In order to gain an understanding of King’s purpose for the letter, it is important to begin by explaining “A Call of Unity”, a letter written by a group of white clergymen urging the end to the demonstrations. The letter was published in the Birmingham Post Herald with a copy given to King. The letter made many claims including that the demonstrations were led by ou...