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Essay on the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr
The philosophy of martin luther king jr
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In response to the public statement issued by the eight Alabama clergymen, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. argues that segregation laws must be disobeyed because they are unjust. He observes the underlying injustice of these laws, and understands that immediate action is pertinent for blacks to attain the rights granted by the Constitution. King presents a compelling argument through the use of extended allusions, an understanding of society and religion, and emotional appeal. By alluding to various philosophers and religion, King bolsters his argument that laws of the south discriminates against Blacks and must be defied. For instance, when explaining the difference between an unjust law and a just law, King quotes philosopher and theologian St. …show more content…
He uses his arrest for parading without a permit as an example to show that the ordinance is unjust because “it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” Using his experience as a civil right advocate, King proves that in its application, a law that seems to be just, can become unjust. King uses the appeal to ethos to make a reference to St.Thomas Aquinas’ statement, “An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.” The statement’s purpose is to strengthen his definition of an unjust law. Essentially, he claims that “segregation distort the soul and damages the personality.” This causes the segregator and the segregated to have misunderstanding feelings for each …show more content…
For instance, King states that “...nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee….” Through this, King invokes a sense of guilt and shame in the white audience because even other countries have started to change towards equality, yet in America, the land that praises freedom and independence, minorities are discriminated. This sense of guilt may help his audience see the importance in why they cannot wait anymore and why action needs to be taken. Additionally, King recounts his personal experience regarding the treatment of blacks when he says that he has “seen hate-filled policemen...kill…[his] black brothers and sisters…,” and has “to explain to…[his] six- year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park…[because] Funtown is closed to colored children….” By describing the cruelty and segregation against blacks, King gains the sympathy of those who value human rights and parents who are able to relate to the pain of telling their child such hateful things at such a young age. Through this, King is able to inform his audience about how extent the problem of segregation is and show them why the discrimination cannot
"There is a higher law than civil law- the law of conscience- and that when these laws are in conflict, it is a citizen's duty to obey the voice of God within rather than that of the civil authority without," (Harding 207). As Harding described in his brief explanation of Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, there are some instances in which it is necessary to disobey a social law. Martin Luther King, Jr., in addition to Thoreau, reasoned that should a civil law be judged unjust, one had a moral obligation not only to himself but also to those around him to disregard that particular law in exchange for a higher one voiced by God.
In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to an article by eight clergymen, in which he explains the racial injustice in Birmingham, and reasons why King's organization is protesting for Civil Rights. He introduces himself and his actions at the beginning of his letter. He states that the purpose of his direct action protest is to open the door for negotiation on the Civil Rights. He tries to convince his audience by providing evidence in order to gain his audience to be involved in his movement and support him. He also highlights police actions against nonviolent Negros and crimes against humanity in Birmingham city jail.
Through King’s peaceful protest, he works to find his definition of good life in equality, where peaceful protest can “create a situation. [and] inevitably open the door to negotiation,” (King). However, King’s attempt to overwrite centuries of oppression and rise against unjust laws doesn’t come without its own set of consequences and benefits.... ... middle of paper ...
He effectively argues this through a strong biblical allusion, saying, “… just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid”. By alluding the Bible King provokes pathos in his audience, who responded strongly to religion. Next, he uses a simile to compare “a boil that can never be cured [until exposed]” to “injustice [that] must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates”. His comparison justifies the fact that injustice must be exposed to “the air of national opinion before it can be cured”. People must call attention to their disgruntlement, otherwise the issues will never be resolved. King identifies this fact through the use of inverted sentence saying, “there can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs [the] community”. The inability to deny that racial injustice has taken over strengthens the idea that the individual has not only a birthright but also a responsibility to challenge unjust laws. King argues this through a parallel structure when saying, “...[I] can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme
“Hence, segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful.”… Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the greatest speakers in all of history wrote these words in his letter from Birmingham Jail (King 48). His great use of rhetoric affected largely the freeing of an entire race. During his work in the Civil Rights Movement, he visited a small town called Birmingham in Alabama, and wrote one of his most rhetorically compelling letters there. In this letter, he used historical evidence, scriptural references, descriptive vocabulary, and great organization of points to respond to grievances raised against his movement: that he should wait, that he was breaking laws, that his peace brought on violence, and that his activities were extreme.
King clears up any idea that he’s just someone who has broken the law for no reason. He does this by saying; “I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” (Para 15) This statement tells us that Dr. King is simply adhering to his moral responsibility by doing as he’s supposed to. He knows that following a one-sided makes no sense, and it would be submitting to evil. He even goes on to quote St. Augustine, declaring that, “an unjust law is no law at all.” (Para 15) Therefore, the segregation laws that were implemented in Birmingham at the time were by St. Augustine’s logic, no law at
Dr. King notices that the clergymen are anxious over the black man’s “willingness to break laws” (King pg.218). He understands their anxiety over that issue. King then refers to the “Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools," praising it for its civil rights initiative (King pg.218). By mentioning the Supreme Court decision, he is reminding the reader that even a credible source such as the Supreme Court supports racial equality. Since most citizens are law abiding, the addition of the Supreme Court decision might convince the reader adopt the belief of racial equality. King then streamlines into a rhetorical question and answers the question. King writes, “One may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying other laws” (King 218). This question is King admitting that his intention seems paradoxical since he urges people to follow “the Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation," while he is apparently willing to break laws (King pg.218). He insists that it is not a paradox, but rather an acknowledgement of the distinction between “just and unjust” laws (King pg.218). He insists that everyone has a “legal” and “moral responsibility” to follow just laws, but one equally “has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (King pg.218). In order to further provide evidence for his claims, King alludes to St.
A statement from eight white clergymen from Alabama prompted Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. This statement criticized Kings actions of non-violent protests against racial segregation and the injustice of unequal civil rights in America (Carpenter elt al.). The eight clergymen considered Birmingham to be “their” town and King was disrupting the “Law and Order and Common Sense” established in coping with racial issues in Alabama during this time (Carpenter elt al. par 1). These clergymen considered King an “outsider” and describe his actions as “unwise and untimely” (Carpenter elt al. par 3). This statement suggests that there is an appropriate time to create equality among all Americans. To analyze the power strategizes of Martin Luther King’s Letter we must understand this letter was written from a jail cell, where King a black man, was held for protesting for racial equality. Furthermore, King began writing his letter among the margins of the newspaper’s article that contained the clergymen’s statement (King Institute).
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of a peaceful movement to end segregation in the United States this mission led him in 1963 to Birmingham, Alabama where officials and leaders in the community actively fought against desegregation. While performing sit-ins, marches and other nonviolent protests, King was imprisoned by authorities for violating the strict segregation laws. While imprisoned King wrote a letter entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, in which he expresses his disappointment in the clergy, officials, and people of Birmingham. This letter employed pathos to argue that the leaders and ‘heroes’ in Birmingham during the struggle were at fault or went against their beliefs.
King’s letter was influenced by “Apology”, The Bible, and The Tanakh, some of the most important pieces of philosophical literature in history. Socrates in “Apology” is known to be one of the founders of Western philosophy because he was successful in challenging and persuading his audience. And it is because of Socrates, the art of philosophy is so successful today. King used this source to justify disobedience and defend his reason for his actions as an advocate of desegregation. The Bible and The Tanakh were used as Christian references to justify the moral justification of his actions.
In addressing and confronting the problem of injustices among the black Americans in the American society, particularly the violence that had happened in Birmingham, and generally, the inequality and racial prejudice happening in his American society, King argues his position by using both moral, social, and political references and logic for his arguments to be considered valid and agreeable.
People are often judged according to the color of their skin. This judging of another person is often negative and is known as racism. America is known as the melting pot with all kinds of race living there. It is clear that no matter how big a melting pot, it can not contain all race mixed together. As a black man, King witnessed and experienced racism during the segregation period. People were "haunted by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro" shows that black people were being discriminated.(218) This judging and disrespe...
By appealing to ethos, King establishes his credibility and trustworthiness as a writer. King quotes, “We have waited more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights.” This quote alludes to the constitution, the nation’s founding document. This claims the United States is a “free country” and that “all men are created equal.” King’s inference is if we are a free country, then why isn’t our country granting “all men” their freedom. This stresses that the wait for freedom needs to end and the American Negroes need their rights granted to them. He alludes to God and the God-given rights stated in the bible which expresses that God loves and treats all his children the same. King’s interpreted question is: if God loves everyone the same, then why does it seem as if the whites are loved more and treated better than the Negroes. God’s rights are the most important that make up the natural and moral laws of the nation. The quantity of 340 years adds emphasis to the anticipated rights of the American Negroes. The origin of the quote, “justice too long delayed is justice denied” is controversial, however, King’s reference to this quote shows that he is a credible writer. The reference shows parallelism by the repetition of the word justice. King argues to the Clergymen that they cannot tell him that his acts are untimely because the Negroes have waited so long that there is not enough patience left. The quote goes along side of...
...church. With each claim the clergymen provided, King refuted their claim with evidence and more by describing what should be done with segregation laws. King’s tone in this piece was appropriate because he did not come off as someone who wanted to spread hate and prove the clergymen wrong. He genuinely wanted to change their views and show them the flaws of society regarding policemen and even the church. His tone was not threatening or spiteful, he made sure to address that he was trying to come off as respectful and concerned.
This response is nonviolent resistance. It combines the good aspects of both of the prior plans. He mentions that violence is immoral for the hate it breeds, and acquiescence is immoral for accepting the wrongs of others as just. He is juxtaposing contradictory ideas right next to each other in order to compare them. The ideas are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and this comparison allows the reader to logically see the benefits from combining the different ideas. The way to end segregation in the South needed action, therefore dealing with the discrimination would have not changed the culture. Similarly, violence may have fueled even more hatred back. By using this juxtaposition, King successfully makes the case for the method that has been used well by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Abbie Hoffman. Similar to his previous Evaluations, King explains that through the use of nonviolent resistance and staying to fight for the civil rights to which every group is entitled, the nation will have a greater “moral strength” (King 470). Additionally, standing up to a bully provides an example to the future generations of Americans and other marginalized minority groups. This use of cause and effects demonstrates the successes associated with his proposition. King uses this cause and effect relationship in the big picture to justify it as the only moral way to counter such an evil as segregation, but also to not enrage the group having their culture progressed. It was this example that he claimed would be the outcome that led to Woman fight for equal compensation in the workplace and those with disabilities to fight for public accomodation in the early