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Analysis of Martin Luther King's Letters to the Birmingham Jail
Letter from the Birmingham jail
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In an attempt to sway his opponents Martin Luther King, Letter from Birmingham Jail essay argues his point of view with passion and conviction as he respectfully appeals to the logical, emotional and spiritual psyche of his critics. King begins his letter by addressing his “opponents” as “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”. The formality of his greeting seeks to build trust and establish a common ground with his audience. He credits the clergymen with being “men of genuine good will,” whose arguments “are sincerely set forth.” He does not attack their character but instead emphasizes that they all share a common profession and a common goal of ending prejudice and racism.
Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", was written to answer a critical "Call For Unity" by a group of clergymen in Birmingham. The clergymen were critical of King for "interloping" in the activities of their city. Dr. King said that he had every right to fight unfairness in the country that he lived in. The letter he wrote, in response to the "Call for Unity", and a statement that he would battle racial inequality wherever it was. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was the main point in his life. In this letter, he perfectly described his reasons why he felt this way, appealing to logic, emotion, and ethics.
Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the most recognized, if not the greatest civil rights activist in this century. He has written papers and given speeches on the civil rights movement, but one piece stands out as one of his best writings. “Letter from Birmingham” was an intriguing letter written by King in jail in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He was responding to a letter written by eight Alabama Clergyman that was published in a Birmingham Alabama newspaper in 1963 regarding the demonstrations that were occurring to stop segregation. The intended audience for this letter was of course the eight clergymen, but he also had a wider audience in mind because instead of sending each individual man a letter he had it published in the local newspaper.
Dr. Martin Luther King addressed many topics in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. He answered all the issues that were aimed at him in a very skillful and well thought out manner. These issues came from “A Call For Unity”, which was a letter published by eight local clergymen expressing their feelings about what Dr. King was doing. One concern, in particular, that King did an outstanding job of confronting was that of the clergymen’s anxiety about him breaking the law. King addresses the question of, “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”
Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical martyr for his ambition and dedication towards racial equality. His words of wisdom, displayed in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, have been carried down through many generations as one of the nation’s most captivating and intuitive philosophical views. However, his words are rooted from the great philosophers that have come before him; such as Plato, Descartes, Rousseau, and Mill.
While incarcerated in the Birmingham jail in Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a leading civil rights activist, took it upon himself to conduct a letter that explains the motivation behind his actions. King has been imprisoned due to civil disobedience, and heard about a letter from clergyman criticizing his work. King then writes the letter addressing the clergyman, the letter is sent to the clergyman making them the audience. The letter subtly shows that he is aggravated by the figurative destruction of his work, but he remains respectful given the circumstances. Without Dr. King our circumstances in the present day would be substantially different than they are now.
"Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham.
When John Earl Ray shot Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4th 1968, he attempted to wake up America from Dr. King’s dream of equality but it was clear that America didn’t want to take steps two steps back, but rather take three steps forward in the fight of civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work, a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” defends his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression. Then furthermore states the need and moral responsibility to break unjust laws in a peaceful manner. King supports his argument by comparing himself to not only to the clergy men, but also fellow readers by having an emotional appeal and stating religious examples. The letter’s purpose was to further inform the readers about what was really happening during that time and share another point of view so that anyone that was reading could feel the pain and suffering African Americans had to go through by being just another color skin. King writes in an emotional and formal tone for his audience, the readers of a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and others interested in the topic of
In the reading of Essays by Joseph Kelly, I read Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I learned a lot about what he is trying to accomplish. In this essay he is writing to the people about their concerns and is trying to bring them forward. The clergymen that he came to Birmingham jail to cause trouble, which isn’t helping anyone at all. Dr. Martin is trying to bring justice to the black men to try to get people to understand they are the same men. He states that the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) was invited to Birmingham because of their racial acts. The SCLC held out their actions because of the Mayoral Elections were going on. The Clergyman believes that the SCLC came at an untimely manner. Which
Summary-Analysis Essay In Martin Luther King’s “Letter to Birmingham Jail”, he argues several themes that show the reader how society negatively acted towards inequality in race. King expresses his actions and thoughts throughout the letter. King uses violence versus nonviolence, white church vs black church, and injustice versus justice as themes to show us how he tried and how we can help end inequality. King takes on his actions, not wanting what he does to be involved in violence. King describes four steps in a nonviolent campaign: “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action.”
Dr.King recognizes Rosa Parks,Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus Christ for their actions in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. Dr.King considers those people as heroes, because they meet his standard for heroism. The standard to be a hero to Dr.King is believe in themself, if they fall and get back up,and care for others.
We all know that race was the biggest issue in the Civil Rights movement, considering all of the protests were over racial inequality. During the time, white people believed that black people were less deserving than white people, which is the reason for white men being used as a part of the Civil Rights campaign to protest in front of courts as opposed to having black men do it. Like we have covered earlier in the essay, one of the biggest protesters of the time was Martin Luther King Jr. Going more in-depth into the time period, we can see how King’s protests and his Letter from Birmingham jail were significant to his movement and the Civil Rights movement as a whole. King started his method of peaceable protesting to get rid of the unjust Jim Crow laws around 1946 when the Atlanta Constitution published King’s letter that stated black people “are entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens.” These laws originate back to the end of the Civil War, when Southern states put laws in place to oppress black men and women and keep them separate from
In 1963, African Americans were fighting to gain the same equal rights as White Americans. As we live in 2017 our society have come a long way from 1963, but we still have a long way to go. Even in 2017 prejudices and racism still exist in our society. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” & his "I Have A Dream" speech still means a great deal to us as it did over 50 years ago.
History is known to be unfair, unequal and ruthless. From wars to racism to segregation to desegregation. America has always been in a turmoil of what is right from wrong. In 1954 – 1968, African-American civil rights movement, segregation elevated by race. An African American man rose to the challenge hoping to seek equality for all. That man was not only a minister, but a leader in the Civil Rights Movement: a spokesperson, social activist, protesting in a non-violent manner. His name was Martin Luther King Jr. On April 16, 1963, King wrote a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” to his “Dear Fellow Clergymen.” Throughout the letter, King wrote different aspects and arguments of the injustice in Birmingham, his strongest argument was of the “two
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, King combats racism by championing the cause of nonviolent resistance, calling people to action who have remained silent out of a desire for social order, and equating different groups of people with one another rather than separating them, and. To understand King’s letter, one first has to know exactly what nonviolent resistance was to King.
Throughout history and in recent time, there have been many events and protests that have gained attention from every aspect. These protests have happened for the hope of a peaceful world and the good of mankind. These stimulus events and people include the Florida mass shooting, NFL players kneeling, Martin Luther King Jr, and Josephine Baker. With the attention gained by these protests nationwide and throughout history, they have had many positive effects. Therefore, the methods of protests used in these various cases are effective in representing the goals of these demonstrations.