Throughout American history, those that have been let down by society have challenge the norms to bring about change. Truthfully, the United States was founded because of civil disobedience as colonists decided to fight against the British after years of injustice. In 21st century America, the nation faces issues with immigration, Islamophobia, and racial discrimination. Activists use methods from those that came before and accept the consequences of disobeying laws they believe to be wrongful. However, for decades, political analysts have questioned the moral of civil disobedience. Is it right to purposefully break the law? Are there not lawful ways for change? How does it affect society? The answer is quite simple. The act of civil disobedience …show more content…
One of the most well-known uses of civil disobedience was done by Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Dr. King and his colleagues would meticulously question what laws they would violate while preparing for the consequences that would come whether physical, psychological, or spiritual. In Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he addresses the criticism that his actions are “unwise and untimely.” The significance of this letter is King’s calm, yet powerful tone and the fact that this is a dialogue between two religious leaders who believe and practice the same faith. From this letter, people can understand how dedicated King was to his cause. He addresses the steps taken by himself and his fellow activists in changing oppressive Birmingham. He discusses how those involved in the movement have assessed how and where injustice exists. Therefore, King’s actions are not a spur-of-the moment decision …show more content…
King’s letter when boxer Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted in the Vietnam War. During the time, his action was seen as un-American and disrespectful. However, Ali was not a draft dodger. As mention in Mullen’s article, “Muhammad Ali’s Anti-War Stand…,” Ali had in no way tried to evade the draft decision; he stayed in the US to bravely fight the call and to let his voice be heard. Ali even went on to state that, “[his] enemy’s white people not the Vietcong, the Chinese or the Japanese.” Hence, he makes the argument that the Vietnam War was not for him especially when there was still discrimination that should be addressed in the United States—an argument that is similar to Black men during World War II. Though Ali was not as educated as Dr. King and other activists, he knew how to get his voice and opinion out to the public. He knew that there would be penalties for his actions, but he did not falter his stand. With Ali’s stand against war, people today can understand that it does not take a college education or a government position to let your voice to be heard. What people need is unwavering courage and determination to call out what is wrong with the
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proves that he is well knowledgeable in the happenings in Birmingham. By providing a surplus of examples of events and details which he finds alarming, King was able to persuade the clergymen to like at the way the Negro community is being treated in the south using the appeal to logos, pathos and ethos. He displays his willingness to continue with respect and dignity, but because of the emotional ties that he has towards this cause, he will not remain inactive.
In the touching, influential letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. responds to the white, Alabama clergymen who condemned his movement as “unwise and untimely” (1) and delineates his motives for traveling to Birmingham, where whites consider him an “outsider” (1). Hoping to express his ambition of nonviolent protest in a sympathetic, deferential manner, he implores the white clergy to join the struggle for Civil Rights. Throughout the letter, he addresses and disputes each negative argument by the whites, testifying his position unpretentiously, yet confidently. With aptitude, poise, and humility, King establishes his motives for coming to such an unwelcoming environment. In his heart-rending letter, King’s coherent logos, stimulating rhetorical questions, and accentuating parallel structure express to the white moderates who criticized his actions that nonviolent, direct protest is not only essential, but also inevitable to contain agitated hostility and to assume relative peace.
Argumentation has followed humans from the dawn of time as a way for us to express our ideas and for our ideas to be heard. People naturally obtain the knowledge to persuade others, either backing their opinions by fact or touching others emotionally, from growing up and through their own experiences in life. We can be persuaded by a numerous amounts of different factors pertaining to the argument. There are four different types of strategies in which an argument can be presented and make the argument effective. Martin Luther King is a key example of the utilization of the strategies as he wrote, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Nicholas Carr also portrays the strategies with his essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Both authors perfectly
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
Non-violent direct action and respectful disagreement are a form of civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. King is most famous for his role in leading the African American Civil Rights Movement and using non-violent civil disobedience to promote his beliefs. King also firmly believed that civil disobedience was the way to defeat racial segregation against African Americans. While leading a protest march on the streets, King was arrested and sent to jail. In response to his imprisonment and an article he read while there, King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, explaining that an injustice affects everyone and listed his own criteria for
King and his pro-black organization group presented the essay to argue non-violent actions against the racial discrimination and hatred among the black community residing in Birmingham. The letter was also aimed towards the freedom and equality to not just the black community but also to the white community, to the social, religious and political community. King wanted to address the stress of everyone having freedom and equality. King’s main thesis in writing the Birmingham Letter is that racial discrimination and hatred to the black community is due to the optimism of the white community.
King's main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions. King defends his primary thesis all throughout the length of his letter, and the arguments that he has made to prove that his thesis is true and valid will be the focus of this rhetorical analysis.
In 1963, living in Birmingham, Alabama was tough to live in due to how segregated it was. Everything from businesses, diners, libraries, churches, and even bathrooms were segregated. Martin L. King went to Birmingham because he was called by affiliates from the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights contacted him in aiding them on a nonviolent direct action program. He wanted to help because of the injustices there and was said that anything unjust in Birmingham ultimately affects everyone. King and others paraded around Birmingham protesting against this when he was arrested for doing so after a court ordered that Martin L. King could not protest in that area. While in jail, he wrote a letter that later becomes a big part of history during the struggles of segregation.
of the entire non-violent movement in the South. could take a significant turn. It was our faith. that as Birmingham goes, so goes the South 3. King saw the root of the problem in a place he could assist in rescuing.
The civil and eventually violent disobedience of the thirteen colonies against England resulted in the birth of now one of the most powerful nations in the world. The civil disobedience of those willing to go against the norm allowed for Americans to be able to marry who they chose. It is because of Nelson Mandela getting arrested for what he believed in to allow for south Africa to be free from segregation. Civil disobedience has paved the way for society to become better because at some points society was not based on fairness. It was based on cruel ideologies and those ideologies put laws into affect that were meant to lower certain groups of people. So by breaking those laws it awakens those groups and allows them the motivation to go up against these unfair laws and in doing this allows for these unfair laws to be
Martin Luther King Jr. produced the image of if one knows of an injustice that is continuing, there is no real justice in the world with the following quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr). If there isn’t true justice everywhere, no one can truly enjoy it. In the letter, Dr. King uses this quote to relate to it on difficult levels to write about. There were countless of examples in his time that would’ve fit the exact definition of an injustice, but he only used a few cases.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written while he was “confined in the Birmingham city jail.” His letter was a direct response to the eight Alabama clergymen who insisted that King’s use of nonviolent direct action was unlawful. The clergymen questioned his method of protests even though they had similar goals as King. In his letter, King illustrates the hardships and injustices that African Americans in the United States were enduring during the mid-twentieth century; doing so allows King to justify the nonviolent actions of his fellow protestors. King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, along with his rhetorical situation, to support his claims about the racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.
Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau each write exemplary persuasive essays that depict social injustice and discuss civil disobedience, which is the refusal to comply with the law in order to prove a point. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King speaks to a specific audience: the African Americans, and discusses why he feels they should bring an end to segregation. Thoreau on the other hand, in “Civil Disobedience,” speaks to a broader, non-addressed audience as he largely expresses his feelings towards what he feels is an unjust government. Both essays however, focus on the mutual topics of morality and justice and use these topics to inform and motivate their audience to, at times, defy the government in order to establish the necessary justice.
Justice is often misconceived as injustice, and thus some essential matters that require more legal attentions than the others are neglected; ergo, some individuals aim to change that. The principles of civil disobedience, which are advocated in both “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. to the society, is present up to this time in the U.S. for that purpose.
Another prominent example of how empathy was used in the protests is the opposition of African Americans. Martin Luther King, Jr., related to and voiced the black community’s frustration when they saw that America was fighting for the liberation of South Vietnam instead of civil rights for African Americans. Therefore, King saw no reason to fight for Vietnamese freedom when the freedom of African Americans was not guaranteed. This opinion was vehemently backed by Muhammad Ali who he himself resisted the draft because his beliefs in religion and black freedom took priority, an occurrence that many citizens, not just African Americans, could relate to. This use of empathetic connection is then added on once again by Gerald Goodwin.