Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail

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It was change created by a human for the human, a change which made the life of others livable. During the civil rights movement in America in 1960’s various techniques were used to gain the civil rights for the black people in a series of which came the “Letter form Birmingham jail” written by Martin Luther King himself. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was a profound and persuasive written argument which captured the emotions of many people encompassing rigid life experiences, educated observances, and deeply rooted spiritual beliefs. In this letter King freely expressed his position concerning the injustice that black people faced in America. This injustice was segregation for the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery that was abolished in 1860’s in the American Civil Rights. While imprisoned in April of 1963 King directly responded to "Letter from Eight White Clergymen" using a variety of argumentative techniques. First of all, King's devotion to "justice for all" was the consistent energy expressed in his letter. To illustrate, in an attempt to appeal to reason, King stated that, “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God and an unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law"(52). King illustrates this appeal through definition by proving the basis for a just law. He further explains that a just law can be unjust when it is designed for only one group in society. Moreover, he said,” An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to o... ... middle of paper ... ...man and illustrates these experiences to the point where he almost traps his audience in each experience. In contrast, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who moved to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s because he had an undying devotion to truth and "justice for all". Through life experiences, educated observances and deeply rooted spiritual beliefs King utilized three major argument techniques to persuade his audience: appeal to reason, appeal to character, and appeal to emotion. King proves to have a deep rooted passion to see blacks achieve freedom throughout this letter. This letter was not only a profound rebuttal to "Letter from Eight White Clergymen", but also a brief statement of King's life and fight. This letter was nothing but a letter which created a change social and morally.

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