More handpicked essays just for you.
Main argument in martin luther king jr letter from m birmingham jail
Main argument in martin luther king jr letter from m birmingham jail
Analyze three or four of the major themes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his famous “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 while he was imprisoned in the Birmingham Jail for being involved in nonviolent protests against segregation. The letter is directed at eight white clergymen from Alabama who were very cynical and critical towards African Americans in one of their statements. Throughout the letter, King maintains an understanding yet persistent tone by arguing the points of the clergymen and providing answers to any counterarguments they may have. In the letter, King outlines the goals of his movement and says that he will fight racial inequality wherever it may be. Dr. King uses the appeal three main rhetorical devices – ethos, logos, and pathos – in order to firmly, yet politely, argue the clergymen on the injustices spoken of in their statement. King begins his letter by establishing his credibility to the clergymen in order to assist in making his arguments stronger. His first words to the clergymen are “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” By addressing the men in this way, King is implying that he is equal ...
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. 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.
Letter from a Birmingham Jail Is an individual morally justified in breaking a law? The answer to this question is yes,. There are several reasons that have made me believe that it is morally justifiable in breaking the law; however, the most convincing comes from Dr. Martin Luther King in his letter from the Birmingham Jail. " We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal." (Classic Arguments 668 -.
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.
I completely agree with King’s stance in the first two pages of the letters from Birmingham jail. He places multiple points that retain a complete sense toward the opposition of unfairly treated Blacks in Birmingham. Many events have also occurred in Birmingham to fuel his side of the argument. First, we must note that King’s stance is that segregation is very present in Birmingham and that peace and equality are needed here.
In April 1963, the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, for leading anti-segregation protests. His" Letter from Birmingham Jail," is an accessible letter to eight white clergymen from Alabama. In it, King responds to a statement by these clergymen that communicate their belief that the struggle against segregation should be fought in the courts and not in the streets. Throughout the essay, he uses three main rhetorical devices: parallelism, allusions, and logos. These three devices help further his argument against the eight clergymen, that protesters have the noble obligation to stand up against unfair laws in a cordial manner.
Just because someone is locked up does not mean they cannot get the message they want to people who are not in prison. The most effective way for a prisoner to get their message to the person they want is through literature. The function of literature in prison is demonstrated in “Soledad Brother”, “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, “Soul On Ice”, and ‘How Writers In Prisons Empower inmates”.
The Letter from a Birmingham Jail is written by Dr. Martin Luther King who addresses the clergyman who criticized him and the decision to protest in Birmingham. I found it a little surprising that he started the letter with “ My dear Fellow Clergymen.” I figured that King should at least be offended or upset that the clergymen questions and criticizes his decisions. However, he addresses them in a formal and polite manner by simply explaining his decisions.
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...
As a result of the church being able to influence the society before, King compares it with a thermostat and the contemporary Church as a thermometer, just taking notes on what is happening. A thermostat is able to change to colder or hotter temperatures, as well as the Church could help change people’s minds, but instead, they decided not to fight in favor of equality for their members. King finishes his letter expecting “that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away”, hoping for a better future that like after a bad weather, the sun always shines. In addition to his desire “the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted” from humanity; by comparing the deep fog of misunderstanding with the inequalities he is wishing they will forsake and there will be no more fear or hatred between the human
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letters From Birmingham Jail” while he was in jail for going against the law enforcements and holding meetings, marches, and sit-ins. MLK states in the beginning of his letter how he is like the Apostle Paul from the bible. “Just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ… I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom…”(King) MLK knew he was suppose to make a change and he was not going to let anyone stand in his way.
In 1963, Martin Luther King wrote a response to clergymen who criticized his actions while he was stuck in the Birmingham city jail. This letter, titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, was written on the side of a newspaper and secretly taken out of jail by King’s lawyer. The goal of this letter was to address and confront concerns that were brought up in the clergymen’s letter titled, “A Call for Unity”. In “A Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King asserts a strong emotional appeal on the clergymen who oppose his actions by placing guilt on them when he inserts Biblical references periodically throughout his letter.
The letter is in response to a published statement by eight clergymen in Alaban following Martin Luther King Jr.’s (MLK) peaceful protests in Birmingham, Alabama.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that Negroes would be equal and have civil rights. In his book King take us on his journey of what he endured as he was fighting for their rights as colored people. In the introduction that Ms. Dorothy Cotton wrote who was an Education Director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and she also worked closely with Dr. King. Ms. Cotton explains being there with Martin when he decides to proceed with his protest that would land him in jail. In her introduction she states that “Martin's decision to go to jail was a turning point for the civil rights struggle” (xi). While being imprisoned King “wrote his most profound explanation of [the people's] nonviolent strategy” (xii) to get justice for colored people.
The goal of the ethos appeal is to emphasize credibility. He addresses the letter with “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”; although this is a simple statement, he is essentially putting himself on the same “level” as them. By connecting with them, he is more likely to persuade. In his second paragraph, King establishes his trustworthiness by saying “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (King, 1963). A president is someone who is typically trusted and has everyone’s best interest at heart, so by presenting his status as a president, the audience is likely to respect him. He furthers his credentials by comparing himself to Apostle Paul and referring to Socrates; one can apply he is educated by referring to these two. Not only is this implying his education, but rather alluding to many valued figures in