...Tone and Writing Technique of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Many times, disagreements fail to bring an understanding to opposing sides because each side has different views on the subject at hand. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attempts to establish an adequate definition of “just” and “unjust” laws. King knew he could not directly argue his beliefs of segregation because the clergymen made clear they were not impressed with anti-segregationists breaking the law. He knew in order to make a valid rebuttal he could not cause confrontation. What is most interesting about the letter is the style of writing King uses to argue for righteousness which compels the reader to share his views of anti-segregation. In the beginning of the letter, King writes “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” to address them in a warm, welcoming way. Also, the use of the word “fellow” puts King and the clergymen together in a sense, making the letter less of an attack. Because of this, the letter is set up to be intimate instead of just an argument against the clergymen. King continues to say that the clergymen are “men of genuine good will” with criticisms “sincerely set forth.” By giving them this acknowledgement, King makes the reader understand he is not attacking the clergymen. Attacking these religious men in the beginning of the letter could have potentially lost him the respect of the readers. In paragraph three, King states “just as the Apostle Paul left his village…so...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. He was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. During the civil rights protests, he was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama because for protesting without a permit. Some realized arresting Dr. King is the best idea. However, Dr. King did not let jail block his...
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...Martin Luther King, Jr Michael Luther King, Jr., later changed his name to Martin, was born on January 15th 1929. His parents were Alberta King, a schoolteacher, and Michael Luther King, who was a Bapist minister in Atlanta, Georgia. His father adopted his name after the German Protestant leader Martin Luther. The young Martin had two siblings, Willie Christine and Alfred Daniel Williams King. Despite their father’s best efforts, their children encountered racial prejudice. Martin Luther King Sr. was a staunch supporter of racial tolerance because their black ancestors not only came across racism but also segregation. As a teenager, Martin attempted suicide by jumping from a second story window at their home after his grandmother died of a heart attack while he was outside watching a parade. He attended...
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...In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a Letter from Birmingham Jail after arrested for peacefully protesting against segregation and racial discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama. The Jim Crow system created segregation laws for blacks and whites having separate bathrooms, schools, and restaurants that existed after the era of slavery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had expected the support of numerous local religious figures in hopes of uniting to end racial terror. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail King recognizes and replies to every nine detailed criticisms created by the white church and its leaders. What is evident in this letter is that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses emotional, rational, and ethical to persuade those who read his letter. To get his readers feeling emotion King...
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...content is more important than style. In the case of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s prominent style creates a platform for the development of the context of his opinions. A stylistic device King uses in both essays in order to convey his message is the allusion. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King references the Boston tea party, destruction that was then deemed gallant by the American public. King references this occurrence from the past to clarify that when he was arrested he was in fact doing the ethical thing, but it just happened to be illegal. Doing the moral thing, in Kings opinion, and doing the legal thing do not constantly have to correlate. This allusion also showcases that civil disobedience is not...
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...Here is my paper from English 101 on MLK Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail Tammy Marston Dr. Sychterz ENG 101 27 October 2015 Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr. composed an open letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 in response to the statement “A Call for Unity.” This statement was written by eight white Alabama clergymen, which recognize that social in justices were taking place but expressed the belief that the battle against racial segregation should be fought in the courts not in the streets. King reply that “This ‘Wait” has almost always meant ‘Never.” He put out there that direct actions were necessary to achieve true civil rights and, and that not only is civil disobedience justified in the face of unjust laws, but also that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. thought if he could get the middle class on his side that he would have the majority he needed to forward the movement for civil rights and achieve its goals of removing the illegal segregation practices that were still in place in the nineteen sixties. King addressed the white clergymen that were putting him to task for the non-violent protests in what they considered to be “their” city. Even though King was invited as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to speak to the local affiliate in Birmingham, where he believed that they have basic organizational ties. King then explains...
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...Nick Genaris Professor Ngoh Protest Literature 21th October 2015 Letter from Birmingham Jail-Rhetorical Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time (racism) and to also address the critics he received from the clergymen. The letter discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham and although it is primarily aimed at the clergymen King writes the letter for all to read. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos, alliteration/repetition, and ethos to back up his belief that nonviolent protesting and disobedience is the most effective means to protest anything that needs to be changed, in this case segregation. After reading King’s letter I, and almost anyone, would come to the conclusion that King is deeply motivated to help against any injustice in the US. Who else would go to such lengths if they didn’t? He knows how persuasive he can be by using his knowledge of the English language, and he uses this to speak out against people who doubt him (clergymen) and to incite a different way of thinking into the people in hopes of change. Dr. King’s letter is extremely effective because it provides an enormous amount of evidence to the reader that he and his company are being treated unjustly and also that King truly cares about making a change for the good of the city. It also re-directs attention...
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...Martin F. Espinosa Prof. Maria McKenzie English 1302 24 September 2013 MLK It is interesting to notice how much people can influence others with the power of literacy. The capability to express one’s own point of view and direct it others in such a profound and impacting way, that it makes them into followers of their word. These charismatic leaders represent the true nature of what it is to be someone who can use their speech and knowledge to persuade others to follow them. The perfect example of this type of person is none other than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was arguably the greatest civil rights leader ever known and his disobedience letter, “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” is one of the best arguments written by man. Here are the reasons I believe it is such an effective piece of writing. First of all, when we speak of Martin Luther King, we think of the civil rights leader we’ve all learned to love and care for. What many people may have not realized was that this man was a literary genius, and the letter from Birmingham jail honors the intellect and knowledge he had. His letter gives the main elements that compose a great argument. He gives examples of the three main pillars of public speaking and writing, which are ethos, pathos, and logos. He demonstrates his knowledge in different subjects such as history, religion, and politics. He quotes Socrates and St. Thomas Aquinas and other historic figures and is familiar with the fundamental vocabulary of...
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...Britain. Colonists saw themselves as equals to those in England and did not believe that their rights should be neglected. Similar to the British-Americans during the Revolutionary War, the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement sought equal rights and freedom. Prominent civil rights leaders brought new ideas to the world, dreaming up ways to eliminate an archaic mentality. Ultimately, without the reinforcement of...
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...I must admit most that I have learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came during Black History Month. And during this time he cited for his speeches and his marches. So after reading “The Letter from the Birmingham Jail”, I felt compelled to delve a little more into this controversial figure. I knew that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a champion to the civil rights movement. What caught me by surprise was that this was a role thrust unto him. Dr. King came from a family of preachers but struggled with the idea himself. He knew he wanted to help his people but felt that being a lawyer or a doctor would best serve them. But under the guidance of several teachers, he realized that he was denying his true calling – the ministry. So at seventeen he became a minister. And it was as assistant pastor in his father church he honed his preaching skills and became know an excellent orator. Dr. King was also political involved having founded the Southern Christina Leadership Conference whose first purpose was to register black voters. So because of his political affiliations and speaking skills he was the one tapped when the civil right movement needed an effective leader. Dr. King had come to Birmingham to answer a call to arms for a recent bombing of one of his aides. Birmingham had long been an epitome of racial divide; Dr. King went there to shed light on the city. Upon reaching the city Dr. King was jail for civil disobedience. And while incarcerated a newspaper ad was taken...
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...Tolbert April 21, 2017 The Life, Work, and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist from the 1950 to 1968 with a strong religious background. A strong advocator for all minorities, King did all in his power to end barriers of community, poverty, racism and militarism. The principle he focused more on, however, was racism. King defined racism as prejudice, apartheid, ethnic conflict, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, or discrimination against disabled groups and stereotypes (Haskins). Later turning his efforts to poverty, King believed that the United States should have equal rights for all men, women and children. Martin Luther King Jr. had a strong philosophy of non-violent protests, called civil disobedience, to which he gained supporters, changing the jurisdictions of racism and poverty to create the American Dream for all. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, to Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Born as Michael King Jr., King lived in Atlanta, Georgia (How Did Martin). However, in honor of minister and civil-rights activist Martin Luther Baptist, his parents gave him the name Martin. In 1931, King’s father became the lead pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, a very successful minister as his father and grandfather had been. A very intelligent man, King skipped ninth and eleventh grades, graduating from Booker T. Washington High School at the age of fifteen. Dealing...
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...Throughout “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, King makes a similar statement about civil disobedience and the law. He states that civil disobedience must occur after four steps are taken. Collection of facts to determine whether there are injustices, negotiation, self purification, and direct action must occur before civil disobedience transpires. He argues that “there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes an injustice when it is used to maintain segregation” (5). Ultimately, a law becomes unjust when it promotes injustice. This is when civil disobedience can occur as laws that promote segregation and inequality are unjust. King appeals to a higher law whenever a command of the state conflicts with his moral principles. Natural law can be described as King’s guide to civil disobedience. When the state does not conform with natural law, civil...
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...30 April 2013 Civil Disobedience When should civil disobedience be justified? Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to obey government laws, in an effort to bring upon a change in governmental policy or legislation. Civil disobedience is not an effort to dissolve the American government, because without government our society would result in chaos. Sometimes, when there is an unjust law and the government won't take the initiative to fix it, the public must act as civil disobedient to bring awareness and fix the unjust law. There have been times when citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government because of an issue that is unjust. There were such cases during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau made such actions to prove their point. Civil disobedience is justified when its goal is to obtain equal rights and service for everyone, without causing physical damage to people and their property, and without breaking the just laws that are already enforced. It should only be practiced when the government fails to uphold justice and fix laws that don't allow everyone the equal rights already given to some. In his essay, "Civil Disobedience" Thoreau wrote in 1849 after spending a night in the Walden town jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported the Mexican War. He recommended passive resistance as a form of tension that could lead to reform of unjust laws practiced by the government. He voiced civil disobedience as "An expression...
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...Throughout the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the idea that Justice is a Journey prevails as a recurring theme. In both his speeches and the documentary, King demonstrates his desire for a more peaceful world where the use of violence is simply unnecessary. Although many doubted that his stance of nonviolence would be successful, the outcome of his approach was very effective. He states, “I’ve been to the mountaintop and we will get to the promised land,” which shows that this ideal world is a possibility but getting there will be a journey. Through the use of nonviolence and civil disobedience, Dr. King serves as a significant model for a strong social justice character. In each of the marches and planned protests organized by King,...
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...Letters from Birmingham PeeJay Nowling Argosy University Online Letters from Birmingham 1. King was in Birmingham to address the issue of injustice by organizing a protest. Define the injustice and the protest and explain how Judeo-Christian ethics were applied to allow for civil disobedience. How was the injustice in Birmingham tied to all communities in the south? Dr. King had the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization in every southern state. Their headquarters were in Atlanta, Georgia. They had 85 affiliated organizations and one of them was the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. They shared staff, educational and financial resources with their affiliates. Several months back Dr. King and members of his staff were invited because they had organizational ties there and they were asked to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if it were necessary. Dr. King was in Atlanta and could not stand idly by while there was injustice in Birmingham. He said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” (King, 2006). “He wanted to carry the gospel of freedom” (King, 2006). King claimed without direct action there would be no change. 2. King lists four steps to nonviolent campaigns. Name them. “There are four basic steps to any non-violent campaign...
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