...Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the letter from Birmingham jail in 1963. He wrote it while he had been in jail for eleven days. Dr. King at the time had many supporters, but he also had several haters who disagreed with his beliefs and values. Martin Luther King, Jr. received hate from people in leadership position, but he continued to proclaim freedom and racial equality. The purpose of “ Letter from Birmingham Jail” deals with a response from Dr. King to his critics and “ clergymen”. Dr. King desired to make his followers aware of the problems that were occurring in Birmingham, so that they could in some way help him. Dr. King’s letter serves as a historic and well-known document that became part of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King begins...
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...“Letter from Birmingham Jail” In the 1950’s and well through the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. was the main leader of the civil rights movements. There was violence in innocent protesting, cruel bombings, and soul poured speeches. The Civil Right movements, involving people of both skin colors, measured up to a very large sum of events, both implementing segregation and the fight against the segregation. King had experienced many events, both eye opening and cruel, both strong and solid with morals. Yet throughout the turmoil between the differences of both races King did not fail to speak his word. MLK did not fail to make know that what segregation stood for was wrong and treacherous. King did not underestimate his ability to be unwavering...
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...As a person think, would I die for what I believe in? Martin Luther King was a vital leader of the black community during the civil rights movement. Through his upbringing, his role in the civil rights movement, and his assassination. Martin Luther King shaped the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King’s father and mother influenced him throughout his upbringing. Martin was taught peace by his parents. Martin’s parents told him that he should not hate white people and that his duty as a Christian was to love everyone (Bader 8). Non-Violence was something instilled in Martin at an early age. His father as a preacher knew violence was not the answer (Bader 2 and 6). Community was another value Martin Luther King Jr. Learned from his father....
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...The battle between natural law and human law is very present , a described in, A Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr., and Antigone by Sophocles. In both tales, two minorities fight to overcome the great power of human law in order to do right by the almighty power of natural law. As well as the struggle to enforce natural law, the feat to restore universal humanity to society is an immense focus point throughout both, A Letter From Birmingham Jail, and Antigone. Both are tales that live on for ages due to the great virtue represented within each. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” (Martin Luther King Jr., Letter From Birmingham...
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...“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., and the “Speech at the March Washington” by Josephine Baker both provided different perspectives on achieving equality and the use of peaceful acts while using non- violence to create equality. To begin with, for one to achieve true freedom one must use peaceful acts to change the nations perspectives on equality. According to the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., King stated that “As a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting of devising the law.” This reveals the King wrote the letter to express how felt about blacks being treated unfairly. In addition, in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., King stated that “But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the first amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” This demonstrates how king felt about blacks not being treated equally. Furthermore, for one to achieve true freedom one must use non-violence to change the nations perspective on how people should be treated in America. Based on the...
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...Leader Martin Luther King Jr, has been referenced by many political leaders to remind people of what the United States can be with peace between citizens. Another widely known project by Martin Luther King Jr. is the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Martin Luther King Jr. created this letter to respond to a public statement of concern by eight clergymen of the South. Dr King’s intentions were to defend the strategy of the nonviolent resistance to racism. Although some of his arguments fail, overall Dr. King provides valid arguments to these criticisms that use logic and credibility. In his letter, Dr. King. begins by stating that he does not usually address criticisms but he will answer to them because of their seemingly genuine intentions. Dr. King immediately makes it his duty to attack the notion that he and his associates should be considered “outsiders.” The clergyman state, “However, we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders” (Public Statement by eight Alabama clergyman 1). Dr. King establishes credibility to this opposition that he is indeed not an “outsider” by mentioning that he serves as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and he also includes that, “We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations all across the South” (Letter from Birmingham 1). He states that his purpose in Birmingham is because of his...
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...Julia Starr Renner 1 November 2015 Miriam Dominguez Defining the basis of human rights for American society, The Declaration of Independence stated “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Throughout the duration of gaining independence, Americans struggled against the suffocating reign of Great 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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...Mariah is also sixteen years old and of caucasian ethnic background. They have all already read “Letter From Birmingham Jail” and very good background information on the topic. They all know Martin Luther King pushed for equality in a nonviolent way. Kanny and Mariah are both writing their own essays over the selected core reading. They too will be summarizing...
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...Letter From Birmingham Jail Vs. “I Have a Dream Speech” The first way that a “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and “ I have a Dream” differ are in their intended audience, as one is intended for a group of white clergymen while the other is intended to rally a large group. This difference in audience and how Dr. King chooses to appeal to each of his audiences causes for the choices in language and the purpose of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and “I have a Dream” to differ. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is addressed to white clergymen, and the purpose of the letter is to defend the demonstrations that were taking place. As Dr. King is trying to defend the demonstrations to these white clergymen, his language choice is quite interesting. One brilliant way that he chooses to defend the demonstrations is by appealing to the white men through his choice of Anglo terms. For instance, in the letter, Dr. King writes, “Just as the prophets of the eighth century century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saint the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns…I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town” (King). This choice of wording makes Dr. King’s argument stronger since as these white men disagree with Dr. King and his form of peaceful protest, the white clergymen will not be able to argue back because he is using religious references that if the white men chose to argue against, it would make them look like hypocrites (Eubank). While...
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...Vaughn English 102-01 14 September 2009 Someone Else’s Shoes Martin Luther King’s (MLK) “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was written in 1963 as a response to the Eight Alabama Clergymen’s public statement against King’s actions in April of that year. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for desegregation of the south in the early 1960s and overcame much adversity to attain incredible gains on the segregation issue in the United States. King uses effective persuasive appeals of logical evidence, emotional appeal, and author credibility to win over his audience in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” MLK’s writing shows the effects of segregation in Birmingham with clear direct language and heart wrenching examples. Imagine being put in his position. If your family and friends were being treated cruelly and unjustly would you not help them in any way possible, especially if included in the mistreated group? After reading MLK’s letter, maybe you would see things in a different way with his convincing examples of logical and emotional appeal. Martin Luther King proves his credibility by several factors. The first way King proves he is a credible author is the fact that he is in the Birmingham jail. He is arrested while protesting in the city. The reader can believe that MLK is writing about something that he is well versed in because he shows that he has experienced it firsthand. Another way that Martin Luther King shows he’s plausible is by stating “I have the honor of serving...
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...Since 1863, Americans have defined freedom as a war that needed to be fought to preserve the American ideal and moral justice. Three texts cover the extensive topic of American freedom: Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King Junior, The Bush Doctrine by President George W. Bush, and finally The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. America has been fighting this overreaching war for centuries and will continue to fight this battle. Each one of these works clearly spells out the injustice done to the American people. More importantly, these works show that from 1863, America has been at war with itself and with others on the extensive issue of freedom. First, in the novel Coming of Age in Mississippi, Anne Moody discusses her life as an impoverished African American. She grew up with one pair of shoes until she wore them out and having beans for dinner night after night while constantly moving with her family because of the different jobs her mother had so she could provide what little they had. The final words of the novel, “I WONDER. I really WONDER” are the best examples of the war on freedom in the novel because they sum up what Anne Moody was doing as an activist during the civil rights movement. She realized that freedom was under attack just like Abraham Lincoln in the “Gettysburg Address” when he said, “It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought...
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...“Letters from Birmingham Jail” and “The Gettysburg Address” share a common purpose of persuading people to come together and continue the fight towards equality through rhetorical strategies such as allusion and pathos. Throughout the texts, the authors use allusion, like in paragraph 1 of “The Gettysburg Address” and in paragraph 10 of “Letters from Birmingham”, and pathos, like in paragraph 2 of “The Gettysburg Address” and paragraph 8 of “Letters from Birmingham Jail”. Allusion is a rhetorical strategy that refers to something real or fictional, to someone, some event, etc. The authors use allusion in the text to advance their purpose. In the speech “The Gettysburg Address”, Abraham Lincoln alludes to Revolutionary War in the first few words “Four score and seven years ago”. Alluding to our Founding Fathers during the Revolutionary...
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...something Martin Luther King Jr. do not use conjuctions could not do anymore. King was making strides in the desegregation of the nation. He did this by traveling where he was needed and doing what he could, to help right any injustice. King was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for parading without a permit. His thought was that there was no problem requiring a permit to parade, but when it is used to oppress the first amendment rights of peaceful assembly and protest, there is a problem with the application of the law (3). While he was in jail, King received a letter from white clergymen that he could...
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...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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...What comes to mind when you hear the word leader? Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a leader is one who leads. As a leader, you can put ethical values into action and set the example you want followers to live by. You can resist pressures to act unethically just to avoid criticism or achieve short term gains. (Daft, page 167). Leadership is not merely a set of practice with no association with right or wrong. All leadership practice can be used for good or evil and thus have a moral dimension. Leaders choose whether to act form selfishness and greed to diminish others or to behave in ways that serve others and motivate people to expand their potential and as a human being. Moral leadership is about distinguishing right from wrong and doing right, seeking the just, the honest, the good and the right conduct to achieve goals and fulfilling purpose There are a select few individuals who have come variously to be called great or brilliant because they and their accomplishments have forever changed society and the world. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was on those individual. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) would have been 83 on Jan. 15, 2012. Unfortunately his birthday has been turned into a three-day weekend by being recognized as a federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January each year. More than two decade since his death, Martin Luther King ideas, his call for racial equality, his faith...
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