...On the day of April 12, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama sitting in a jail cell was one of the finest and memorable man that America has come to known Mr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was one of the illustrious leaders for the civil rights movements back in the 50’s and 60s. He has done things in his life that many would say was courageous. Mr. King wrote a letter stressing the issues the black community were facing in Alabama. The letter as we all know is called “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. The seven page letter give or take was a thought out and well-structured letter. The concern he stressed for the coloreds and no actions taken to resolve the issues ate away at Mr. King. All the hard work that he put into having freedom for the underdogs...
Words: 1798 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 881 - Pages: 4
...1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama for leading the non-violent demonstration against racial segregation and injustice. As Kind read the letter written by the eight local Clergymen, he then wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, in order to defend his action nonviolent actions. King uses many varieties of rhetoric strategies to exemplify his argument. He uses three Aristolean means of persuasion Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to establish his argument on the nonviolent protest movement. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, written from the Birmingham Jail, he uses ethos to establish the credibility on the subject of racial discrimination and injustice. King states in the letter “I have the honor of serving as president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated...
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Letter from Birmingham Jail It is necessary for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to make the distinction between just and unjust laws to justify their actions of civil disobedience at the time. King describes to the clergymen that there are two types of laws; those that are just and those that are unjust. Dr. King begins by stating that he does not advocate the disobedience of just laws simply because “One has not only a legal but moral responsibility to obey just laws,” meaning that when a citizen knows that a law is in effect, they have to either follow it or face the punishments that come with breaking the law. Martin Luther King describes a just law as “a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of...
Words: 453 - Pages: 2
...philosopher from Prussia. He was born in 1844 and passed away at age 55 in Germany. Nietzsche was very well educated. He studied Theology at the University of Bonn and eventually earned his doctorate from the University of Leipzig. For ten years he served as chair of classical philology at Basel in Switzerland. My focus is going to be on his writing, Beyond Good and Evil. It is important to note for the analysis of this book that Nietzsche came from a materialist, or atheist background. In Beyond Good and Evil, the ethical model he promotes is one that is driven by power. The other writing I will look at is Martin Luther King, Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail. Like Nietzsche, King was also very sophisticated....
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...The Price of Freedom A better life is found here in America, where many immigrants migrate to search for a better life. Endless opportunities are perceived by America. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an extraordinary man for leading African Americans fighting for equality. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from Birmingham Jail, King asks questions, similes, and ethical appeals to provide an intellectual response to the clergymen who have criticized him for his “disturbances.” Freedom is an essence and is a basic right, for example in a “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King wrote about how his fellow clergymen that explained the current events in Birmingham in 1963, as well in the rest of America and also demonstrated the action that King...
Words: 630 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 729 - Pages: 3
...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" scares me because of how much it applies to the current situation in the United States. There are so many causes that need to be fought for: Immigration, Women, LGBTQ+, etc. But, one that immediately comes to mind is the "Time's Up" Campaign. This letter essentially is telling the American people that time is up and African American citizens can't patiently wait for justice for any longer, similar to how we have to talk about the sexual harassment against women and men. I also feel that we (the country/the world) need a letter like this one to advance and encourage people to take action. Even reading it now lights a fire in me to want to go protest and earn the treatment that I and...
Words: 271 - Pages: 2
...Martin Luther King Jr was an activist for human rights. He wrote the "I have a dream" speech and the "letters from the Birmingham jail". Martin Luther King Jr's dream was equality for all. There are many reasons to lose hope; however, when a common evil comes, divisions become sealed. To begin, unity is a dreamlike fantasy that many become hopeless to reach. for example, the daily news shows massacre, riots, and dissension. Trayvon Martin, an African American man, was killed by a police officer, George Zimmerman, for a misconception. this action took communities by storm creating a riot in front of the courthouse. Sadly, George Zimmerman took the "stand your ground" law as his plea and escaped his sentence. Many people lost hope in the justice...
Words: 490 - Pages: 2
...In those Halcyon Sixties, specifically in April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his remarkable Letter from Birmingham Jail. In it he explained to his fellow clergy critical of his sit-ins, marches, and direct action why he felt non-violent activism was necessary. He wrote from his cell that he has “almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride towards freedom is not . . . the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice.” He acknowledged that while they truly do agree with the goals he seeks, they choose to avoid the tension of activism. After the long day at the office or chauffeuring the kids around, we need to relax in front of the...
Words: 284 - Pages: 2
...After reading Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter From Birmingham Jail we can agree that it’s a great example of the variety of rhetorical devices that he uses that makes his latter so amazing, breathtaking and powerful. The audience for the letter was mainly for the White Birmingham Clergymen, the letter as a response to the claims they had made, and was also targeted towards others who were part of the racial segregation campaign and for those supporting King and other racial civil rights activists. So the letter was made for everyone, which is a pretty big audience, King just wanted people know what he was truly feeling during his time in his jail cell. The King's only purpose in writing the Letter From Birmingham Jail was to explain the terrible...
Words: 272 - Pages: 2
...“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...
Words: 1201 - Pages: 5
...Time in a Jail of Birmingham In the famous letter “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” or also known as “The Negro Is Your Brother” written by famous activist Martin Luther king Jr was written on April 16, 1963 as an open letter. Between the years of 1954–1968 the movement of American civil rights was going on. And during the movement of American civil rights African American people and non-colored people were treated very differently. Some examples would consist of colored people not being able to go to a certain amusement parks because of the color of their skin while non colored people were able to go to any amusement parks, another example where colored people were treated...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...Versus Laws in The Eyes of King In the mid twentieth century, America was full of segregation and inequality between the blacks and whites. One man did everything in his power to get equal rights for the races until it eventually killed him, literally. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who dedicated his entire life striving towards African American equality. Without using violence, King fought hard and strong for what he believed in, and was passionate about, which was civil disobedience, that is defined as a peaceful form of protest. Practicing civil disobedience addressing his demands for racial equality landed Martin Luther King, Jr. a spot in Birmingham Jail. The incarceration resulted in a large amount of free time which he used to complete a lengthy letter addressing the clergymen who criticized his actions, calling them untimely and unwise. These criticisms did not sit well with King and therefore, he formulated “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” Although long winded, Martin Luther King, Jr. uses repetition, in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” to his benefit, in addition with ethos and pathos to sway his audience and develop his reasons for his civil disobedience. Ending at an astounding eleven pages, Martin Luther King, Jr. covers a great amount of information throughout “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. The length of this letter most likely was due to the fact he was locked in a cell with nothing better to occupy himself with, King admitted himself, in the last...
Words: 1173 - Pages: 5
...A Letter From a Birmingham Jail The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal turning point in the battle for equal rights for African Americans. Among the many leaders and supporters of the movement, one of the most notable activists of all was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King dedicated most of his life to the fight for equal rights. He did this through the use of nonviolent direct action. Although his actions were appreciated by many, just as many people were annoyed, offended, and disagreed with his actions. Consequently, King ended up in jail numerous times. However, upon his arrest in Birmingham, Alabama for demonstrating without a permit, King decided to utilize his time in jail to write a letter to certain clergymen who criticized his actions. In this letter, King addresses his thoughts, feelings, actions, and the criticism that he was subjected to by his fellow clergymen. Through the creation of this letter, Martin Luther King Jr. has created an influential and thought provoking piece of literature. While incarcerated, Dr. King had lots of time to collect his thoughts. After thinking about everything that had happened and about all the things that have yet to happen led King to write a letter discussing all of theses things. This letter clearly states King's goal multiple times. He writes, “But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here (King 1).” He goes on to write, “Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for help (King 1).” In those...
Words: 1377 - Pages: 6
