A Good Writer and His Tools Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in his piece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” shows that good writers go beyond. King had to convince a groups of white town leaders that what they fundamentally believed and stood for was immoral. Throughout the letter, King evokes his passion through rhetoric, tone, and real-life experiences. This passion was fueled by what King witnessed in his community, as a result of the racist leaders. His resulting style and structure of writing showed that he was invested in instigating change. Mainly, the late doctor’s letter pushes, without crossing boundaries, fundamental social change. King knew that his opinion was not popular, thus he had to know his audience well. By reading about the …show more content…
A mission that would be filled get with resistance and possible violence. His mission, as he practically stated in the letter was to convince white people who were pro segregation that they were promoting a system that was prejudice and harmful. King was a smart man; college educated, young, and determined. Additionally, he knew right from wrong. As a result, he knew that everyone is created equal, and no race is above another in any capacity. Knowing these facts, he knew he would have to write in an effective manner. Also, he was aware that a letter from a black man would only be taken seriously, or at all, if it made an impact. Therefore, it is clear in his letter that King wrote with a purpose and a passion, despite knowing his letter may not be read, much less, taken seriously. This is why he is a great role model for those of us who want to write an effective piece of …show more content…
This skill is an author painting a picture in readers’ minds that drives the main point. The reason it is so important is, when done correctly, imagery can connect the reader on a deep level. There are a few ways to show imagery. The way King used was through past, personal experiences. Making a claim is best supported by events that show the desired result. In the case of King’s letter, he wanted to show the recipients that his claim that racism needs to stop, he needed to show that it has effected people in the world. A good example was when he told the story of his daughter. He explains that the young girl did not understand why the country was segregated. King then had to explain to his own daughter that she is seen as less. By telling this story, the reader should get the image of a sad girl, and this would help them see his point of view. The late civil rights advocate shows that he was a good writer by using imagery to his benefit. Anyone who wants to persuade someone now has a tool that could get his or her point
Throughout the text, King utilized the values of his audience to gain sympathy and later on support. His use of diction and syntax would align his mission to God’s, and show that he was in the right and the clergymen were in the wrong. In his letter, King effectively used an extended periodic sentence that consisted of more than 300 words. The sentence has an extreme appeal to pathos, with such vivid imagery
When reading the letter one can almost hear Dr. King preaching the letter to him or her. Take of instance when the
Why African Americans can no longer “wait” “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Dr. Martin L. King, Jr is a response to the eight white clergymen who wrote him a letter criticizing him, his movement, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King first addresses why he came to Birmingham. Though King does not usually respond to criticism, he responds to the men because he believes they are “of genuine good will.” Martin Luther King, Jr. had been arrested and imprisoned in Birmingham in 1963 regarding his protest activities. Birmingham at the time was a segregated city, known for the mistreatment of African Americans.
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. states: “any law that degrades human personality is unjust” and that it is therefore our moral obligation to resist unjust legal systems. Unjust laws have been around since the beginning of our country, and we still have not been able to solve this basic conundrum; it can still be seen in contemporary issues that are occurring to this day such as Colin Kaepernick sitting during the national anthem. King’s arguments can be applied to most, but not all, aspects of the U.S. prison system because just laws are also present in the system. Current U.S. prisons are built on fundamentally degrading laws including the increase in punishment if one desires to go to court and people of color receiving
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is set in a time of disturbing unrest, caused by racial issues between the blacks and whites of America. The year of 1963 went down as a rough year in the terms of violence, segregation, and living life everyday in an unpeaceful manner. Other than Martin Luther’s letter, many events also happened that shaped history as we have it today. During the months of April through August, Birmingham, AL and other towns had riots, speeches, and civil abruptness. The historical context represented in this time is shown greatly in not only the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” but in the news daily.
Is it better to follow laws that are unjust but right, or do the thing that is fair but are against the law? Socrates in Plato’s “The Crito” and Martin Luther King, Jr. in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” answer this question from conflicting perspectives. According to Plato (427-423 BCE), Socrates believed that it is his duty to obey the law of his city, Athens, on all occasions, whereas King (1963) made the argument first put forth by St. Thomas Aquinas that “an unjust law is no law at all” (p. 69). One of these reasons for the differing opinions on this subject is due to the times and places in which these two men existed and came to their views on Civil disobedience.
King expresses the reasoning and beliefs behind the entire Civil Rights Movement. He explains that everyone is affected by segregation, not just African Americans. No longer should people be moderate on an issue so important; important issues demand extremists. Significant figures such as Martin Luther, Thomas Jefferson, Paul, and even Jesus were considered extremists in their time. MLK Jr. even goes to say that everyone is an extremist, there is no middle ground, so “what kind of extremists we will be…
“J.F.K., Civil Rights, and the Cold War.” This was how one of my friends responded when I asked her what she thought of when I said, ‘the 1960s’. Indeed, all of these coincided in a time of great social and political turmoil in the United States, and also around the world. Although each is significant, the civil rights movement spearheaded much of the change during this decade and during those to come. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. serves as one of the hallmarks of the civil rights movement that followed the corruption and segregation that was still commonplace in white, Southern Baptist America.
Martin Luther King’s message “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” it rebuttals the empty statements made by the eight Alabama clergymen. In the clergymen’s letter, they try to show their support by mentioning how they know what is best for the citizens, and they are trying their hardest to resolve these problems. However, they fail to give evidence in saying that King’s methods were “untimely and unwise”, and they failed to prove their support against segregation. King wrote this letter during his serving time in jail, in response to the clergymen that said that his action were “unwise and untimely.” This letter raised national awareness to the Civil Rights Movements, it motioned the will power to gain proper rights after three hundred and forty
King’s purpose for using rhetoric is that the world needs change and needs to improve for equality. Claims that a lot of people have faith in the movement like a 72 year old who said one of the most powerful quotes in the letter, “my feet is tired, but my soul is rested.” (King 182). Another powerful quote stated in the letter is, “If I have said anything that is an overstatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg for forgiveness.” (King 182).
Michelle DeLude Contrast the views of Plato in Crito and Martin Luther King, Jr. in “A letter From a Birmingham Jail” on law whether one may permissibly disobey an unjust law or an unjust use of a just law. Explain both positions and evaluate, giving reason, which view you think presents the better argument. To have a political obligation is to have a moral duty to obey the laws of one’s State or Country. Political activists and Philosophers alike have struggled to evaluate the conditions under which people are morally entitled to disobey the law or an unjust use of a just law.
In King’s letter, he states, “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Funny thing is he had lots of time to think about and write this letter. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was the match.
King shows Ethos in his letter by writing back to the clergy men who had objections against King’s protest in Birmingham. They basically called him an outsider but by establishing his credibility, King shows that he is in fact an
Comparative Textual Analysis: Avery and MLK Issues of social justice have affected our society since the beginning of civilization. In particular, issues of race and racial prejudice have had a massive impact on the cultural dynamics of society. In our world today, racial prejudice can still shape how people interact with one another, what opportunities individuals are given, and what we see on the news each night. When Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail in the 1960s, racial prejudice was rampant. He wrote the letter to a group of clergymen about racial prejudice in society, discussing the impact of segregation and the details of his nonviolent methods to end it.
This was done by having the audiance of the King’s letter consider the morality of the laws rather than just following the laws blindly. Furthermore, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” also was more historically significant compared to his “I Have a Dream Speech” since it urged citizens to not sit on the fence when they saw any injustice at all and instead try to combat it, unlike the “I Have a Dream Speech”, which mainly focused on racial