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Overcoming injustice and oppression is a difficult thing to do. Overcoming institutional, century’s old, outright and abject injustice and oppression is another animal all together. In a letter written from his Birmingham jail cell, Dr. King weaves philosophical ideals and scriptural/moral principles into a fabric of reason which absolutely decimates the foundations of segregation and its active or tacit supporters. While providing clear proof of his deep understanding of the issue at hand, Dr. King authors a moving yet emotionally grounded appeal to his fellow man about their sense of justice, morality, responsibility, and motive in placing one race above another.
In the speech that shows how Martin Luther King feels about his conflicts says, “ We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. No, no we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. We hold these truths to be self - evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day … a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. ... my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin by the content of their character.
King uses strong, powerful language in his letter to analyze how protesting is right in the eyes of him and his fellow men because of the way they are being treated. King says, “All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually” (paragraph 25). By using the word “Christians” it points out and focuses on the priests because they are Christians. Therefore, they will feel a personal connection between what King is writing and their lives. King explains what is happening to African Americans during this time and the struggles they are going through in their day-to-day life, unlike these fellow clergymen.
Dog attacks, verbal abuse, and the kicking of the innocent, the blacks have been through it all. Martin Luther King Jr is sitting in a jail cell during the civil rights movement from protesting for his freedom. Informative and reflective, Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” explains that blacks and whites are equal and urges the clergymen to agree with him. King effectively explains that both blacks and whites are equal and stirs up the clergymen through his tone, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical tools.
The criticism made by the these eight clergyman epitomize the idea of whiteness and white privilege. Rather than to offer assistance and guidance for King and his efforts to diminish racial injustices prevalent in the South, they, instead, offer criticism in an attempt to depreciate King’s fight for racial equity. This rhetoric has occurred often throughout American history, where we see white individuals devaluing and hindering the progress made by individuals of color. For example, one of the critiques that King received was that The Negro community should be more patient and wait for society to move gradually toward civil rights. What white individuals fail to understand is that there is no such thing
also utilizes anaphora to emphasize the importance of the issue and acknowledge it. Many people have told King and his supporters that it is not the right time and they need to wait. In response, he explains just how badly colored people are treated and why they can’t “wait”. He knows these white clergymen can never fully understand the hardship created by segregation and discrimination. To illustrate it for them he lists off the injustices, from the emotional pain of explaining racism to his kids, to examples of lynching and extreme police brutality.
With alluding to Saint Augustine Dr.King was successful in justifying the need to protest, because he demonstrated the distinction between unjust and just laws, and why the African Americans should, or shouldn’t follow them. Furthermore, he also alludes to early Christianity when he states, “early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being ‘disturbers of the peace’”(27). Christians used to be considered “disturbers of the peace”, from the majority of the people around that time, but they were able to bring an end to the “ancient evils” that were occurring. The allusion was used to show the similarities between the African Americans and the Christians, to show the actions the white community are putting
In paragraph twelve King says, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity…”, it is hard to imagine witnessing such brutality and the lack of justice that followed for African-Americans and their families (12). Birmingham, Alabama, reputed for its high rate of police brutality against African-Americans and as being one of the most segregated cities in the country (5). Because of the latter, African-Americans felt the need for direct action and started peacefully demonstrating; their peaceful demonstrations met opposition in the form of police and angry dogs (43). Dr. King himself was a victim of violence at the hands of police and guards at the jail.
MLK’s ultimate claim is that the church is to blame for these happenings and “the judgement of God is upon the Church as never before”(276). King stated how even the people who were in the church trying to fight for justice had been looked down upon and some had been kicked out of their own churches. King’s claims were passionately presented. He relentlessly provided evidence to prove his position on the issue of injustice and also showed ample amounts of examples to solve these problems.
This year, violence towards and by people of color has become a repeating headline, and this sensitive topic has divided many people in a time where we need unity. We must look to past civil rights activists for guidance such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Height, and Bayard Rustin who promoted rights for African-Americans while attempting to unify a nation. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail exemplifies this ideal. In paragraphs twelve to fourteen, Martin Luther King, Jr. refutes clergymen's claim of his actions towards desegregation being untimely with diction and selection of detail that illustrates the urgency and necessity of his actions on the progress of civil rights along with syntax that promotes unity.
We live in a world with currently many conflicts from the racial disparity in high incarceration rates to gun violence and the war over gun rights. In his letter, King describes that Black Americans have no identity and that the oppressed cannot remain oppressed forever. King implies that they cannot be told to “wait for justice” because if they simply
These clergymen believed that though racial discrimination and segregation were wrong, King’s method’s were not the way to fix the problem. Luther uses his experiences, knowledge and perspective to illustrate the troubles of the Black community. By building his credibility,
He argues that African Americans have been oppressed for centuries and that change is long overdue. He states “for years now i have heard the word ‘wait’ and it rings in the ear of every negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘wait’ has almost meant' ‘never’' and that “all segregation is unjustifiable because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” By using this argument, King shows that the civil rights movement is not moving too fast, but rather that it is moving too
A blast killing more than 300 sailors, injuring off-duty men, shook Port Chicago, California. Men refused to go back to work until biased and hazardous conditions at the docks were addressed. Fifty were charged with mutiny and were facing years of jail time. This captivating story of the prejudice that tackled African American men in America's armed forces during World War II; a look at those who gave their lives in the service of a country where they lacked the most basic human rights. Therefore, bringing about an era of change.
“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” (King). King calms the African Americans who are being oppressed by using the words, “this situation can and will be changed.” and “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” which gives them hope that there will be a new day when a change will take place.
