ipl-logo

An Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

701 Words3 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail is a profoundly devised letter. However, whether his piece delivers Dr. King’s desirable message to the clergy men or to many white Americans is what I find questionable. And there are two reasons for my uncertainties. Firstly, I do not understand how badly opposed the white moderates and the KKK groups were towards African Americans and vice versa, and that is my fault. Secondly, I do not understand fully the mentality perspective of the majority of Anti-Black Americans during the 1950s, which is Dr. King’s fault. Dr. King’s argument or thesis is that African Americans should participate in non-violent protests because “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere” …show more content…

King gives plenty of historical references and back-ups throughout his cogent writing. When he asks the clergymen “why direct action?”, he responds by claiming that nonviolent direct action fosters tension that a community has been negligent to resolve. He also relates his call to direct action mentioning his personal ideals of how nonviolence tension is alright because it nurtures growth. Then Dr. King follows his personal relation with Socrates (para. 10) Dr. King possesses a unique argumentative style because he is intuitive. He connects the dots to obtain the big picture. Therefore, Dr. King approaches the clergymen’s counterarguments in this manner. Furthermore, one of the most convincing evidence that there is injustice is when he addresses his concern as a father. From paragraph 14-15, he recalls he found his tongue in a knot and stammering when he had to explain to his six-year old daughter why she could not go to the public amusement park and see her eyes filled with tears. At this point, Dr. King reveals that inferiority has distorted his daughter’s personality to feel bitterness towards white people (para. 14-15). Hence, Dr. King issues a surplus of evidence to back up his

Show More
Related
1135 Words | 5 Pages

Dr. King also included definitions and examples of unjust and just laws, and how they are not right. He included an example of these “laws” by talking about the things Adolf Hitler did was allowed but supposedly helping someone was not allowed. He writes and uses the letter to show the white Americans that are unaware of what is happening around them. Even, though Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is best remembered for his powerful voice and pathos in this letter is a thoughtful logical argument. Rhetorical Situations: Writer:

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

Nonviolent resistance is one strategy that can be used in any movement or retaliation. In the 1960s, one man, named Martin Luther King, Jr. very much supported that idea. In his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King writes back to the eight clergymen as a response to their criticism towards his nonviolent movement and actions. Throughout his letter, King discusses how necessary his movement is, especially by using credibility, emotion, reasoning and various figurative language, and the effectiveness it can have towards social reform. Although all that content contained in the essay proved to be valuable to his argument, King’s three concluding paragraphs appeared to be more effectual because of how he ends the letter with a satirical

Read More
860 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most profound activists and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, once said, “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities” (King 584). When Dr. King was admitted to the Birmingham City Jail, he wrote a letter entitled, “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” This letter was a response to eight white clergymen who criticized his actions as a leader. He used three rhetorical appeals, logos, pathos, and ethos, to persuade the eight white clergymen that his actions were justifiable and that injustice was prominent in Birmingham. Essentially, these appeals allowed him to prove the logic behind his

Read More
1626 Words | 7 Pages

It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. Both a practical and a moral answer to the Negro’s cry for justice, nonviolent direct action proved that it could win victories without losing wars, and so became the triumphant tactic of the Negro Revolution of 1963” (12). I believe that this paragraph is a perfect way to summarize what King discusses in his book. He emphasized the importance of nonviolence and his belief on it.

Read More
351 Words | 2 Pages

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he is addressing the Clergymen, more specifically the white church and its leadership who criticized his efforts in the civil rights movement, by calling his demonstrations unwise and untimely. He is also simultaneously addressing the national audience as well in letting them know of the injustices of the time. It was 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from inside a jail cell. He had been arrested during an anti-segregation march for not having a valid parading permit in Birmingham, Alabama. In this letter he addresses the criticisms that were brought forth to him.

Read More
895 Words | 4 Pages

With the help of these four steps, he justifies the need for the demonstration. King illustrates the city of Birmingham as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,” (King 2). Here King is able to show that injustices are present in Birmingham, which further justifies his reason for a peaceful demonstration. King proceeds to speak about his method of protesting. He states that negotiation was not met, and that “[their] hopes had been blasted,” that like “victims of a broken promise,” their wishes had been disregarded, (King 2).

Read More
1112 Words | 5 Pages

King's philosophy was profoundly influenced by intellectual giants such as Mahatma Gandhi and Henry David Thoreau. Their teachings and principles of nonviolent resistance inspired his analytical and critical approach to civil rights activism. By embracing nonviolence as a powerful means to fight for equality, Dr. King aligned his advocacy with the peaceful democratic processes emphasized in the social contract. The Montgomery Bus Boycott serves as a focal point for analyzing Dr. King's leadership and his instrumental role in demanding equal treatment and access to public services.

Read More
649 Words | 3 Pages

Response to “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he responded to statements written in a Birmingham newspaper that criticized his actions in the city. He undermined these disapprovals by explaining his belief in nonviolent direct action. King also went on to give opinions on other topics, such as, the lack of support from white moderates and white churches. He used technique and structure to develop his ideas and justify his methods.

Read More
1546 Words | 7 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong leader in the Civil Rights movement, the son and grandson of a minister, and one heck of a letter writer. As he sits in a cell of Birmingham Jail in 1963, he responds to criticism from eight white clergymen. Though this letter was intended for the judgemental and condescending men of high faith, his response touched the hearts and minds of the entire U.S. population, then, and for years to come. In his tear-jerking, mind-opening letter, King manages to completely discredit every claim made by the clergymen while keeping a polite and formal tone. Metaphors, allusions, and rhetorical questions are used in the most skillful way to support his argument and ultimately convince his audience of the credibility behind his emotional, yet factual, claims.

Read More
726 Words | 3 Pages

Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, argues against criticism from eight Alabama clergymen, and addresses their concerns. He defends his position, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), against accusations of disturbing the peace in Birmingham, as well as explaining his values and opinions. Throughout the letter, King adopts a strong logical and credible tone, and reinforces his position through the use of strong emotional justifications, in order to appeal to the clergymen and defend his public image. Martin Luther King opens up his Letter from Birmingham City Jail by appealing to the clergymen's emotions, and assuring his peaceful response, which he describes in "patient and

Read More
1522 Words | 7 Pages

A Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is a name that will never be forgotten, and that will go down in the books for all of time. He was foremost a civil rights activist throughout the 1950s and 1960s. during his lifetime, which lasted from January of 1929 to April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and a social activist and was known for his non- violent protests. He believed that all people, no matter the color, have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take a direct action rather than waiting forever for justice to come through and finally be resolved. In the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a speech that Birmingham was among one of the most segregated cities in the world.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
829 Words | 4 Pages

Injustices in Birmingham While sitting in the Birmingham jail in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., writes a powerful and emotional letter to the clergymen of Birmingham. In his letter, he responds to the harsh criticism and injustices he received for simply protesting peacefully without a permit. King states in his letter, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Read More
1119 Words | 5 Pages

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “A Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” he provides answers to fundamental metaphysical questions regarding the nature of the human soul. Though his letter is addressed to a group of eight clergymen criticizing his direct action campaign in Birmingham, his ultimate aim is the uplifting of human personhood. Underlying King’s letter is a philosophical, hylemorphic anthropology which puts an anchor deep into a certain conception of personhood, and binds all people who are to read it. He looks deeply at the nature of human beings, as rational creatures who are made to love and be loved, and from thence, deliberates that there is a universal Gospel of Freedom and Justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. asserts that there are universal principles justifying what actions are morally right and wrong, just and unjust.

Read More
799 Words | 4 Pages

King is able to provide his audience with a proper vision of the intensity involving racial segregation through the experiences of African-Americans nationwide. He goes on to use a testimony from a young child in order to impact his readers. Kings describes, “when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking, ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’” (803). Through these depictions, King attempts to gain sympathy from his audience.

Read More

More about An Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Related Topics

Open Document