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Analysis Of Ignorance Isn 'T Bliss' By Martin Luther King Jr

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Ignorance Isn't Bliss While sitting in his jail cell after being arrested for constructing a nonviolent protest in Birmingham, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Junior writes a letter to the white clergymen who had critiqued his ways of protest. Throughout his letter, King addresses all the clergymen’s comments but one in particular seems strongly emphasized. This is the thought that King and his protests are extreme. Taken by that comment, King devotes a section of his letter to defend himself from that particular statement. Through metaphors, ironic statements, and parallel structure, King is able to convey to his fellow ministers that they are wrong for believing that any of his actions are violent or negatively extreme. Also, he …show more content…

In this statement, King knows that the clergymen are viewing this negatively, however he wants to show how even with a comment so disappointing, he will stay calm and collected. Not only just with his words, but this self-control represents how he works his protests. No matter how much violence and negativity he endures from the other side, he will always remain a non-violent activist. Not only was that the reason for his positive turn around, but King also wanted to address that there are two kinds of extremist and he isn’t the one that they are convinced that he is. Being an extremist seems like an insult on the surface, and much of the time it is, but he wanted to show them that although his beliefs are so strong and so powerful just like the beliefs of an extremist are, he will never commence violence to get his views across to others. This demonstration of self-control represents that instead of being a violent irrational extremist, he is a rational extremist for …show more content…

Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” (31). Next, King uses a similar parallel structure to continue his list of positive extremists,“And John Bunyan: “I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.” And Abraham Lincoln: “This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” And Thomas Jefferson: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . . .””(31). King includes these parallel structures so that his examples can stand out and be remembered well in the reader's mind. He wants them to be stuck in their brain because they are all reliable sources and he has many of them. It is easier to be persuasive when there are lots of examples to support the claim. To add on, the first example King uses is about Jesus. This comes as no surprise because he wants them to not only notice his examples but he

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For example, King says, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights” (2). King draws sympathy for his cause from the reader who sees the unjustness of the situation he and his followers are dealing with. No one should be restricted from rights and opportunities that others are given for that long. He also mentions emotional situations the readers probably can’t even imagine. For example, he writes “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will, drown your sisters and brothers and hated filled policemen even kill your brothers and sisters” (3).

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Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a lengthy letter called "Letter from Birmingham Jail," to respond to a public statement of concern which was expressed by eight white clergymen from the South. In this letter, King defends his action and also describes how his nonviolent direct action is an effective way to resist against racism and segregation. In paragraph 14 and 15 of his letter, King uses parallelism and historical allusions to emphasize the blatant cruelties that colored people faced which create pathos and to express his thoughts for obeying and breaking “just or unjust” laws. In paragraph 14, King connects with Pathos, when he shows examples of painful experiences that the colored people, including himself, felt.

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The relationship between the Romans and the Etruscans is complex and multifaceted, but the evidence suggests that while the Etruscans heavily influenced the Romans, they did not directly descend from them. Instead, the Romans assimilated many aspects of Etruscan culture, significantly shaping early Roman society and development. Historical Evidence and Justification Cultural Influence and Assimilation: The Etruscans had a profound impact on Roman culture, particularly in the realms of religion, urban planning, and engineering. The Etruscans introduced several religious practices and deities to the Romans, including prophecy and oracles (Admin et al., n.d.). The Etruscan influence is also evident in Roman architecture and urban planning, such

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He does this by using lines such as “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim”. By using this kind of incendiary language and sentence structure he lets the audience envision how horrible it would be to see this happening to you or your own friends. Through the emotions he provokes, King is able to pursue the reader to hear what he has to say about these outrage of acts. King asserts negotiation is the best way to resolve problems, but when it was not an option on the table, he obliges to confront injustices using nonviolent direct action. He emphasized “the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.

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On April 12, 1963, eight clergymen wrote an open letter, “A Call for Unity”. In this published letter, the clergymen expressed their strong disapproval of the civil rights demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. That same day, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting without a permit. In his short eleven-day jail sentence, Dr. King directly responded to the clergymen with a letter of his own. In his letter, Dr. King informed his readers about the protests in Birmingham.

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While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. Several clergy who negatively critiqued King’s approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how King’s protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. His letter has become one of the most profound pieces of literature of the 20th century, as King uses vivid examples and eloquent rhetorical devices to counter all nine arguments.

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In this quote, Martin Luther stated that his critics disagreed with his decision to hold demonstrations in Birmingham but managed to weaken these claims by exposing the hypocrisy within them. He does this numerous times within the letter, using a persuasive structure to dismantle the opposition’s arguments. Throughout the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King also used metaphors and comparisons to bring attention to

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The Civil rights movement was a long and hard fight for freedom in our nation. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the many people who devoted themselves and fought for the movement. He did it in hope to make the world a better place. Outraged and indignant, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham city jail” addresses the events that took place in the name of freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. reflects on the events, through his use of tone, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical tools.

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King uses biblical allusions to appeal to the eight white clergymen and their religious affiliation when he states his duty to carry the “gospel of freedom beyond his home town... Like Paul.” His final point of this section is the clergymen’s failure to recognize the underlying causes of the demonstrations they so harshly condemn, a failure causing further ignorance and confusion on racial

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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

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In the year 1963 Martin Luther King was imprisoned for peacefully marching in a parade as a non-violent campaign against segregation. When Martin Luther King was arrested by police and sent to Birmingham Jail, a letter written by the clergymen that was directed towards him about why his march was wrong. In response to the letter by the clergymen, Martin Luther King wrote his own letter in response to the Clergymen’s to persuade them into believing that their reasons for putting him in jail were wrong by successfully using Parallelism, deductive reasoning, and alliteration. King uses his rhetorical devices to appeal to the ethos, logos, and pathos of the clergymen to further strengthen his claim. Martin Luther King effectively appeals to the emotion of the clergymen with his usage of parallelism, which repeats the structure and adds great emphasis.

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King also argues for unconditional love by reminding his audience to “love the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does”. (3) Using these bible references reminds the crowd of King’s background as a preacher. It also appeals to ethos by showing the character of the speaker and assuring the audience that he is qualified to be speaking about the power of love and nonviolent protest. These Bible references from King remind the audience of the importance and usefulness of love as well as encourage them to continue fighting for their rights. The bible references reassure the audience that the use of nonviolent protest is the optimal way for them to go about working to correct injustice in society.

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“It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians” (387) and “I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle” (381). Dr. King uses these analogies and examples to show his followers he knows the subject matter at hand. This is another example of King showing his reputation for knowing the

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In “A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr defends his use of nonviolent protest in order to accomplish racial equality. In the letter, Dr. King uses ethos, diction, and allusions when defending nonviolent protest which makes his argument really strong. His goal is to make the clergymen help him fight racial equality. He uses ethos to build up credibility.

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King wants to provide information to the normal human thoughts. To explain how all of this can come in through mind for some people. For example, murder that criminals do might have been influenced by someone or

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