ipl-logo

Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

2012 Words9 Pages

Found in his letter titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. told his clergymen, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights” (381). His clergymen criticized his position to desegregation in the United States (1958-1968) arguing it was “untimely”. Easy for the clergymen to say since they were not the race targeted to segregation. Before King’s victory to desegregation, was a rational writer David Thoreau (b. 1817-1862). Thoreau lived during two prevalent injustices in the United States: slavery (1620-1865) and the Mexican War (1846-1848). Both Thoreau and King each reflects in certain ways Plato’s “ideals” but comparing Thoreau and King as representative men, Thoreau tends to be secular …show more content…

In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King shares his account of his first opportunity to speak with “Birmingham’s economic community leaders” (379) to negotiate about removing “the stores humiliating racial signs” (379). King did not want to have an argument with “Birmingham’s economic community leaders” because he wanted to build a positive relationship along with the city of Birmingham to end racial segregation culture. For King to resolve racial segregation in Birmingham, he knowledge to start from local, manageable grounds. But this plan failed as it was proven difficult to permanently remove these signs throughout Birmingham city. He explains, “As the weeks and months went by, we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise. A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained” (379). The stores failed to keep their promise to have the racial signs removed from their stores after having a negation. Changing the racially segregated culture in Birmingham will require more than just negotiation and King prepares for the next step in …show more content…

King persisted his position to desegregation after a failed attempt at negotiation. He believed this part of the plan was most effective because “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (380). Nonviolent direct action achieves presenting an issue at a dramatic scale, therefore, it forces undivided attention. This also gathers attention not just within Birmingham or in the United States but globally too. He also aimed at ending the racially segregated culture of Birmingham by “. . . a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth” (King 380). His goal of creating nonviolent ways of bringing opposing races together does have purpose for personal growth in Birmingham. It develops a peaceful relationship and help eliminate the traditional mindset of racial prejudices. At this level of human bonding, the opposing races will realize of the senseless acts of hatred and

Show More
Related
269 Words | 2 Pages

Social activist, Martin Luther King Jr, in his letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, addresses the exigency of changing segregation laws. King’s purpose is to emphasize the damage the segregation laws have brought upon black people. He adopts an urgent tone in order to establish that he is tired of waiting for change to occur in his clergymen readers. King appeals to emotion in his letter to the clergymen from Birmingham by declaring that he is tired of hearing the world “wait” by the people who have never felt the effects of the segregation laws.

Read More
697 Words | 3 Pages

King then uses the appeal of pathos by explaining that he was in Birmingham not only because he has “organizational ties,” but more basically, he is “in Birmingham because injustice is here.” This portrays a strong message to the clergymen that he has the credibility on the matter of injustice. Moreover, the use of logos should be observed when King writes that “it is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative” (Rottenberg 813). The phrasing of this statement indicates that King was sympathetic towards the “Negro community,” and that he believes that the “white power structure” was at fault. Henceforth, King uses a type of language that points out the hypocrisy of the Anglo society by challenging the biblical and cultural values that the men claimed to believe

Read More
388 Words | 2 Pages

Letter from Birmingham Jail “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” Martin Luther King, Jr states. He admits that he feels forced to support and maintain freedom in Birmingham (prg. 4). Martin Luther King, Jr. holds that he is aware of the corruption occurring in communities and states. He cannot avoid worrying about the situation in Birmingham, King explains. The author claims, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (par. 5).

Read More
660 Words | 3 Pages

Succeeding the Middle Ages, the Renaissance was a time period in Europe of cultural and artistic advancements that changed the course of history, leading to the Modern Era. (Source 1) Through the Renaissance, ideas of humanism spread all throughout Europe. Humanism is a system of thought based on human individualism and self-worth that was greatly emphasized during this time period. People were expected to become active in public affairs such as literature, politics, and the arts. (Source 1)

Read More
1015 Words | 5 Pages

“Martin Luther King Jr’s Use of Authorities in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” In Martin Luther King Jr’s argumentative letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King argues his position on his nonviolent protests, segregation, and his disappointments with the church and Birmingham’s city officials. This letter was written to clergymen that called King’s peaceful protesting “unwise and untimely” (para.1). King explains his positions by providing examples that strengthen his argument. Overall King makes it clear that little has been accomplished in the civil rights movement to end segregation and the hatred Caucasians have towards African Americans.

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

On page 285 King says, “Supreme Court 's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws” King’s allusion reinforces the facts of his argument by directing the critical event of the decision made in 1954. It shows that the decisions that are being made are not helping the problem that Birmingham has, it is only making the segregation problems worse. It’s efficient because it shows that the courts have been making laws that are what the called just but, in reality, they are anything, but just they are unjust laws that shouldn’t be

Read More
336 Words | 2 Pages

In Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail", I agree with his defense of his protests against segregation. King wrote this letter to respond to eight white southern religious leader’s statement that called his protests "unwise and untimely". Slavery had been abolished almost 100 years before, but African-Americans were still being treated as lesser beings. There was never going to be a right time for some to make people of color equal. Martin Luther King Jr. was and still is considered the biggest influence in the civil rights movement.

Read More
333 Words | 2 Pages

In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

Read More
895 Words | 4 Pages

He as well emphasizes the importance of the demonstration in moral and historical grounds. In this letter, King explains the importance and the planning of the Birmingham demonstration. King illustrates this when he faces the criticism of his demonstrations as “unwise and untimely” (King 1). He shares key features to his anti-violence movement: “determining whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action” (King 1).

Read More
907 Words | 4 Pages

King uses an appeal to logic brilliantly when he talks about the “negro” community of Birmingham saying, “I began thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces,” (). This shows the clergymen that there are two sides to the community, one being, “a force of complacency… so drained of self-respect and a sense of ‘somebodiness’ that they have adjusted to segregation,” and the other, “is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence,” (). By doing this, King does not justify his intentions, but rather gives the audience facts so that they can comprehend that his response was, in fact, the most

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
858 Words | 4 Pages

King’s use of pathos in his rebuttal gives his audience a chance to foresee his involvement in Birmingham; however, when he states, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” he implies that this movement involves more than Birmingham, and that is when King felt it was necessary as a citizen, that stands for equality and freedom, steps in and does the right thing for his neighbors. King also reminded those who criticized his activism, that people in other areas of the world are headed in the right direction, at a rapid pace, while individuals of color in America struggle for the right to enjoy a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. He relates the issue of equality in Birmingham to a “stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace,” compared to the other parts of the world, and this reinforces King’s focus on the rights of those in Birmingham. King uses details of his conditions in a long narrow jail cell to describe the length and quality of the letter he composed while incarcerated.

Read More
1845 Words | 8 Pages

Civil Disobedience Compare and Contrast Henry Thoreau and Martin Luther King both wrote persuasive discussions that oppose many ideals and make a justification of their cause, being both central to their argument. While the similarity is obvious, the two essays, Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. do have some similarities. King tries persuading white, southern clergymen that segregation is an evil, unfair law that ought to defeat by use of agitation of direct protesting. Thoreau, on the other hand, writes to a broader, non-addressed audience, and focuses more on the state itself. He further accepts it at its current state, in regard to the battle with Mexico and the institution of slavery.

Read More
1252 Words | 6 Pages

In this paper, I will be discussing how Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” affected the surrounding community in many ways. First, we will look at the situation King was in and the reason and motivation behind why he writes this letter. King does a great job at endorsing a sense of community in his letter written in Birmingham jail in response to “A Call for Unity” by the clergymen of Alabama. His discussion on nonviolence and the importance of having a Christ like attitude are clear examples of how Christians today should influence their communities. His letter still has a strong influence in the way people think about racial rights today, more than 50 years later.

Read More
1848 Words | 8 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

Read More

More about Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

Related Topics

Open Document