Compare And Contrast Letter From Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King uses many different types of appeal to prove his credibility to the clergyman. One of the types of appeals he uses to convince his audience is ethos. Ethos appeals a person through credibility. So in this letter, Martin Luther King Jr. has to establish his credibility in order for the argument to be convinced by his argument. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. uses allusions and first person plural pronouns in order to convince the clergyman of his credibility.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, the author, Martin Luther King Jr., writes a response to several clergymen’s letter criticizing him because of his protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King states his argument that “protest against anything unjust is necessary because although protest causes tension, tension is necessary for humans to grow and without this, segregation will never end.” (page number) This is an important idea behind King’s letter because it allows his readers to have insight on the purpose of his protests and why he finds speaking out so important. King continues to persuade the audience on the importance of protesting against segregation by shedding light on how long black men have been waiting for justice.
The letter from Birmingham jail is a strong persuasive letter, especially for its audience, clergymen. King used all kinds of methods, logos, ethos, pathos. He is very insightful about his audience. King, as a clergyman himself, understand what other clergymen’s perspective and what they believe in. To start this letter, King addresses the recipient as “dear fellow clergymen”.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail” in 1963. He wrote the letter to explain to his clergyman he refused to wait any longer for his freedom. Dr.King used peaceful protests such as sit-ins and marches across America to get his point across. I disagree with his all peace beliefs. I feel as though protesters should have the right to defend themselves against their oppressors.
Martin Luther King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" not only to reply to criticism from clergymen, but to expose the racism in this city and promote his mission. King starts off his letter by writing about how he does not usually reply to all the criticism he receives, but he feels that this topic is too important to let pass by (King 331). King appeals to all aspects of citizens. By mentioning that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King ethically appeals to his audience by strengthening his character with experience and leadership skills (King 332). Another way King ethically appeals to his audience is by writing about the many occasions that African Americans have been treated unfairly.
In Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), King strongly implies that American society has a moral responsibility to break laws that are unjust because Americans cannot wait forever for justice to come through the courts. King opens with a tone that is assertive, yet respectful, with formality in mind, King makes his letter sophisticated, and finally reminds the nine religious leaders what he is really doing with logic. The reason for King’s letter is to persuade people to invoke the much-needed change to the justice system. Dr. King adopts a stern, yet respectful tone when addressing the nine religious leaders' ideas throughout the letter. Throughout his letter, Dr. King urges the audience to act on the unjust laws that are against
Brian Ezenwugo Political Science Mr. Somma December 1st, 2014 Letter From Birmingham Jail The Letter from Birmingham Jail is a document written by Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963. This letter defended the approach of peaceful accommodations to racial discrimination, debating that citizens have a just responsibility to break biased laws. This letter stands alone as one of the most influential documents of the civil rights era. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter was intended to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.”
In “Letters from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr answers the clergymen's criticisms in a calm and collected way, acknowledging them and providing insight into his ideas rather than attacking and criticizing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr begins this letter by addressing his audience, the clergymen, as “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” This automatically shows that King is taking a more friendly, sincere approach to this rather than a confrontational approach. He is attempting to make them listen and agree with him and his ideas, not give them a reason to completely disregard what he is saying. Throughout the whole letter, King addresses the clergymen’s complaints and criticizes them, without directly attacking and accusing them.
When Dr. King composed his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," he was attempting to clarify the circumstances of black citizens to the white clergymen. Rather than showing what isolates King from them, he calls them "fellow clergymen," which expresses a feeling of brotherhood. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere ()" legitimizes King's and the SCLC's (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) presence in Birmingham. King recognizes that SCLC activity is "untimely," and insisted that Albert Boutwell was not different enough for change (). King asserts that "privileged groups" will constantly challenge activity that threatens the status quo ().
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King expresses his opinions and thoughts in response to a letter written by eight clergymen. As a justification of his actions for his recent activities, King was put under scrutiny that his actions were “unwise and untimely”. The main concept King was supporting was that, “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
No more waiting around to get equal rights, Martin Luther King Jr knew exactly that. He was tired of waiting. When King stopped waiting he was sentenced to Birmingham jail. Instead of waiting to get out of jail he wrote a letter, King wrote, ‘’ Letter In Birmingham Jail.
In the two writings The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, by Abraham Lincoln and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr.; each author explores the complications of their society when they lived and how they view the laws present. For the two writings, the authors explore the levels of ability the people of America have to change laws that they do not see fit for their democracy. In the First Amendment of the Constitution, the people are given the right to petition their government if they feel their rights are being compromised, while also reserving the right to assemble to show their unhappiness with the law or laws created. Each one of these men does not embody the same ideals, causing a conflict of thoughts on how Americans should be allowed to petition their government. The same could be asked about how the government is required to act when they are being petitioned.
Key Idea(s) from the Readings. In the reading “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by activist Martin Luther King Jr, he challenges the idea of his protest occurring at an inappropriate time. King begins by stating that Birmingham had injustice, and it was up to him to help fight against it. He explains that fighting the discrimination in Birmingham would bring justice to other cities that were facing the same circumstances.
Respected Martin Luther King Jr, After reading your “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, which us a deeper look into the reality of the racial equality that existed in the 1960’s. I see that you wrote this letter to your fellow clergymen since you too are a church man, and aimed it towards addressing their concerns regarding the timing of the nonviolent actions in Birmingham, Alabama that you along with other leaders orchestrated and carried out in 1963. My first reaction to this reading was a sense of insecurity acknowledging the fact that people in the 1960’s were what you, Mr. King, described as the “oppressor race” (par 31). But after giving myself time to analyze my reaction and to take into to consideration the time era, I‘ve come to accept
Similar to Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr was an activist who wrote a famous letter titled, “A letter from Birmingham Jail”. The writings have similar aspects when it comes
More about Compare And Contrast Letter From Birmingham Jail
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
249 Words | 1 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
242 Words | 1 PagesKing's Letter From Birmingham Jail
257 Words | 2 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
638 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
348 Words | 2 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
498 Words | 2 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
486 Words | 2 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
1139 Words | 5 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
917 Words | 4 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
685 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
1105 Words | 5 PagesLetter From Birmingham Jail Compare/Contrast Essay
713 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
703 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
724 Words | 3 PagesLetter From Birmingham Jail Comparison
883 Words | 4 Pages