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Comparing Letter From A Birmingham Jail And Resistance To Civil Government

452 Words2 Pages

The two essays "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. and "Resistance to Civil Government" by Henry David Thoreau were authored at distant points in history (1963 and 1848, respectively) to very different audiences. Their core purpose and cultural impact, however, are nearly identical. Both writers founded their essays on a strong logical basis. They form an argument to those who are oppressing them, establishing what is morally right and how it differs from what is approved by those in authority. For example, Thoreau had a poignant metaphor about poll taxation: "If I have unjustly wrested a plank from a drowning man, I must restore it to him though I drown myself". Similarly, Dr. King states in his letter "I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". By outlining individual morals they make their case against the government without resorting to violence or power tactics. …show more content…

Despite being indicted by the government, they insist that civil disobedience should be done in a non-violent manner that does not hurt others, establishing the moral high ground. Thoreau expressly says that he does not wish to quarrel or harm his neighbors, rather that he refuses to pledge his allegiance to an undeserving State, a right that should go unchecked by that government. Dr. King has a long record of calling for peace and demonstrating nonviolently, even when he would be well within his rights to defend himself morally. They are both pushing for negotiation and rational thought to prevail over unjust power

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Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail

85 Words | 1 Pages

f one followed the similarities of King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," they would notice that King may have been somewhat influenced by Thoreau's essay. The two essays also have many differences that are evident throughout analysis of the two essays that divide individual interpretation of each text. But it is obvious that the overall purpose of these two essays is to persuade the audiences that civil disobedience is necessary if there is social injustice in the government that governs over people.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

677 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr.’s primary purpose in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is to justify his presence and involvement in the peaceful protests taking place in Birmingham as well as to condemn the world of unjust segregation and racism. By employing logos continuously in his writing, King develops and contributes to his position in support of peaceful protests and direct action programs that are meant to bring to African Americans the “unalienable rights” that they are being denied. He writes the letter in 1936 from his prison cell in Birmingham jail, replying to a public letter written by several clergymen. His well-thought written logic appeals to the intended audience but also indirectly addresses the divided nation.

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Comparing Henry David Thoreau's Resistance To Civil Government

1325 Words | 6 Pages

In his letter to the Alabama clergymen, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he disagrees and oppose their allegations made on Kings way of protest in dealing with the racial problems in Alabama. King, being a minister, makes numerous religious arguments and speaks upon the treatment African-Americans undergo daily. Thoreau and Dr. King,

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Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail

443 Words | 2 Pages

"Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Lither King Jr. Both had the same idea but they were shared in different ways. "Civil Disobedience" was written in the 1830's where as "The Letter From Birmingham Jail" was written nearly 100 years letter. Both pieces of writing showed civil disobedience, and they were shared in the same way, but they both had different views. In both pieces of work the authors have different views of the injustice in the government. Both men, Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, targeted larger groups rather than smaller ones.

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Similarities Between Martin Luther King Jr And Antigone

688 Words | 3 Pages

Through the use of his letter, he is able to tell the general public of why the stakes justify the actions he takes, and why it is important for the acceptance of his plan as more turmoil could be caused otherwise. Dr. King’s letter is an example of him taking action while knowing the stakes that if he fails, the whole Civil Rights movement could fail. It gives a clear understanding of the need to fight unjust laws through his statement that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King). He continues by saying that everyone has a “legal…moral responsibility” to uphold just laws but that people also have the right to “disobey unjust laws” (King). This statement immediately gives pretense to his actions of fighting for freedom through protest.

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Compare And Contrast Thoreau And Martin Luther King

542 Words | 3 Pages

In 1849, Henry David Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government was published. In this essay, Thoreau discussed the importance of using civil disobedience in hopes of creating a more civilized government. Around 100 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to some clergymen about why blacks should have the same civil rights just like everyone else called, Letter from Birmingham Jail. King was greatly influenced by Thoreau and many of King’s ideas were acquired from principles used in Thoreau’s essay. Compare and contrast how these two men were similar and different when it came to their beliefs of civil disobedience.

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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

1277 Words | 6 Pages

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. This phrase, one of the letter’s most famous, serves several purposes, it justifies why Dr. King and the SCLC have come to Birmingham0222220.. li7]//’’; because they feel connected to and responsible for everyone, they had to come to a place that was exhibiting injustice. Throughout the work, he justifies breaking laws if they are unjust, embracing extremism. Because Dr. King establishes his credibility early on, he has justifications for those claims.

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Similarities Between Thoreau And Martin Luther King

268 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. have very similar purposes in their writings. Both author 's are writing to protest unfair laws. But they also have very different audiences. In Civil Disobediance, Thoreau writes how those who break unjust laws should suffer the consequences as a protest to the laws.

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Compare And Contrast Letter From Birmingham Jail And Walk To Freedom

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By using violent means to achieve justice made him become, under the definition of law, a criminal. This made the oppressors not want to negotiate or help solve the problem. The themes of “just” and “unjust” laws and the concept of freedom are shown in both readings. The major theme of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is Martin Luther King Jr. defending his civil and moral rights of partaking and organizing nonviolent protest in encouragement of gaining civil rights for African Americans.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Comparison

883 Words | 4 Pages

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

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Compare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Civil Disobedience

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.

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Thoreau And Martin Luther King Comparison

678 Words | 3 Pages

By analyzing both of these writings it’s almost obvious that Martin Luther King was influenced by Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” because they both use very similar writing techniques. King also described a four step to a non-violent protest, and the first one is to collect facts to determine whether an injustice law exists. This relates to Thoreau’s critique of an unjust government because Thoreau believed that every machine had

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Compare And Contrast Letter From Birmingham Jail And Civil Disobedience

895 Words | 4 Pages

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essay, “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and Henry David Thoreau essay “Civil Disobedience,” both share their opinions on social injustice and civil disobedience. They both believe that people can protest unfair and unjust laws imposed on them in a civil way. In addition, King and Thoreau are challenging the government with their essays, which they wrote after they got sent to jail. For protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, King spent eleven days in jail; Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his poll tax. Both King and Thoreau’s essays present similar plans for a resolution.

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Injustice In Letters From Birmingham Jail

1155 Words | 5 Pages

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” A wise man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that in his letter, titled “Letters From Birmingham Jail.” What he was meaning by this saying, was that an act of wrong doing just in one small town of one great country can anger and stir up many emotions for the whole entire population of that same country. It could maybe even do the same in other countries near by or across the ocean. Well, an act of injustice has happened for the nation of the United States, and it’s a tale of heartbreak and anger for many Americans.

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Theme Of Injustice In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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.

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