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Comparing Letter From A Birmingham Jail And Resistance To Civil Government

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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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Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail

617 Words | 3 Pages

Henry David Thoreau’s book “Civil Disobedience” (1847) and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1963) both are written to expose unjust laws in the United States while having considerable differences in their tone. Thoreau and King both challenge the common majority to resist injustice and they both went to jail to support their cause. Although, Thoreau’s book has a negative tone that is simply angry and contains negative allusions, King’s tone is very “disappointed” for the fact that his allusions insue a greater emotional effect on the reader. King and Thoreau’s arguments share many similar points regarding unjust laws. Thoreau is expressing his grievances in regards to the U.S - Mexican war and its direct perpetuation

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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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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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Compare And Contrast Letter From Birmingham Jail And The Ballot Or The Bullet

275 Words | 2 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” were written to address civil rights. These men use bold, confident tones to prove their points, yet express them differently. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King advocates for peace and nonviolent action. He states, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

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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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Pathos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

837 Words | 4 Pages

The writer, Martin Luther King Jr., was a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was in favor to equality. Moreover, he believed in nonviolence protest to obtain discrimination in America. On April 16, 1963, when King was in jail, he wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to justify his actions and to response the eight clergymen who called him “unwise, untimely and extreme” in the article, “A Call for Unity.” In his letter, he declares that he is in Birmingham because there is injustice. King’s appeal to pathos and his use of evidence combine to create an argument that achieves its purpose of providing that his nonviolence actions are just, and that the laws are unjust.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Comparison

883 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr discusses how the government is corrupt and does not care about all their citizens. Thoreau has influenced King to use his audience to show that the citizens of America should refuses to accept the rules of the government as they are because the government is selfish and focus on what they want to do for their own needs and not what they can do for the people around

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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

People could portray anything in different ways. Thoreau and King both have differences in portraying civil disobedience. In Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” he begins writing about how the government rarely shows how powerful it is and instead acquires power from the people. King used civil disobedience as a means of effectuating government change and used his courage to protest against discrimination through the act of civil disobedience.

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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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