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Dr King Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

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The reason for open letters are so, that the author can get his/her point across in a time of need, on behalf of justice, or on behalf of others. In Dr.King’s open letter “The letter from Birmingham jail” is a mixture of both commentary genre and rebuttal microgenre as he commentates his opinions on the injustices that the blacks of the south face with the white supremacists, throughout the open letter Dr.King argues why the act of nonviolence is the best way to solve segregation in the south. The discomfort of being in jail for acting against racism gives Dr.King the motivation for writing this open letter, in the open letter, King expresses the discomfort of having that the racial justice of his people have been too long denied by stating …show more content…

In King’s response to the clergymen’s claim he shows that segregation and racism do not only affect the adults but the kids also as his five-year-old son asks him “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”(6) The question ask by his five-year-old son is uncomfortable because it shows how the kids pay attention to the way they are treated at such a young age, In fact, King describes the questions asked by his five-year old son as “agonizing pathos”(6), that shows that waiting too long for justice can alter the minds of the young and cause them to develop a sense of bitterness toward white people. As Dr.King and his people fight for their rights they wonder how much mental distress and humiliation they would have to go through before justice is served, the discomfort that the colored people are experiencing comes from wondering how much more longer would they have to wait until their justice is served. Dr.King using his kids as a reference shows how the discomfort experienced at such a young age can change the mentality of the …show more content…

In Dr.king’s open letter he states that segregation is “an existential expression of man’s tragic separation”(8) of the blacks and whites in the south. The discomfort emphasized in this open letter reflects off of the unjust laws made for the blacks in south. Although, that Dr.king uses nonviolent action to solve problems that he and the blacks are facing in the south, the south continued to use unjust laws and methods to prevent the blacks from peacefully protesting against segregation. The unjust laws that the whites created to cause segregation is what really gives Dr.king the discomfort he expresses in this open letter because it allows the whites to do whatever they feel is possible to make the blacks feel like they aren’t human and by allowing them to do such inhumane things to them gives the whites a feeling of superiority that is not real. The feeling of discomfort that is expressed in this open letter by Dr.King forced him to act accordingly on the issue of segregation created by the unjust laws of the

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733 Words | 3 Pages

Dr. King compares the slow pace at which the south is desegregating to a “stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (2). Dr. King uses a comparison between what Adolf Hitler did in Germany and how “It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany” to what he is making and effort to do in the south (5). He also compared arresting a Robber before he has committed the crime to arresting peaceful protestors “because they precipitate violence” (5). All of Dr. King’s similes venture to show how segregation is morally unjust and

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425 Words | 2 Pages

In Dr. King’s letter, he is responding to the outside world by calling him and the individuals involved, unwise. Dr. King argues that for justice, they had no other choice but to do this. The three themes I noticed in this letter was; injustice, religion, and nonviolent actions. As we all know, Dr. King was all about nonviolent acts of protesting. In his letter, he writes, “Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary” (King).

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1304 Words | 6 Pages

Overcoming injustice and oppression is a difficult thing to do. Overcoming institutional, century’s old, outright and abject injustice and oppression is another animal all together. In a letter written from his Birmingham jail cell, Dr. King weaves philosophical ideals and scriptural/moral principles into a fabric of reason which absolutely decimates the foundations of segregation and its active or tacit supporters. While providing clear proof of his deep understanding of the issue at hand, Dr. King authors a moving yet emotionally grounded appeal to his fellow man about their sense of justice, morality, responsibility, and motive in placing one race above another.

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448 Words | 2 Pages

Martin Luther King, Jr. attempts to persuade clergymen to follow in his civil rights movement through exhibiting his knowledge over just and unjust laws, displaying peaceful behavior, and empathetic diction. King was very knowledgeable about laws and his right as a human. King stated laws in his letter to the clergymen, which displayed his credibility. He did not only state laws, he also stated just and unjust laws. King stated, “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”

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807 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. King sets up his assertion of the necessary components for a successful nonviolent campaign when he states that “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action” (King 1). When Dr. King says “in any nonviolent campaign,” he is preparing his explanation of the steps that must be present when taking nonviolent steps toward a change in society. He is very aware of segregation and its side effects, and aspires to eliminate it all by following a specific system. In order to complete a “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive,” one must go out and observe the interactions between people of different races. In the

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820 Words | 4 Pages

By analyzing statements of Dr. King’s word, his words shows very powerful message across the nations because his strong words motivated people to choose right path and fight for their rights. He states that the person, who breaks laws through non-violence, shows the greatest respect for the laws. By his statement, I believed that Dr. King. trying to shows an individual who follows the rule of civil disobedience will greatly shows the respect for laws; even though an individual will punish by the worse consequences. A person who has to willing to accept the result from the direct actions, self-purification. Negotiation, than she /he will be loyal to the rules

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1157 Words | 5 Pages

6477043 In Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, he discusses the reasoning behind his movement to end segregation using non-violent strategies that were often questioned by those around him. These non-violent actions often took him to places all across the southern United States where discrimination and segregation was rampant. In this letter, King used many literary strategies that helped him convey his ideas.

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1143 Words | 5 Pages

1. King addresses “The Clergyman” in his response letter from a Birmingham jail in attempts to refute and further explain his position and reason for his actions. In response to their claims that his methods we “unwise and untimely” (King 800) he begins with a layout of why he feels that this letter and distinction is important and why he has come to Birmingham. It is in no uncertain terms a brief history of why and how he became involved in the activities if Birmingham. King argues, “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” (King 800) laying the ground work and rationale for his involvement and actions.

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638 Words | 3 Pages

Dr. King’s letter is filled with powerful statements and information to assist people in understanding the injustice and discrimination impacting blacks in Alabama and in other states. Although many northerners believed that the racism in the south was not important to them, Dr. King emphasized, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere” (King). Dr. King urged northerners not to stand silent and instead understand that what was going on in the south easily could spread to the north. Dr. King’s letter also addressed whether all laws must be followed. King stated, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.

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395 Words | 2 Pages

Martin Luther King letter from Birmingham’s jail, it is an emotive letter written from his 8 days solitary confinement in Birmingham city. In this letter Martin Luther king intends to respond to his critics by letting them know about the motives of his nonviolent actions. As an activist of African American of the civil rights movement, Luther king replies to his clergyman peers with reasons why the way to conquer real freedom for color people is through legal reforms rather than violent actions. One of the main arguments of his letter, it is his non-conformity with white people decision to not follow the enacted law of 1954, in which Negros were given equalitarian treatment as white people did. Martin Luther king uses his most eloquent words

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623 Words | 3 Pages

King uses pathos to tap into his audience’s mind to think about the importance of promoting action now rather than waiting for others to promote it first. He ends his letter by stating that he “hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation”. (King Jr., p. 658) Dr. King is a man of great integrity and love. He wanted to bring his fellow brother and sister together as a nation strong and not divided.

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1270 Words | 6 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King is and was worldly known for his peacefully protest and moral advocacy during the the civil rights movement. Racism was a social norm occurring frequently especially in the south. African American rights were to a minimum or you could also say they had “negative rights”. With respect to the government, I believe Dr. King was in some ways forced to break the law. Dr. King in A letter from Birmingham Jail states that, “We urge people to obey the Supreme Courts decision from 1954 outlawing segregation.”

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957 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. King wanted to end segregation and he also wanted equal rights for everyone, but he was told by the clergyman that the movement was “unwise” and “untimely”. King explained that there will never be a right time for change in this society with bringing equality and justice to us all. Dr. King was told several times to wait, which prolonged his protest and marches. King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin. Dr. King felt that segregation was wrong, and he refused to sit back and do nothing.

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726 Words | 3 Pages

King follows the rest of the letter with more emotional cries, which included the split that had formed within the black community, on the argument of civil rights; Some had begun to settle for segregation, including some of the clergymen who had criticized King. Near the end, he opposes the clergymen's praise toward the Birmingham Police Department, by providing a vivid description of the attack on himself and his fellow protesters, leading up to his arrest. MLK closes his letter by stating his current situation, apologizing for the letter's length, and portraying a deep sense of pity, as he wishes for all to find faith for a better future. Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham City Jail makes heavy use of ethos and logos to clarify issues and concerns from his criticizers, but relies even more on the emotional connection that it portrays on the reader.

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510 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” (par. 4). In the 1950s and 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was a commendable leader in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. After being arrested in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, King wrote a response to the eight clergymen who questioned his ways. In his “Letter to Birmingham Jail,” King argues that there is injustice in Alabama and defends his protests for racial segregation. King does a successful job in his letter by demonstrating the logic of his position, employing emotional appeals, and establishing his credibility with personal facts.

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