More handpicked essays just for you.
Martin luther king letter from birmingham-analysis
Comparing and contrasting the main elements of Martin Luther King, Jr’s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail
A letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King,Jr. essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Martin luther king letter from birmingham-analysis
In King’s letter from Birmingham jail, he structures his piece by providing what the white majority has to say, and then afterwards he explains what he has to say. Throughout his piece King summarizes what the white majority has to say, and then he counters it. One example where he uses summary is when he summarizes the white majority’s idea that the non-violent demonstration King took part in was untimely. He starts off his summary with, “One of the basic point in your statement is that the action that I and my associates have been taken in Birmingham is untimely…” He then goes more specific and explains that the white majority is asking why they did not give the city administration more time to act, and continues to summarize the white
King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail 1. What, according to King, is the purpose of direct action, and why does the SCLC engage in direct action rather than in negotiation? Through negotiation is helpful and a strong method to use when wanting to revolt and turn against an unfair system, direct action is way stronger. Direct action, as described and explained by King, is important because it creates an uncomfortable environment for people versus the usual safe and calm environment.
King wants to persuade the clergyman that African Americans have the same rights as white people. The very first sentence Martin Luther King Jr. states “My dear fellow clergymen” to show the clergymen he is just like them (Martin 490). When he is says this at the beginning of the letter he is directly confronting them. King wants to prove to these clergymen he is not any different. He is still human with the same religion even though he is colored skin.
Now the exigence of King's Letter is while in Birmingham jail he reads the Clergymen's letter, and is responding to the clergymen who called his work "unwise and untimely" (Pg 175). It is rare that King
At the end of his letter he addresses the clergymen " I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader, but as a fellow clergymen and a Christian brother" (paragraph 7). This statement makes a claim the king wants to meet these seven clergymen in person and speak about the issues he wrote in this letter. Another rhetorical tool king uses in his letter are similes. This rhetorical tool helps king compare two things and address the point as he sees it. " Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek" (paragraph 3).
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?”
King was a man of peace and he knew that two acts of violence would not result in the outcome of friendship. King starts his letter off with “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”. King starts his
The use of the historical and biblical allusions/ references being used is to help build a standard ground for his audiences and the clergymen; it also helps make his letter more effective. King 's letter uses biblical allusions to create analogies between
Martin Luther King uses allusion in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to add greater meaning to the cause he is defending. Dr. King includes many biblical references in his writing to compare the similarities between actions in the bible and his. For instance, Martin Luther King says “like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.” Since Martin Luther King King is writing his letter to clergymen, his religious allusions are used to appeal to them; specifically, Dr. King brings up the point that certain tension is caused by people who have been subjected to grievances and believe “...that the white man is an incurable ‘devil.’” In saying this, Martin Luther King tells the clergymen that their sanctimonious acts and racial
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” first two pages he addresses the clergymen of his church and others as well. During his protest, he expresses how upset he was about what is going on right now. He writes down their complain that he is an “outsider” who has come to Birmingham to cause trouble . He defends his right to be there in a straightforward, humble tone, explaining that the SCLC is based in Atlanta but operates throughout the South. One of its affiliates had invited the organization to Birmingham, which is why they came.
A Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is a name that will never be forgotten, and that will go down in the books for all of time. He was foremost a civil rights activist throughout the 1950s and 1960s. during his lifetime, which lasted from January of 1929 to April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and a social activist and was known for his non- violent protests. He believed that all people, no matter the color, have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take a direct action rather than waiting forever for justice to come through and finally be resolved. In the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a speech that Birmingham was among one of the most segregated cities in the world.
King immediately establishes psychological reciprocity thru the use of ethos by stating he is a clergyman also. He addresses them as his “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” (King, p.1). He also states early in the letter that appeals to the clergyman’s feelings using
Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail addresses his fellow clergymen and others who critiqued him for his actions during this time. The clergymen along with others are addressed in an assertive tone allowing them to fully understand why his actions are justified. Throughout the letter critics are disproved through King’s effective use of diction and selection of detail. Martin Luther King opens the letter stating that the clergymen are being “influenced by the argument of ‘outsiders coming in” consequently he explains the reason for him being in Birmingham. In the opening of his explanation he states the injustices occurring, relating it to the prophets of eighth century B.C.
In King’s letter, he states, “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Funny thing is he had lots of time to think about and write this letter. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was the match.
Dr. King's, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is poignant in many ways in regard to a "big picture" viewpoint of our society. Overall, it speaks to the viewpoint that we all have a social responsibility to each other to work against injustice irrespective of where that injustice takes place. "Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. Dr. King told the local clergy in Birmingham that he understood he was an outsider and he realized that his presence in Birmingham would cause trouble. However, he also felt that he had a moral
