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Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

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In history, there is the oppressor and the oppressed. It is absurd for those oppressed to believe that out of sheer pity the oppressors will free them from their toils. Therefore, it is common sense to believe that those oppressed must fight for their freedom. Civil rights advocate, Martin Luther King, addresses this subject in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail” saying, “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Other freedom advocates such as Henry David Thoreau in his essay, “On The Duty of Civil Disobedience” are in agreement with King. Aswell, not only in writing but also in action are King’s beliefs concurred. Images such as Tank Man hail civil disobedience by the oppressed. Whether via …show more content…

Thoreau not only encourages civil rebellion, he glorifies it. For starters, his title could be an argument in and of itself. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”. Thoreau and King share the same commanding tone. King saying, “it must be demanded”. Whereas Thoreau calls civil disobedience a “duty”. Both indicate that civil rebellion is not compulsory, it is a necessity. Throughout his essay, Thoreau only further builds on that idea. He makes his standards clear, stating that in the face of an oppressive government, it is by all means the responsibility of those under said government to revolt against it. He even goes as far as to simplify his speech to assure that everyone thoroughly comprehends his views; creating an analogy saying, “If you are cheated out of a single dollar by your neighbor, you do not rest satisfied with knowing that you are cheated, or with saying that you are cheated, or even with petitioning him to pay you your due; but you take effectual steps at once to obtain the full amount, and see that you are never cheated again.” In other words saying, if you are taken advantage of, do not turn a blind eye and hope the situation mends itself, rather, pursue the one who took advantage of you and ensure it never happens again. In addition, Thoreau uses parallel structure saying, “you do not rest satisfied with knowing… with saying… or even

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The essay Civil Disobedience, written by Henry David Thoreau has a history with Thoreau’s own experiences. Thoreau spent a night in prison for not paying his poll taxes where he was inspired to write the essay and with this essay Thoreau aspired to proclaim against the acts of slavery and the Mexican War. a.“It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate”().

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Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail

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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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In paragraph 2, King writes, “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: (1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive; (2) Negotiation; (3) Self-purification; and (4) Direct action” in a formal structure to explain the steps he and his followers had taken and establishes that he does not want

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This is a more powerful way of gaining the audience’s attention, rather than attacking them and forcing his ideas towards them. He continues to explain that all the necessary steps to end injustice nonviolently have already been taken in Birmingham and have not worked. This continues to draws out the shock and pity from the audience. King uses many historical people as back up for the use of his method of civil disobedience.

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Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience heavily criticizes the government for being too corrupt and also argues that the people have the right to refuse allegiance to the State. Because the government is unjust and corrupt, Thoreau calls for a change in how the government operates rather than abolishing the government entirely. Thoreau’s idea of a better government is a government that governs the least. This claim is elaborated as Thoreau states in his essay that the individuals with consciences should rule instead of the government officials that lack said consciences. For example, in part 1 paragraph 4, he mocks individuals such as soldiers and privates for showing respect to the government through marching admirably because they are going

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Additionally, both King and Thoreau advocate for nonviolent resistance as a means to challenge injustice. Thoreau’s call for passive resistance, shown through his statement that "if a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure," aligns with King’s emphasis on nonviolent direct action as a powerful tool for social change. This shared belief underscores the importance of peaceful protest and its effectiveness in changing society, reminding us how important civil disobedience is in seeking justice and equality. Now let's focus on the differences, despite their shared commitment to civil disobedience, King and Thoreau's writings not only differ in their focus points but also in the way they convey different tones in their writings. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is infused with a fervent and passionate tone, reflective of his deeply personal experiences with racial discrimination and

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King discusses the demands and necessities required to take steps and grow towards an integrated society. He believes that nonviolent protests and actions create some sort of tension within society that would eventually get many talking. It creates a platform to open discussion. He hopes that many will see

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He objected the injustices of war and slavery, and practiced civil disobedience in his daily life. In the time of Thoreau writing Civil Disobedience, many people believed revolution against the government had not been necessary since the time of the American Revolution. However, Thoreau believes that resisting an abusive government is especially important at this point in time considering that, "a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law." According to Thoreau, it is the duty of American citizens to promptly revolutionize against slavery and the Mexican-American War, which have both been supported by the corrupted American

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No matter how much the nation progresses, there will always be times where civil disobedience is desirable. When there is good, there will be evil; and we must recognize when to act against it. The idea of civil disobedience is still applied today through the influence of Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr., as society will be constantly going against government ideals. Thoreau’s position on civil disobedience is that he believes breaking laws is necessary towards a government with unjust laws. He believes in having a better government that does not control and abuse the people; being “at best but an expedient” (Thoreau 240).

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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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He opposed the central government and all of slavery. He wrote an essay on the importance and need of the people to stand up titled, “Civil Disobedience.” Thoreau inspired many across his country to help fight for what they believed in. (“Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience”, 1” Civil disobedience has constantly been supported through history in various aspects from various views.

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