ipl-logo

Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

453 Words2 Pages

Jennifer Perez Philosophy 380 October 16, 2017 Letter from Birmingham Jail While in jail Martin Luther King Jr wrote an open letter to 8 fellow clergymen from Alabama. These clergymen wrote in a local newspaper about their opinion on the proper way to solve a problem. In their opinion, the clergymen, suggested that the “Negro” community restrain from doing demonstrations and allow the issue be tackled in the courts. In King’s letter, he explained why he disagreed. He explained the process taken to organize a nonviolent movement by taking “Four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct actions” (78). By doing so, shining a light on the unjust laws maintained in U.S against the “Negro” community that should be changed. Any laws that disregards human dignity and distorts an individual’s worth within that community is considered unjust. …show more content…

It was obvious that the city of Birmingham had tensions that were only growing and somebody needed to intervene. Months prior to King’s letter an agreement was met with leaders of Birmingham and King. As the months passed King realized his party was deceived and it was time to prepare for “direct action”. He called the next step “self-purification” which involves demonstrators learning to override their instincts when provoked and remain clam regardless of what happens to them. After practicing some self-awareness, it was time for direct action. King organized sit-ins and marches throughout the city of Birmingham. At this point, King knew that the “tension” within the community could no longer be

Show More
Related
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.

Read More
167 Words | 1 Pages

By reading both “Alabama Clergymen’s Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr” and “Letter from Birmingham City Jail- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr” the reader becomes aware of how passionate and rightfully life changing Martin Luther King Jr’s movements were. The first letter, sent to King by an Alabama clergymen, is an perfect representation of the painfully common defiance white leaders had towards the oppressed blacks. The clergymen also drops the classic “wait”, saying that if King stops his demonstrations, “equality” and “peace” will eventually ease into the white leaders minds. The second letter is written by King to the clergymen, addressing in the most calm way possible just how wrong he is, and how these demonstrations need to cause tension.

Read More
788 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent confrontation of segregation, wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to the clergymen who interrogated his techniques of protest in “Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen”. The eight Alabama clergymen, who wanted to humiliate King in his efforts to peacefully demonstrate against discrimination, describe their concerns and cautions for the demonstrations controlled by an outsider, King, in the city of Birmingham. Although the clergymen state that they support King’s ultimate aims, they cannot accept the imprudent demonstrations. King, hoping to publicize and persuade the public to take action against segregation, cunningly refutes the clergymen’s concerns with the use of rhetorical strategies and devices to support his argument.

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

4). He devoted his time to serve as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to help ending the unequal treatment of people based on race. In the article, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King pointed out that he was in Birmingham, Alabama because here is the place filled with injustice and racial discrimination. He devoted himself to helping black people and others who suffered from unequal treatment to cease racial inequality by nonviolent action, but as time flies by, the result was disappointed, and the progress was very slow. He then encouraged his fellow to take the next action, direct action, since King though that “Nonviolent tension is necessary for growth,” (para. 10) and he was ready to take account for outcome he had

Read More
1192 Words | 5 Pages

In paragraphs 5 to 11 of “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King answers to the charge that he will demonstrate, but he will not negotiate for change. As MLK begins his defense in paragraph 5 by agreeing with the clergymen that it is too bad that the Negro community has to demonstrate in Birmingham (par. 5). Despite that, MLK then points out that the clergymen do not consider the conditions that exist in Birmingham that make the demonstrations necessary. He makes notice that the clergymen confuse cause and effect. King explains that the effect of the trouble is the demonstrations and that the demonstrations are not the cause of the trouble, the cause of the trouble is because of the system of segregation that are revealed by

Read More
242 Words | 1 Pages

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, the author, Martin Luther King Jr., writes a response to several clergymen’s letter criticizing him because of his protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King states his argument that “protest against anything unjust is necessary because although protest causes tension, tension is necessary for humans to grow and without this, segregation will never end.” (page number) This is an important idea behind King’s letter because it allows his readers to have insight on the purpose of his protests and why he finds speaking out so important. King continues to persuade the audience on the importance of protesting against segregation by shedding light on how long black men have been waiting for justice.

Read More
887 Words | 4 Pages

In contrast, in the Letter from Birmingham Jail, King petitions for society and the government to change through more peaceful means. King and his follower’s push for change through nonviolent direct action such as sit-ins, marches, and boycotts. He claims, “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 48). King wants to create tension and stress within the community so that the white man can no longer ignore the issue. He believes this this tension will lead to negotiations and change to end the segregation that he is

Read More
544 Words | 3 Pages

In the past the city had made many false promises and devastated countless aspirations. The direct action campaign is the only alternative when negotiations fail due to white leaders refusing them. Moreover, direct action creates chaos that forces them to negotiate. King next addresses the reason why he did not wait to see if the new administration within the city a chance to remedy the injustice was that Boutwell is still a segregationist, and “the ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never’”, so the black Americans cannot wait any longer. Then King refutes idea that he is supporting some laws but breaking other, he mentioned that there are two type of law: just law and unjust law.

Read More
333 Words | 2 Pages

In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. is responding to criticism of the peaceful protests and sit-in’s that were taking place in Birmingham, which led to his being arrested and the reason that he was in jail. He first responds to the accusation of being an “outsider” by setting the stage for his being in Birmingham due to being invited because of his ties to the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights organization and due to the fact that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Next, Martin Luther King expands on his moral beliefs that there is “injustice” in the way that Birmingham is “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States”.

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

Birmingham Jail Reaction Paper The Letter from a Birmingham Jail reflects Dr. Kings’ thoughts about his arrest while in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. It was directed to eight clergymen, in response to their statement which criticized Dr. King and his methods of protest. His message was a defense of his own nonviolent direct actions. This author will express her feelings and reactions to Dr. King’s letter to the clergymen.

Read More
993 Words | 4 Pages

In reaction to the chaos, eight Alabama clergymen published a public statement asking for the citizens of both races to remain peaceful and live together in an orderly manner. When Martin Luther King, Jr., an activist from Atlanta, Georgia who was currently in the Birmingham City Jail for parading without a permit, saw this letter from the clergymen, he sent a reply in which he addressed the flaws in their argument and explained his reasoning for being in Birmingham. The world we live in today would not be possible if it were not for the determination and passion of Civil Rights activists like him. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. appeals to the emotions of multiple audiences of 1963, as well as current audiences of 2014, by using meticulous diction, repetition, and vivid imagery to demonstrate his passion for the movement

Read More
1002 Words | 5 Pages

He explained why the protesters were civilly infringing racist laws and city ordinances; why the protesters had truth and justice; and how he was thwarted with the clergyman and white moderates in the South who said they supported his cause. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King incorporates biblical and historical allusions to give him credibility with his target audience, the clergymen. Additionally, Dr. King subtly asks rhetorical questions and makes logical conclusions to force his audience to consider his strategy of nonviolent resistance to cease racism and oppression. Throughout his piece, Dr. King uses many strong connections to biblical theologians and philosophers that strengthen his appeal and credibility.

Read More
1626 Words | 7 Pages

This letter is not just a defense of the Birmingham campaign, but a blueprint for nonviolent resistance that reshaped America's social fabric. King established his credibility through his role as a pastor and civil rights leader. He writes, 'I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference...' (King 282). This statement not only underscores his authority, but also reflects his commitment to the

Read More
392 Words | 2 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. writes this letter as a response to the clergymen, explaining his reasons for coming to Birmingham, in which they deemed “unwise and untimely”. The clergymen are against segregation, but they wanted to solve the issue of injustice with patience. While Birmingham is the most segregated city at the time, African Americans grew tired of waiting, and King wanted to help the people of Birmingham. S, he came to Birmingham to lead nonviolent demonstrations to fight for justice. King explains the four steps to a nonviolent campaign: collection of facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action.

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

Birmingham, 1963, was characterized by a vicious onslaught of disruptive demonstrations led by the black citizens of Birmingham to fight against the injustice of segregation. Martin Luther King Junior, an avid freedom fighter at the time, heard these warped perspectives and wrote against them in what is known as “A Letter from Birmingham”. Detailed in his letter was his response to the white clergymen of Birmingham, who stated that black people were being disruptive in their demonstrations to fight for justice, and how they were showing hatred, impatience, and violence. Through a disappointed and urgent tone, King uses allusion to relate to biblical events to justify his credibility, appeals to empathy through vivid anecdotes and metaphors to clearly define the injustice, and uses logical reasoning and repetition throughout the letter to justify their

Read More

More about Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

Related Topics

Open Document