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Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay

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While looking at Martin Luther King’s letter “letter from Birmingham jail” there are many strong paragraphs in the letter that influence us as readers. His use of words like “honor, injustice, disappointment and most importantly oppressed” are all a form of ethos used to influence the reader and allow us to understand what the black community was facing in their battle for equality. While there are many great paragraphs in the letter, arguably the most powerful paragraph in Martin Luther King’s Jr. letter “letter from Birmingham jail” is paragraph 23. This paragraph provides us with Martin Luther King’s frustrations. In addition, it is filled with emotion, motivation and an appeal for justice, allowing us to connect with Martin Luther King …show more content…

As stated in his letter ‘"Get rid of your discontent." But I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled through the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action’’ (Letter from Birmingham Jail page 4). Indeed this quote from his letter is a direct view of his thought as we know he organized peaceful protest and stayed away from violence. Through these words we can clearly see how he has tried repeatedly to have his voice heard but there is always some form of criticism behind his efforts. Secondly, he states.” Now this approach is being dismissed as extremist. I must admit that I was initially disappointed in being so categorized” (Letter from Birmingham Jail page 4). Simultaneously this adds to his feelings and frustrations; it lets us understand he is trying his best but as well know even the best of work gets criticized. Thus, these quotes also allow the reader to reflect on their own morals and understanding, allowing them to see the wants and needs of the black community during this time. Next Look at the paragraph. We can see it is filled with emotion and his use of words really pulls at the reader’s emotional

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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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Usha Pathak Professor DE Walt ENGL1301- Summer II 15 August 2017 Letter from Birmingham Jail: Analysis 1 1. What are King’s reasons for being in Birmingham? How does King answer to the charge of being an outsider? King reasons for being in Birmingham are because he was engaging in a nonviolent direct action programs with his several members where he said that he was he was invited over there because he has organization ties at the jail. King answer to the charge of being an outsider by saying that he was summon at the prison.

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The letter struck a bad note with King and he began to write a response on the newspaper itself. The Letter from Birmingham Jail was a response to calls on the movement to pursue legal channels for social change. He would argue that the crisis of racism is too urgent, and that the current system is too entrenched. He would go on to say in his letter that “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King 1963). King went on to say a year later, “Begun on the margins of the newspaper in which the statement appeared while I was in jail, the letter was continued on scraps of writing paper supplied by a friendly black trusty, and concluded on a pad my attorneys were eventually permitted to leave me” (King

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“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King was an extremely influential letter that was articulated and presented into a masterpiece. The most important understanding is the core meaning of the letter that King wrote was emotional, but most of all an argument. On April 12, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama, for protesting against the racial segregation that was taking place at the time. Injustice was taking place in Birmingham, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to help and support the protests of this segregated city. King was considered an “outsider” for doing such actions.

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In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. addresses his fight for civil rights as an activist leader. After being arrested and imprisoned by Birmingham police during a non-violent protest against segregation, King wrote this letter. He used his letter to respond to a public statement made by eight white clergymen, who degraded King's use of peaceful protest. He used this opportunity to develop his credibility as a famous civil rights activist & illustrate the need for change. He utilized many methods and analogies to help the public grasp his viewpoints.

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In April of 1963, Martin Luther KIng Jr. Traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to hold a peaceful protest against racism and how African Americans were being treated. Due to the following he was thrown in jail for it being illegal. He later wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail '' to show his intelligence against racism. In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King Jr. he was thrown in jail because he did an illegal peaceful protest. He protested illegally because he knew that the form wouldn’t be accepted.

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On April 16, 1963, "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written by Martin Luther King Jr. to address the enormous issue in Birmingham at the time. The Letter from Birmingham Jail was published in response to a letter published in Birmingham, Alabama, written by eight clergymen defending his actions in 1963 as a way of protesting desegregation in Birmingham progress led by the Negro community through peaceful demonstrations. When the white clergy strongly opposed King's nonviolent position in passive resistance, calling on African-Americans to issue a statement not to support demonstrations, King wrote a remarkable letter writing eloquence of his philosophy of nonviolent disobedience. In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King expressed his

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Civil rights leader and social activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a world renown correspondence, Letter From Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963, during a time when segregation was at it’s peak in the South. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. In response to King’s peaceful protesting, the white community viewed “[his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist,” and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive.

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