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Letter From Birmingham Jail Sparknotes

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Sympathy for the South “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. conveyed an array of emotion. While reading, I felt feelings ranging from hope to complete outrage. The most prevalent emotion for me was sympathy. I also felt a sense of gratitude for the changes we were able to make in our society and culture. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” did a great job of inspiring sympathy in its readers by sharing examples of injustice, violence and dehumanization as it related to African-Americans of that era. First, King spoke of many injustices in his letter. One was the clergymen expecting African-Americans to wait for fair treatment and equal rights. Not only were openly racist members of society opposing equal rights …show more content…

In paragraph twelve King says, “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity…”, it is hard to imagine witnessing such brutality and the lack of justice that followed for African-Americans and their families (12). Birmingham, Alabama, reputed for its high rate of police brutality against African-Americans and as being one of the most segregated cities in the country (5). Because of the latter, African-Americans felt the need for direct action and started peacefully demonstrating; their peaceful demonstrations met opposition in the form of police and angry dogs (43). Dr. King himself was a victim of violence at the hands of police and guards at the jail. In addition to the police, there were other unofficial groups, such as the Klu Klux Klan lynching and mobbing African-Americans at …show more content…

White Americans handled African-Americans similar to animals, never as humans or equals. Dr. King described the many titles used to refer to African-Americans including “nigger”, “boy”, and “John”, which occurred regardless of age or stature (12). It seems the average white American did not address African-Americans by his or her given names or title, thus denying them the respect any human deserves. Dr. King expressed his feelings about this describing a feelings of what he called “nobodiness”

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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

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Kings wants white Americans to put themselves in the shoes of African Americans. In hopes that they will empathize with African

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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”.

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Summary of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. writes about the issue of waiting for justice and God given rights for African Americans, the need for a good faith negotiation quickly, and using the strategy of a non-violent campaign and protest to achieve it all. His initial reasoning for writing these letters was to answer the sincere criticism he had received from a fellow clergymen in hopes to bring about a negotiation of peace. Dr. King hoped to shed light on the reasoning be hide the protesting and explain why the protesting needed to take place and at such an “untimely” time. He also yearned to shed light on the racism that had engulfed the nation and the ugly record of brutality that African Americans had suffered in the past and at that moment currently.

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King writes, "but when you have seen viscous mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sister and brother at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse,kick,and even kill you black brother and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negros brothers smothering in a air tight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park... when you have to answer for a five year old son who is asking "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"(586-87). King explains other situations that his community cannot do because the color of their skin. This paragraph is very powerful so how poorly the black community was treated. It also show their daily struggle of how there were these new thing but they could not attend because their skin color. To conclude this paragraph kings says "there comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the deep abyss of despair.

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In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a peaceful movement in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the demonstration was to bring awareness and end to racial disparity in Birmingham. Later that night, King and his followers were detained by city authorities. While in custody, King wrote the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This letter voiced out his disappointment in the criticisms, and oppositions that the general public and clergy peers obtained.

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Dr King wrote a direct response to the eight clergymen from Alabama in a confinement cell in Birmingham, Alabama which is now known as “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It addresses the wrong-doings and injustices going on in Birmingham. King was arrested for being part of a peaceful protest against segregation that had not been approved to be marched in that area. King argues that publicly showing that people including him are against segregation is better than just negotiating and having the “Negro community” patiently wait around for society to move toward civil rights and that demanding social justice provokes individuals and groups to act out, regardless of how peaceful the method may be. Dr King explains why it is okay for him to be a part

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The criticism made by the these eight clergyman epitomize the idea of whiteness and white privilege. Rather than to offer assistance and guidance for King and his efforts to diminish racial injustices prevalent in the South, they, instead, offer criticism in an attempt to depreciate King’s fight for racial equity. This rhetoric has occurred often throughout American history, where we see white individuals devaluing and hindering the progress made by individuals of color. For example, one of the critiques that King received was that The Negro community should be more patient and wait for society to move gradually toward civil rights. What white individuals fail to understand is that there is no such thing

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In the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. , multiple themes and/or ideas are present throughout the letter, but the most prominent theme would be equality. This document is a letter written from a prison cell trying to make the people who put him there understand that he is the same as them, that he is equal. It expressing his need to let the civil rights movement be heard. Around the third page into the letter King Jr says, “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.” this quote exemplifys the idea that the african american people can no longer sit idly by and watch as they get abused, harrased, or worse.

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In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he uses periodic sentences, syntax, diction, and allusions to write about his beliefs about the immense struggles African Americans experienced to gain their rights, how he views just and unjust laws, the many different influences have in their lives, and the cruel nature of the citizens, which are still prevalent today. First of all, African Americans went through immense struggles to get the rights they have today. African Americans watched their family members be innocently killed, experienced multiple cruel acts of segregation, and often felt strong resentment to the White population. For instance, Dr. King uses a periodic sentence and imagery to express the immense struggles African Americans endured to gain the

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