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Letter To Birmingham Jail Essay

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Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1900’s that was known for his role in peaceful protest. In one of his writings, the Letter to Birmingham Jail, he shows his perspective on the events that took place. This letter reveals what traits he holds, and as a result traits he might look for in a hero. Martin Luther King’s criteria of a hero are their willpower, morality, and perseverance because those are traits that he shows. King shows his willpower through him fighting for equality despite knowing the danger he faces. This is first evidenced here. “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city...its ugly record of brutality is widely known”(6). This shows how King takes risks by staying in Birmingham Jail to express his views even though there is an ugly record of brutality in there. This is evidenced again in this quote. “If you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city…” (28). This quote expands upon his bravery by saying how badly prisoners like King could’ve been treated and him knowing that still proceeded with his plans. …show more content…

King first shows his views here. “Nonviolent direct action creates such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (10). This shows how King pursued nonviolent over violent protest, which shows that he values doing everything without harming anyone. King also explains his views in this quote. “”One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. “Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (15). This quote is King’s explanation for why he is breaking laws, which is because they are simply inhumane and he believes that the right thing to do is fight against them. This trait is ultimately shown through how he pursues his path to equality, which is through nonviolent

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Yet that was over 50 years ago, and many people only see him as benefactor of the past and not a source of relevancy to their current lives. Today in 2016, we still struggle with inequalities rooted in prejudice, hostilities and fear. For example, black people not only make up a good source of the incarcerated population, but they are jailed at several times the rate of whites. Studies also prove that Black people are more likely to be shot by cops. However, King states that “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed”, (Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963).

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