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Letter To Clergymen Summary

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On April 16th, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, wrote a letter to the Clergymen. He was sitting in jail and wrote about the injustice his people are facing and how he wants this to change. He talks about how being treated like this just because they are black is wrong. Dr. Martin Luther wants his point to be heard, and he wants to fight as much as he can. People say what he was doing was "unwise and unjust." He proves that to not be true and he just wants his people to be treated equally and treated like human. In his writing, he begins establishing his credibility and proves the claim that he is not an "outsider" and that he truly belongs in Birmingham. In paragraph 2, King talks about the churches he is apart of and how they are about eighty five of them. He says, "I was invited here." I am here because I have organizational ties here." This proves how important Kings is and that he has many connections that will and can help. Dr. Martin Luther also talks about the injustice that …show more content…

He also says in the text, "Where were their voices of support... to the bright hills of creative protest?" What King meant by this was, where are the people who love the church and claim to love people, when everything was happening and why did they not come and help the people in need? His purpose was to ask the question of the people in church, why did they not help and support the people who needed it the most? King also goes on to say, "there can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love." This highlights that yes, he was disappointed that no one said or did anything, but yet he still had love in his

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963 Words | 4 Pages

King writes this letter to the clergymen in an assertive and sensible tone without making his views seem confrontational. By doing this, he manages to prove his point clearly while being polite to the clergymen. He knows he doesn’t want to lose his audience because he believes his message is important. Also, his politeness shows that he always takes a nonviolent and non-aggressive approach to his cause, even verbally. For example, Dr. King states, “I hope you are able to see the distinction I am trying to point out.

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956 Words | 4 Pages

On April 16, 1963, Dr, Martin Luther King and many other protesters were protesting Jim Crow laws along with racial violence when it came to black people during the civil rights era in Alabama. This ended up causing King to end up in jail. While he was in jail, he wrote a letter to the clergymen in response to them saying his presents were "unwise and untimely. " In his letter, he uses rhetorical devices and appeals to justify his argument.

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814 Words | 4 Pages

On April 16th 1963, while in jail in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. writes a letter to the clergymen responding to their criticism of his actions. The clergymen of Birmingham were criticizing Dr. King for leading peaceful protests against Jim Crow laws. Throughout the letter, Marin Luther King Jr. responds to a newspaper article, argues for change, justifies his action, and answers the statement that activities are "unwise and untimely". While writing his letter, Dr. King uses rhetorical devices and appeals to develop his argument that he is not an outsider, and that change is needed for things to become better.

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470 Words | 2 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational speaker during the civil rights era. Dr. King had goals to fight for equality among all races. In the letter, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marks new ideas about tension, his 4 step plan, and non-violence approaches. In this letter, Dr. King is showing he is not an outsider but an advocate through the situations of segregation and racial injustices. While writing his letter, Dr. King asserts that his activities are not "unwise and untimely" through the use of various rhetorical devices and appeals.

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697 Words | 3 Pages

“I must admit that I was initially disappointed in being so categorized” (Paragraph 23). King showed multiple times how disheartened he felt, which is something most people who have authority would say. He goes on and states several times how disappointed he was. “I have been disappointed with the church” (Paragraph 27). This indicates that the clergymen and white people with power, as well as the church, have failed him.

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120 Words | 1 Pages

King wants to persuade the clergyman that African Americans have the same rights as white people. The very first sentence Martin Luther King Jr. states “My dear fellow clergymen” to show the clergymen he is just like them (Martin 490). When he is says this at the beginning of the letter he is directly confronting them. King wants to prove to these clergymen he is not any different. He is still human with the same religion even though he is colored skin.

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1192 Words | 5 Pages

He makes it clear that the demonstrations are because the white have left them with no alternative but to take action. In saying all this, King's strategy is point out where the clergymen were mistaken and he even agrees with them that yes indeed it is too bad he must

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1166 Words | 5 Pages

At the end of his letter he addresses the clergymen " I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader, but as a fellow clergymen and a Christian brother" (paragraph 7). This statement makes a claim the king wants to meet these seven clergymen in person and speak about the issues he wrote in this letter. Another rhetorical tool king uses in his letter are similes. This rhetorical tool helps king compare two things and address the point as he sees it. " Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek" (paragraph 3).

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1340 Words | 6 Pages

King uses multiple analogies throughout his letter such as when he compares his own demonstrations for justice to those of early Christians who were scorned by those who saw them as different. He stated “Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.” But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were a “colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man” (186). This analogy had a major impact because the letter was directed at leaders of the Christian church who were rejecting people just as the Christians were rejected. King was also very effective at using emotional proofs in his letter such as when he states “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.

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1682 Words | 7 Pages

This shows off Kings religious background and really appeals to the religious community. He then mentions plenty of other references that all appeal to different groups in the world. Some people like: the apostle Paul (a man with a great biblical story if you do not know it. One of my personal favorites), Martin Luther, King’s father, John Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln, and even Thomas

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764 Words | 4 Pages

King in his speech in order to alert the people of what the letter is really meant to say now that he has gathered rather the readers full attention of what he had to say about the true root of the matter at hand. “I am implied to write you concerning the responsibilities laid upon you to live as Christians in an UnChristian world.” In this quote the Baptist minister points out that while this may not be a discussion many people wish to hear, it is one he however must give in order to remind them of that they have lost their way in terms of being true to their faith despite outsides forces such as the war and the fight for civil

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895 Words | 4 Pages

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King Jr. writes in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in August 1963. Injustice engulfs Birmingham and King demands change and equality. Martin Luther King is the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement. He was one of the many figures to set-forth a domino effect in the fight for equality for African Americans. The purpose of his letter was to get the point across that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action instead of waiting for justice to be served.

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460 Words | 2 Pages

Martin Luther King "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther King "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written in 1963 when African American people were fighting for the equality between white people and black people. In letter we can notice that King uses the word "Negro" and we don't use this word anymore nowadays. Through the context of the letter King shows that he is so sad and upset about the issue with inequality between people. His position in this letter shows that he is convincing the clergymen and he is trying to influence people to agree with him. King wants to change people's mind and he wants that people hear him and his view.

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1396 Words | 6 Pages

King gave public speeches and made this his way of life. In his pursuit of justice, he expressed his ideas using the Gospels as a paradigm. He encouraged students to participate in peaceful but vigorous protests. He knew the young people needed to get engaged because they would eventually lead their nation. The phrase “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

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1332 Words | 6 Pages

During a time of violence, segregation, and racism, few people had the courage to speak out against it. Few people had the bravery to go against what the masses believed, and fewer had the authority to do so. One of these few people was Martin Luther King Jr. and one of the ways in which he spoke out was through a letter written while imprisoned. King was imprisoned by Bull Connor, a police chief in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960’s for not having a license to parade or protest. While in jail, King received a letter written by eight Alabama clergymen who pleaded for African Americans to stop protesting and wait for segregation to happen on its own.

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