Martin Luther King Jr Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

Martin Luther King Jr., a pioneer for the Civil Rights movement, wrote an inspiring letter while imprisoned at the Birmingham jail, in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr.’s main point of this letter is to show the effect of non violent protests to combat racism. He is doing that because he wants African-American people to be patient because nonviolence is the best answer, and in the end they will get what they want, eventually getting the equal rights they deserve. One time in the letter that King really exemplifies this is when he says, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.” My original thought after reading this was that King wrote an effective letter from inside the Birmingham jail that

Jim is a slave who had escaped with Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn introduces Jim by saying, “Miss Watson’s big n*****, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear, because there was a light behind him.” (35). This quote is important because it is the first time where the n-word is mentioned in the book. It is exactly a representation of this time period because there were slaves at the time. This quote exemplifies the inequality that was seen throughout the United States of America at the time. During Dr. King’s time he was fighting the inequality. Another time a connection to King’s ideology was seen in the book is when Jim had been kidnapped back into slavery. Huck says, “Don’t ever let on to know us. And if you hear any digging going on nights, it’s us: we’re going to set you free.” (219). After Jim has been kidnapped, Huck and Tom plan on setting him free. This is shows that whites and African-Americans can work together and battle inequality, it just takes decent people. King would be proud because Jim and Tom who are white kids help out a slave get back into freedom. King mentions this when he says “One day the South will recognize its real heroes.” Those heroes happen to be two kids in Huck and

It is just that patience is key. Those that wait, will have good things happen to them. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson are similar to King’s message because they both in a way combat racism through patience and peacefulness. In Twain’s novel, Jim was able to be freed by the help of Huck and Tom. If it wasn’t for their graciousness and patience, Jim would not have been able to be rescued. In an area where racism was very common, Tom and Huck showed who the “real heroes” were of the south by going against the normal and just helping a friend in need. As for the Supreme Court Case, that is also connected to King’s message of combating racism because through resilience and bravery, African-American students got their wish using their words not violence, leading to a landmark decision for the United States of America. Finally, Gregorian’s “The Promise of America” is different in a sense that Gregorian’s vision of America was one of a place of perfection. However, King contradicts that by talking about the racism that was seen throughout the “great” country that Gregorian saw. Including that piece was important because it helps people understand that you have to see the whole picture before you can be too quick to judge something, whether it be positive or