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Similarities Between Civil Disobedience And Martin Luther King

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People for centuries have gotten their moving inspirational speeches from impactful writers before their time. Even someone as inspirational as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and he got his motivation from Henry David Thoreau who wrote“Civil Disobedience” which was published in 1849. The speech of King’s where “Civil Disobedience” shines through is the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Both Thoreau’s and King’s pieces were written in a time of racial discrimination and injustice. The similarity in situations and lack of federal government participation gave King the perfect layout for some of the main portions of his speech. Thoreau and King both realized that laws were prejudice, questions were answered, and religious perspectives were mentioned. …show more content…

Most white males across the United States owned slaves. Thoreau touched the idea of unjust laws exists because he knew it to be true; laws were set against slaves and were not there to protect them. Thoreau wanted to shed light on the racial injustice spreading through the states, and he wanted people to understand that just because it is a law, it does not make it the right thing to do. Flashing forward to the year 1963. Slavery had almost been abolished for 100 years when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, yet his speech talked about racial injustices within the US. It was specifically noted in this line, “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice..” Dr. King was referring to the Jim Crow laws that were established to segregate the whites and blacks and the police brutality directly targeted at black citizens. Thoreau and Dr. King wrote both of their works during a time of racial oppression. They both saw and understood that the laws put forth were not just, and this close relation made it simple for Dr. King to grabbed encouragement from Thoreau’s …show more content…

Thoreau says, “Why does it always crucify Christ..,” saying why do the people in charge kill the ones others see as inspiration? The way King mentioned religion was different but the intention was the same. King mentions it by saying, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” King gave the notion that even though people of higher power kill off inspirations, they are still living within the people, such as God. The ideas of both King and Thoreau are interconnected but mentioned in a different

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There was not any room for patience, only for change. Another captivating speaker is reputable Martin Luther King whom enticed a mass public with influential persuasive language. The iconic “I Have a Dream Speech” delivered at the March on Washington—same march John Lewis presented his speech—utilized a somewhat different approach. King’s speech depicted the life that was yearned for by so many.

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King has mentioned many Biblical figures. Ones that inspire bravery and morality. This shows a switch in the rhetorical devices used. Before, he used ethos and logos. Now, he has begun to use pathos, which is the appeal to emotions.

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During this day I believe that I would take up Martin Luther King's view on civil disobedience as my own because I see just how he said that not all laws that are legal are just. I believe that not all that is made law is just for all people but only make it just for the majority. King view on civil disobedience is more suitable for this day and age that why people would try to follow his example if they would have to take up civil disobedience.

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“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (King, Jr.). Martin Luther King Jr. exceeded this “measure of a man” during his civil rights acts as a strong soldier in a very volatile time. During this time of “challenge and controversy” King made himself heard in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In some of his civil rights acts that occurred in Birmingham, resulted in him ending up in jail. During his time in jail, he wrote his also famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

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In my opinion Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. have very similar purposes in their writings. Both author 's are writing to protest unfair laws. But they also have very different audiences. In Civil Disobediance, Thoreau writes how those who break unjust laws should suffer the consequences as a protest to the laws.

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Thus that a person ought to do as he does and not agree to pay taxes to the state that is in support of such evil customs or practices. While both King and Thoreau triumph in their establishment of a firm perception of what they strongly have faith in, they both are successful in their efforts to persuade through different means. Regarding the manner in which King draws emotional appeal through passionate speech, we also see with Thoreau when he makes apparent that he is devoted in what he stands for. Thus attracting more appeal through being more troubled and concerned instead of being innocently optimistic and hopeful. Nevertheless, similarities weigh against differences as both King and Thoreau give reliability to the moral

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Civil Disobedience In the dictionary civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest, but Thoreau and Martin Luther King have their own beliefs to civil disobedience. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” he writes about the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. Martin Luther King uses civil disobedience as something that effectuates change in the government. Both Thoreau and Martin Luther King has similar yet different perspectives on civil disobedience.

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King writes to the eight clergymen who were critical of his protests and to the indifferent people of the United States. In the essay, he claims that he has done nothing wrong by protesting peacefully. In paragraph 11, King says “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He is saying that freedom is something they have to fight for because the authorities will not give it to them. He is directing this statement at the clergymen while reaching the apathetic people of the United States.

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How often is it that things aren’t executed the way we had planned? Or better, how often is it that we need to explain to ourselves why other people achieve goals in life against all odds, while we don’t? To exemplify: Why is Apple so innovative? Every year it remains to be more innovative than any other company in the market. Shockingly, it is simply a computer company.

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Indeed, there have been a lot of changes since Martin Luther King did the Civil Rights Movement. Whit his belief in non-violence methods, he achieved to get basic civil rights, such as, voting, labor rights and desegregation. It was a huge step for the black community that was meant to prevail and move forward. Everything should have change from that day on.

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Martin Luther King Martin Luther King harped on civil disobedience for any moral arguments. Treating citizens differently based on skin color was nefarious, King wished to speak out to change but insisted on non-violent acts to do so. He expressed his thoughts in the “I Have a Dream” speech publically in a passive fashion. This passionate, positive and encouraging speech flourished King’s views and changed the American government’s unjust laws.

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On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

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The main idea of his speech is that all people were created equal and, although this is no longer the case nowadays, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued peacefully, yet passionately and powerfully. In preparation for the speech, he studied the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and the US Declaration of Independence and he alludes to all three in his address. The intensity of King’s speech is built through parallelism, metaphors, bold statements and rhythmic repetitions:

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Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

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The “I Have a Dream” speech is well known throughout history to be one of the most famous speeches to be on the subject of civil rights. Throughout the entirety of “I Have a Dream”, Dr. King uses pathos more than logos. “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.”

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