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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., in his text, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is fighting against racial injustice. King is writing from a jail in Birmingham, where he is being held for fighting civil rights in a nonviolent way. King sends his letter to the eight white clergy men defending himself against all of the false accusations he has been accused of. Ultimately, his letter maintains a passionate yet hopeful tone, as it defends his strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and oppression. Dr. King uses diction in the beginning of the text to help him break through the national barrier of racial injustice. King begins his fight against racial injustice when he writes "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." Through metaphorical language king is meaning that you can separate blacks and whites but you can't separate us as a nation "One nation under God" meaning we will all end up in …show more content…

He explains "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional God given rights." He uses overstatement to emphasize God's word should dictate how society is run, but unfortunately he and his black brethren are still suffering from the effects of racism established long ago. King illustrates "The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth such an attitude of misconception of time, from the strangly irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will incapably cure all ills." King also says "Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively." He alludes to Christ to appeal emotionally to the reader and to show that time is everything when trying to settle a racial dispute. King questions rights to religion and shows how the word of God can solve their

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164 Words | 1 Pages

In Dr. Martin Luther King JR’s. Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King explains to his fellow clergymen the purpose for being in the Birmingham jail. He describes the injustices in the city, and how he and his organization the Southern Christian Leadership Conference are trying to resolve them. Martin Luther King JR. never stopped fighting for his beliefs, no matter how hard he was knocked down, he and the men and women who followed him always got back up and pressed on.

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830 Words | 4 Pages

king implies the rhetorical technique alluding to the bible. By comparing the prophets that the left their village and carried their “Thus saith the lord “ in the eight century B.C just like apostle Paul carrying the gospel of freedom, king believed in future changes with his presence in Birmingham (576). Dr. king continues alluding to the bible by using ethos as a strategy to get to the audience. He added credibility to his words and ethical meaning “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despite full use you “ () “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty

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242 Words | 1 Pages

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, the author, Martin Luther King Jr., writes a response to several clergymen’s letter criticizing him because of his protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King states his argument that “protest against anything unjust is necessary because although protest causes tension, tension is necessary for humans to grow and without this, segregation will never end.” (page number) This is an important idea behind King’s letter because it allows his readers to have insight on the purpose of his protests and why he finds speaking out so important. King continues to persuade the audience on the importance of protesting against segregation by shedding light on how long black men have been waiting for justice.

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1773 Words | 8 Pages

Dr. King uses these impactful words to tell the clergymen that freedom for African-Americans will happen and that this is what needs to happen to pull it off. Wrapped up in grandness of this paragraph, King infuses these words with a great amount of emotion designed to pull at the clergymen's sense of duty to his fellow man and convey the simple fact that his actions have not been "unwise and untimely," it has just been a long time

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1139 Words | 5 Pages

In “Letters from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr answers the clergymen's criticisms in a calm and collected way, acknowledging them and providing insight into his ideas rather than attacking and criticizing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr begins this letter by addressing his audience, the clergymen, as “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” This automatically shows that King is taking a more friendly, sincere approach to this rather than a confrontational approach. He is attempting to make them listen and agree with him and his ideas, not give them a reason to completely disregard what he is saying. Throughout the whole letter, King addresses the clergymen’s complaints and criticizes them, without directly attacking and accusing them.

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386 Words | 2 Pages

He mentions he is “compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond” his own home town.(807) When King says, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights,”(809) he refers to blacks suffering at the hands of whites for hundreds of years. He emphasizes with “vicious mobs” that “lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brother at whim,” to invoke emotion. King calls out the city’s injustice when he mentions being denied “the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.”

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1268 Words | 6 Pages

King references many prominent figures in history and religion. Discussing how he was put in jail because he disobeyed an unjust law, King references three men who refused to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, and “Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions” instead of following the unjust laws of the Roman Empire (King 266, par.21). Then, King reminds the audience that not all laws ever made were just laws. “Everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was legal” though it was wrong and those who sheltered Jews were doing the right thing, as we know now, even though it was illegal then. After being called an extremist for racial equality, King references people like Jesus, an extremist for love; Amos an extremist for justice and then Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson who were extremists for equality for all people.

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613 Words | 3 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. composed “Letter from Birmingham Jail” while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. He had been jailed for taking part in organizing a peaceful protest. The protest challenged the racial segregation practiced by the city government of Birmingham and by retailers in the city. He wrote the letter in response to a statement published by eight white clergymen in Alabama criticizing him for being unwise and untimely, and for battles against prejudice and segregation to be waged in courtrooms rather than in the streets. The letter addressed several local religious figures Dr. King had counted on for support.

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1098 Words | 5 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King penned the letter from Birmingham jail to address the criticisms directed towards him and the praise of the bigoted police by the clergyman, in an attempt to illustrate the reasons for his civil disobedient protests and action. The letter was addressed to the Birmingham clergyman who opposed his stance and actions, residents of Birmingham and people who also opposed Dr. King’s opinions and action. In the Letter, Dr. King mainly relies on pathos with a hint of logos to develop his essay in order to convey the message effectively. Dr. King’s demeanour when he begins the letter by addressing his fellow beloved clergyman (mlk) is admirably restrained despite him discovering the statement issued by the Birmingham clergyman

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952 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and a social activist. He led the Civil Rights Movement and used non-violent protests to get messages across. The purpose of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” was to let the clergyman of Birmingham knew that he also was a clergyman and not an outsider, and that he was approached by others for guidance, support, and encouragement on how to deal with injustice in the town of Birmingham and help with establishment of civil rights. Dr. King addresses the reasons to continue non-violent actions against racist, unjust laws that are currently in effect during the time he was incarcerated. Martin Luther King Jr. explains that racial discrimination, or injustice to the black American

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725 Words | 3 Pages

Numerous laws are morally right, while other laws are completely illogical and aren’t morally right. He also exercises the importance of “Now”, why it’s important that they are given equal rights “Now”. King states he has heard “ The word “Wait!” and “It has ringed in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity,” along with “This wait has almost always meant ‘Never,” therefore “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” (Page 275, para. 13).

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1546 Words | 7 Pages

King uses biblical allusions to appeal to the eight white clergymen and their religious affiliation when he states his duty to carry the “gospel of freedom beyond his home town... Like Paul.” His final point of this section is the clergymen’s failure to recognize the underlying causes of the demonstrations they so harshly condemn, a failure causing further ignorance and confusion on racial

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799 Words | 4 Pages

This quote shows King’s direct response to the clergymen telling him and his fellow protesters that they need to delay their civil rights movement because it just isn’t the best time. He warns the ministers that if this movement is put off for too long, there will be a time when violent protests and riots will break out because there is a drastic need for change in a broken society such as the one that was present at the

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1013 Words | 5 Pages

He places the strong authority of the declaration on his side to show how the American people are in contradiction to their own “sacred obligation” and the Negros have gotten a “bad check.” A metaphor representing the unfulfilled promise of human rights for the African Americans. King skillfully evokes an emotional response from all races with the use of religion: “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” By doing this he finds a common ground that brings black and whites closer with a common belief in God they share, as well as the mention of

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719 Words | 3 Pages

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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