Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From A Birmingham Jail

In the 1950’s the fight for racial equality was transforming the structure of society. The Civil Rights Movement was an important time in history, and some hoped to see the line of division that had been there for decades finally be erased. That was the time that Martin Luther King Jr. lived in. The battle for equal rights was heating up in the South with protests and sit-ins. African-Americans were tired of waiting for changes to happen, and decided to finally stand up for their rights. Martin Luther King was protesting in Birmingham when he was arrested for not having the right permit. While in prison, King wrote his “Letter From A Birmingham Jail”, the letter was a response to the clergyman who were criticizing King’s actions. Through parallel structure, passionate diction and personal experience, King gives a detailed explanation for the reasons why African-Americans can’t wait for changes to happen, instead they must fight for them. The division between the blacks and whites were clear in society, from signs saying who’s allowed in bathrooms, stores and schools, to who can vote in elections. That line also affected children. Children had to be told at a young …show more content…
King described how, “vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters at whim”(14). People wouldn’t think twice about hurting the protesters, from women to men, young and old. The idea of equal rights led to high tension which would result in clashes. The idea of the status quo finally changing scared a lot of people. The blacks had no intention of standing down, saying, “there was a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair”(14). For decades colored people had been oppressed and degraded by means of the news, politics and daily encounters. They were finally standing up for what they thought was