The Letter Read Around The World On April 16, 1963, while Martin Luther King Jr. was in jail for participating in a civil rights protest, he wrote a letter to eight clergymen to plead his case why the protests happening in Birmingham and all over the south were just. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” not only took the clergy by surprise, it took the whole nation by surprise. At the time of the letters publication, the nation was still divided by the Mason-Dixon line but for a different reason this time; the south was unfairly treating the African American citizens who lived there; stores wouldn't sell their goods to them, restaurants wouldn't serve them, African American people even had to use water fountains and bathrooms specifically marked…
Throughout history, minorities of countries have been faced with oppression. For instance, in America, blacks have often been segregated and punished. One advocator for the end of this treatment was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after a peaceful protest, Dr. King and his fellow protestors were thrown into a jail in Birmingham. In a letter from King while he was incarcerated in jail to the clergy members of the church, Dr. King used rhetoric such as logos, metaphors, and parallel structure in order to show how he thinks his actions were not rash and poorly timed as well as prove why he thinks segregation needs to be stopped.…
(16)(A) An explanation that I reject comes from Rachels Evil and is the idea that evil is the result of a person’s wrongdoing. I do believe that people should be and are punished for doing wrong but the punishment is not always something that fits the crime. Some people who commit small crimes receive worse punishments then those who commit worse crimes. You would expect God to hand out punishments fairly but he does not.…
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a correspondence from notable civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. to area members of the clergy who had criticized his manner of advocacy (King 1300). While pointing out he does not make a habit of responding to criticism, King nonetheless indicates he is responding to the pastors because they are level headed and mean well (King 1302). King articulates the purpose for which he is in the Birmingham jail by illustrating ideas of justice and instances of abuse while underscoring the urgency of a response from the Christian church to persecution of black individuals by unjust laws and law enforcement. King begins by exposing that he is in Birmingham in the first place because all Americans are harmed by immoral conduct (King 1302). Using a biblical reference, King calls attention to the clergy members’ lack of sympathy toward black Americans’ requests for equal treatment (King 1302).…
In “My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to My Nephew” and “A Letter from Birmingham Jail,” James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr. write about the racial tension of their time, respectively. It is essential to note that the nephew, James, is a mean through which Baldwin addresses African Americans. In a similar manner, King addresses white moderates by directing his letter towards a particular group of Birmingham clergymen. Both authors utilize allusion and tone to subtly encourage their respective audience to challenge the limiting societal and cultural practices of the time. King, however, offers a concrete approach; while Baldwin offer an abstract approach that African-American can take to face the limitation and discriminations.…
He explains that you have “just” laws and “unjust” laws. Both are man-made laws but have one major difference. An “unjust” law does not line up with our moral law or the law of God. When encountered with an “unjust” law, Dr. King finds lawbreaking to be “just”. The example given was segregation.…
From the letter that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote while in Birmingham Jail were very deep in there meaning and strength in regards to the segregation between the White American and the African American community in America. From these letters the most shocking realization is how although there was no laws regarding the demonstrations that were happening at the time the Black community were still being jailed and mistreated. The police were not treating them as if they were humans, they would set the police dogs on the men and let them sink their teeth into as if they were another animal. As for the young and elderly members of the African American community they would be slapped, kicked and beat.…
Dearest Mr. Abner Snopes and Mrs. Nancy, I write you to ask for a favor. As you may know, Homer Barron and I have been together for quite some time now, but I think he is planning on leaving me. You see, I need your assistance to help me kill Homer. I have come to you both about this because we are alike in more ways than it might seem.…
Jonathan Edwards, one of the most influential leaders for the puritan religion, delivered a speech on July 8th, 1741 titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” which informed his audience that God is the only thing holding them up over the pits of Hell. While on the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr, an American civil rights activist and author, writes a letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” while held prisoner in Birmingham City Jail addressing eight Clergyman who condemned his protests throughout the city. Both Edwards and King use different variations of rhetorical devices to convey their messages to each of their audiences. Edwards uses negative imagery and metaphors to convince his audience that God is the only thing holding them up over the pits of Hell, and King uses metaphors and allusions to convey his message that the clergymen need to get on board with the civil rights movements or they will be…
In Letter from Birmingham City Jail, the attempts to assert the direct action of a peaceful civil rights demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama was wholly necessary, justified and long overdue. This is a response to an open letter written by “eight prominent ‘liberal’ Alabama clergymen” (46). The clergymen argued that the decision was badly timed and that the participants should let the fight for integration continue only in the federal courts. Martin Luther King JR’s defense begins with his admission that he rarely ever takes the time to defend himself against his opponents. King then transitions into his argument for “direct action”.…
Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American that lived and fought through racial oppression. He was one of the most well known leaders of nonviolent protests. Being a minority trying to persuade the privilege that it’s time for change is a tough job. In King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” has many components that are crucial to catching the audience attention and proving a point. In this letter Martin Luther King Jr. was responding back to rude comments that clergymen made about him and the protesting.…
We are getting ready to leave. We are gathering all of our supplies that will be needed and we can't leave anyone behind. We need to bring all of our slaves so we have enough people to use to grow our crops with our big land in New York. One hour later we are about to leave for New York saying our goodbyes to Spain. We are sailing away from Spain saying goodbyes with one of my noble friends jessica.…
In this next section Martin Luther King Jr. makes the argument that some laws meant to be broken; to do so he, defines just and unjust laws and also provides proper examples. King defines just law as “a man-made code that squares with the moral law;” it is a law that is equally upheld by both majority and minority groups (804). He goes on to define unjust laws as “any law that degrades human personality” (804). By accurately defining the difference between just and unjust laws, it sets up the tone for his argument on why it is acceptable to support some laws and disobey others. He wishes to convey the idea that just because a law is put in place by a government, that does not always deem them reasonable and without corruption.…
The letter from Birmingham jail was a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. that addresses racism and how he feels about it. In the letter, Martin Luther KIng Jr. explains the difficult things about having colored skin in 1963 when he wrote the letter. Furthermore he gives an abundance of examples throughout the letter about how colored men and woman were treated badly in different ways. He also uses strong language and complex diction to make the letter immensely better and more descriptive. Also in the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. writes about the struggle that people with colored skin had to go through.…
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most widely recognized symbols of the Civil Rights Movement, along with his “I Have A Dream” speech and the Freedom Riders. In the letter, King described the hardships faced by African Americans and why he is leading a nonviolent protest against segregation. The Letter is an example of direct action, and is important to study in order to understand methods leaders can use to influence change at any level. My initial reaction to reading Letter from Birmingham Jail was eye opening. The first time I read the Letter was last June during my activist certification, and it was an excellent example of the power of direct action and grassroots activism.…