An Analysis of Letter from a Birmingham Jail Essay

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter while incarcerated in Birmingham jail to

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter from a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King’s wrote this letter for eight white clergymen who unapproved of his nonviolent protests for racial equality and segregation. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. King been arrested and is writing to the clergymen about why he felt the need to be protesting also reasons why the clergymen should care. In this letter, Martin Luther King Jr. uses persuasion to show that the clergymen and the church should be ashamed of themselves for discontinuing his nonviolent protest. Throughout “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. remains calm, although he is in jail for leading nonviolent protest for equality and ending segregation. King believes that if

       Martin Luther King Jr's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written during his 8 day sentence in jail in 1963. He chose to travel and protest in Birmingham due to the fact that it was widely known as one of the most segregated city in the U.S. The letter not only addresses the issues of unjustly being arrested for being an "extremist" of his approach to the protest, and of the incompetence of the church but its also an appeal for things to be seen from his point of view.

Presenting his evidence to not just the eight white clergymen who prompted this letter but also to the coloured and white masses of the time, Dr. King presents an ample variety of religious and historical facts in addition to pathos-ridden anecdotes of injustice at play to sway anyone from the emotionless devout to the atheist white moderate. After stating a certain block of writing’s sub-thesis, the reverend moves swiftly to present his evidence before tying all the different facts together into a lesson to be learned — the sub-thesis — from the information at hand. An example of this format he uses is at the point where he discusses the justifiability of following or disobeying a law. Using simple wording, the reverend states his position

Throughout his letter, King also uses literal and historical analogies as well as theoretical language, also known as logos, in order to conjure a cognitive, coherent reaction in his readers. His use of logos helps is arguments strength and irrefutability. King states facts that cannot be argued, facts that are accepted by all as true. He states that fact that he is in jail “because injustice is [in Birmingham]” (King, 10), a statement that is nonnegotiable. He continues to say that Birmingham is “probably one of the most segregated

Letter to Birmingham Jail is a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. from a solitary confinement cell in Birmingham, Alabama. King had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march on grounds that he did not have a permit.After a court order was issued forbidding the display, King, who is obedient to the law, decided for the first time to break the unjust law. He was held for twenty-four hours on April 12, without being allowed his constitutional right to contact a lawyer. Segregation laws

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," was very persuasive to a wide variety of audiences. Not only did he directly address the writers of the newspaper article, but included fellow African Americans with their struggle to gain acceptance. What makes this letter persuasive, is the amount of examples and situations described by Martin Luther King Jr. King also gains credibility by citing these sources without a history book, using only his own intellect that shows that he is not just your average man.

Furthermore, logos, logic and reasoning, in King’s letter gives the reader a better understanding and factual knowledge on the issue, which is incredibly exemplified in King’s letter. This includes the truth about the harsh conditions that African Americans have been living under and King does an excellent job of laying out the facts without bending the truth or misleading the reader. He states that the Negro community had no alternative except

In the year of 1963, Martin Luther King was imprisoned for peacefully marching in a parade as a nonviolent campaign against segregation. In Martin Luther King’s essay “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the paragraphs that have the most emotional appeal are, just as the critics say, paragraphs thirteen and fourteen. King tugs at the reader’s emotions in these specific paragraphs using very detailed examples about the difficult, heart-wrenching misfortunes that have happened to the African American society and what they had to endure on a daily basis in Birmingham by using metaphors, contrasts, alliteration, anaphora, and imagery. As taken from an excerpt of “MLK - Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” In paragraphs thirteen and fourteen of Letter

In both works, Dr. King Jr. adopted techniques of series rhetoric, repetitions, effective use of metaphors and similes in protesting against social injustice and assuring his audience of a hope for a better tomorrow. In the letter to the clergy Dr. King Jr. invoked their thinking of what a just and unjust law was. He explained that the just law is a moral act of God’s will and the unjust law is such act instituted by men. When in conflict, he admonished society to accept the laws of God over those of men and cited instances where society had an obligation to reject unjust laws of segregation. Dr. King Jr. draws inspiration from men of historical significance to ascertain his claim and quotes

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” after an unjust proposal made by eight white clergymen. Their claims were to be that no Negro “outsider” should be allowed to establish or lead any protest and should leave them to their local neighborhoods. King replied directly to the clergymen, but used religious ties to also have his voice heard in the public. In his counter argument, King strategically used logical evidence, emotional aspects and good motives to present his perspective to the clergymen.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. in the year 1963 while he was imprisoned for his protests against the segregation and treatment of black citizens in Birmingham, Alabama. This letter was written in response to the clergyman who criticized Martin Luther King Jr.’s work and presence while he was in Birmingham. The letter was written in a very carefully thought out structure, it involved the statement or opinion of those against the protest [clergyman] followed by Martin Luther King Jr.’s rebuttal and the reason for that specific concern. King also used appeals to emotion and authority to emphasize his point. Although King’s actions and beliefs were a very crucial step in equality his passion and fight continued to be pursued whether it was Vietnam Veterans Against the War who fought for their belief that the war was causing destruction rather than benefitting anyone or the animal rights activists who fight for their beliefs that animals should live freely without abuse or cruelty.

Writing is an art, and like all art, it can transcend time to speak to different generations. Pieces of art that are truly great can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of who it was meant for. Literature is used for evoking emotions and connecting with people, for communicating events and discoveries across the world, for bringing people together. When used properly, literature can do all this and more. Those who have the skill to wield the tools of the art can create amazing creations. One letter that fits this description is the “Letter From Birmingham Jail”. This letter cries out for justice, a cry that can be heard far and wide throughout the ages. It uses the tools of literature to impact everyone. Martin Luther King Jr uses diction

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham City Jail to the clergymen, saying that they criticized the actions and how they were targeting him. He explains in the letter how the city of Birmingham has gone through all the nonviolent campaigns and that it proves that their is serious racial injustice.

In paragraphs 12-14 of “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King begins addressing the clergymen’s belief that the peaceful demonstrations conducted by him and his associates were untimely. King starts answering questions frequently heard by opposing or moderate forces, as well as essentially denouncing the resistance to desegregation. King then introduced the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed; concluding that the oppressor is not inclined to act on things that do not directly affect them. Therefore, providing a platform of his argument as to why blacks could no longer wait to be given their basic human rights. Action needed to take place because fair treatment was no longer a hope to be given, it had to be taken.