Analysis Of Martin Luther King 's Letter From Birmingham Jail

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a compelling letter from a Birmingham jail cell. This letter was to his peers, fellow religious leaders of the local churches who had felt his direct action tactic in their city were of poor taste. He was written a letter from these leaders and King felt a need to respond. Dr. King was a man who was used to being criticized and usually turned the other cheek. In this particular moment, he felt the need to respond to his peers and he did a successful job of addressing their concerns. King was proficient in using descriptive adjectives that provoke emotion and forces the reader to empathize with his points. Most successful was his use of biblical and philosophical reference to support his argument and remind the clergymen of their role and responsibility. King uses a plethora of non-basic words which stresses his level of education, ability to be well-versed and worldly knowledge. His sophisticated use of words definitely makes him a leader to his peers or any adversary that dares question him.

Every writer needs an inspiration to craft a brilliant literary piece. Whether this inspiration is tangible or intangible, it is still necessary. Some forms of inspiration come as passionate love while others appeal as injustice. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was a response to "A Call for Unity" by eight white clergymen. His inspiration for writing the letter was the clergymen's unjust proposals and the letter allowed him to present his rebuttal. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen, and then using logos, pathos, and ethos to refute his opponent's statements and present his own perspective.

During the course of living human being are subjected to many controversial arguments and ethical stations. Education in concept of ethical reasoning and in the fundamentals of the principles are important for one to be skilled in ethical reasoning. Ethical reasoning is a very important element in human nature of living either professionally or individually. Ethical reasoning offers critics with the capability to represent viewpoints, ideas and make judgement. Moreover ethical reasoning enable critics’ to consciously give examination for them to reach a solution that does not harm anybody else. Ethical reasoning can be defined as arguing the wrong and the right of human behavior.

Martin Luther King Jr, an civil rights activist, fought for the rights of African Americans in 1963. King organized various non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that resulted in his arrest. While in jail, King received a letter from eight Alabama clergyman explaining their distress and opposition to King and his followers actions. This letter occasioned his reply and caused King to write a persuasive letter justifying his actions and presence in Birmingham. Although King’s reply was addressed to the Alabama clergyman, its target audience was the “white moderate”. King understood that if he gained support from the average, indifferent white American that the civil rights movement would reach it’s goals much faster. In his

In this essay, I will be writing my perspectives and my interpretations of Dr. King's writing, “Letter From A Birmingham Jail”.

Throughout history, there have been many significant documents and speeches that enlighten and inform us on what is and was happening during those times. Abraham Lincoln’s speech, The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned everybody that people who disrespected American laws could destroy the United States. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, and argued that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Based on these facts, Martin Luther King Jr does not agree with Lincoln’s counsel.

When it comes to racism, any person of any skin color or ethnic background can commit the immoral act of racism. However, as shown in Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” it is often African Americans who have prejudices held against them. This is true today as well as around 55 years ago when “Letter” was written. King’s response letter to the critiques of eight clergymen was able to assume “a multitude of perspectives.”(Patton 1) Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is effective at convincing the audience of the urgency and necessity of the Civil Rights Movement because he uses his own credibility as a Reverend, addressing the religious men and others of the white majority who do not believe his cause is justified, and

After being arrested in Birmingham on Good Friday of 1963 for his participation in a peaceful anti-segregation march, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” which later became one of his most famous pieces of writing. His letter is a response to the criticism demonstrated by eight prominent white clergymen. These clergymen accused King of civil disobedience and using severe measures that provoke hatred and violence, and advised all those who were in support of King and his demonstrations to withdrawal.

Dr. Martin Luther King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to seven clergymen who misinterpreted peaceful protests by the Southern Christian Leadership. Dr. King, being the president of the Southern Christian Leadership, organized these peaceful protests for part of the black community of Alabama, which were desperate for change. King’s definitive goal for his letter to the clergymen was to explain what he, and majority of the blacks in Alabama, were experiencing. He wanted to give them insight on the actuality of the amount of oppression received by blacks from whites, including the police officers that were ultimately supposed to enforce legal equality. The clergymen claimed that Dr. King and his colleagues were outsiders that had no real business in Birmingham, Alabama. In King’s response, he counters by stating the reason for his appearance. He states that he was invited to Birmingham by the Alabama Christian Movement, on behalf of the African Americans that resided there. He went to Birmingham to confront the racial injustices that lived there. He and his associates had peaceful marches and sit-ins in order to gain the attention of the white community; however, their gatherings and protests, not approved by the city, were unpermitted, thus against the law. King acknowledges that they were breaking a law, but the fact that blacks were being so mistreated by whites caused him to make the sacrifice of disregarding that unjust law in order to gain the oppressor’s attention. He also argues that people of color should be able to have a peaceful protest, and should be supported by the rest of the community because they are protesting equality and justice. Dr. King argued that the Birmingham government failed to compromise with the African American community on rights that they were very much entitled to. After witnessing this firsthand, he acknowledged the clergymen to clarify his intentions, as well as to address the amount of obvious oppression that blacks were forced to face.

“”Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied."” Martin Luther King Jr. has sought justice and equality for African Americans, those trapped within injustice, through peaceful protests and campaigns. During a time of racism and segregation, he was a key figure in the American civil rights movement. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. sent the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, while incarcerated in jail, in response to the criticism that many of the white clergymen had heaped upon the peaceful campaigns and, indirectly, the work that Martin Luther King Jr. had

The 1960’s was the peak of the nonviolent civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Junior. MLK Jr. traveled all along the South fighting against racial discrimination and equality between all races. MLK Jr uses sit ins, protests, demonstrations and marches to fight for his cause; he always stayed nonviolent even when there were police and white supremacists using violence against him. During one of his marches in Alabama, MLK Jr. was arrested, not for the first time. While in jail, MLK Jr. took the time to respond to a letter written to him by eight different religious leaders. Even though some people may argue that Martin Luther King Junior’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is not radical, his letter is radical because he refuses to conform to the world’s expectations and he expects the same from the religious leaders whom he is replying to.

Martin Luther King addresses his letter to many church officials and tries to acknowledge that African Americans have and are still experiencing racial discrimination. King uses people who told about in the bible in order to connect with them and to gain readers on a religious ground. For example, he states “Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.” This means that King is calling for aid in racial prejudice.

Letters to Birmingham Jail is written by Martin Luther King Jr as a response to eight clergymen who criticize his public protests. They argue that his actions are counter-productive to his movement and pose a potential threat to law and order. This letter expresses King’s feelings towards injustice that has occurred and also explains the unjust events happening in both Birmingham and the rest of America. King defends his legitimacy of breaking the law through nonviolent protests in an act against segregation and racism and insists that these protests were necessary for progression. He also alludes to many notable thinkers such as Jesus and Socrates to aid in the reasonings of his actions. King states that these demonstrations were bound to

People over the year have died, been in imprisoned and fought all in the name for freedom .One that show people be imprisoned is in a story call “ Letter from Birmingham Jail” the show the cost of freedom.Another one is an article called How many Americans have died in U.S. War that show the cost that people are will to take to protest freedom.But some people believed it do not cost anything to have.

My favorite piece out of the selection is Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” because it highlights a social problem in an interesting and inspirational way. The writing is enthralling, and the strong declarations the author makes call the reader to action. It pokes fun of the imperial principles back then, and uses anecdotes of children to cause an appeal to the audience’s pathos.