Ethical Reasoning Essay : The Allegory Of The Cave

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time (racism) and to also address the critics he received from the clergymen. The letter discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham and although it is primarily aimed at the clergymen King writes the letter for all to read. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos, alliteration/repetition, and ethos to back up his belief that nonviolent protesting and disobedience is the most effective means to protest

In the Allegory of the Cave there are chained prisoners in cave who can only stare at the cave wall in front of them. At the back there is a long entrance with a staircase the width of the cave and a fire burning in the distance. They see only shadows projected in front of them from a raised platform and hear an echo that they attribute to what they observe. They talk about and name the shadows of objects they see before them. To them the truth are the shadows. Then one day one of the prisoners is released. He is told that what he saw before was an illusion. Once he is outside it takes a while for his eyes to adjust to the sun. First he observed the shadows of thing then their reflection and finally the actual object. Remembering his previous state he goes back to the cave and tries to explain that everything is an illusion but they laugh at him and think he’s crazy. They believe it best not to ascend and they choose to remain as they are. The cave represented opinion. The shadows that are cast on to the wall represented physical objects. The prisoners represented the common people (Welles).

The message behind Dr. King’s quote spoke about a world where people would be judged by their morals instead of their outwardly appearance. This momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. Martin Luther Kings’ words still hold an exquisite power more than 40 years after his death but a Negro is still not at liberty. One hundred years later, the life of a negro is still severely crippled by the bonds of injustice and the

In this essay, we will discuss two pieces of literature, Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Both pieces are “about defying what is expected of you in order to do what is right.” Plato’s allegory is about a man who was born a prisoner, stuck in one position, who is later freed and experiences life outside of the cave. King Jr. explains his reason for being in a jail. We will discuss how they were both faced with opposition, and I will detail a time where I was faced with opposition while going again societal “norms”.

To begin, it is important to first reflect on the childhood experiences and the culture that King was raised. In his book, God and Human Dignity, Burrow poignantly notes, “Martin Luther King was a human being, no more or less so than any member of his family tree, or any other human being.” This is to say that the significance of King should not be entirely placed upon King as an individual, but on the context that King was raised. Therefore, it is important to briefly illustrate the racial landscape that King inherited as well as touch on major influential experiences that contributed to King’s ethical and theological development.

‘Nothing mattered more to king than being an outstanding preacher. Martin Luther King had an exceptional personal some state. He was a very proud and an outspoken man. He had been ‘conditioned’ from the mere age of nine and ordained in a black church for later life purposes (1). At a young age racism surrounded him and was affected first hand. He was abused by a white mill owner purely on the colour of his skin. He also witnessed other black people suffering from violence when he saw a white mob attack and barbarically murder a black man. King was a very opinionated person and became a lead figure head publicly known on a national scale. This came to be

The idea of racism has evolved and has become less prevalent throughout the last century. Schools and public areas are unsegregated, voting rights, racial slurs being considered as unacceptable behavior etc. American sociologist and race theorist, Howard Winant states that’s “The ensuing approaches increased recognition of racial injustice and inequality, but did not overcome the discriminatory processes” (Winant,2000)Although the United states has come a long way to try to end racism, one cannot ignore the fact that it still exists. It is something that may seem invisible in society, but everybody knows that it still thrives and that it’s racial attitudes affect the way our society functions. One of these invisible forms of

To support his claims, King employed the use of ethos, or credibility (Alfano and O’Brien 51). Fundamentally and above all, King stood centered at the heart of this critically harsh period as an African-American. He spent an unimaginable time in jail as he peacefully defended the justice and equality he believed his people deserved. Secondly, his education came to a high advantage for him. His basis of professionalism and expertise came from his undergraduate work at Morehouse College (The New York Times 1). From there King also became President of his class, won a spot to the integrated Crozer Theological Seminary, and completed a fellowship for his Ph. D. at Boston University (The New York Times 1). King’s time at these colleges and programs developed him into a well-informed and aware individual who later influenced public efforts and outcries. His participation through education and first-hand experience backed his ethos by providing a background in specific relation to his position on the fight for injustice to subside.

Martin Luther King Jr. once stated, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” (“Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes”). He stood up to his word by always standing up for the rights of fellow African Americans. On April 12, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for violating the Alabama law against mass public demonstrations. Following his arrest, eight clergy members of a local church criticized his protest and called it “unwise and untimely.” In response to many of their accusations, King wrote a letter from his jail cell in Birmingham (“Letter From Birmingham Jail (1963)”). One accusation that the clergymen made was that King’s nonviolent protest was “extreme”. King employed many rhetorical devices to respond to this claim, but the most persuasive devices he used were logos, allusions and parallelism.

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. A court had ordered that King could not hold protests in Birmingham. Birmingham in 1963 was a hard place for blacks to live in. Everything was segregated, from businesses to churches to libraries. Blacks faced constant discrimination and the constant threat of violence. In Martin Luther King’s letter to the clergymen he uses rhetorical techniques to get his point across to his audience. The intended audience of the letter is the white clergyman and white “moderates” of Birmingham Alabama. In Dr. King’s letter uses logical evidence, emotional aspects and good motives to present his beliefs to his

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. On the day of his arrest, a group of clergymen wrote an open letter in which they called for the community calling King’s activities as “unwise and untimely” (601) which causes crisis in the community. It was that letter that encouraged King to write the famous written communication known as “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. King uses ethical, logical, and pathetic appeals to address against racial injustice among Black Americans in Birmingham and to responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization.

The Allegory of the Cave or also known as, Myth of the Cave, is a good example of explaining the feature of the way people think. It is a concept that demonstrates how humans are fearful of change and what they don’t know. Plato says that men are living in an underground cave and it is a situation. The Allegory of the Cave is Plato's explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. Plato talks about being free, everyday life, knowledge, and essentially what he wrote to be true. I think that he was very unique with his writings because there are so many ways to look at the world and his way was just one. He was educated highly and is recognized as a philosopher to this day.

These two pieces written by Plato also have two characters, Socrates and the prisoners, who are similar. After returning to the cave, the prisoner would be reentering a world of darkness, having to talk to all the unreleased prisoners. He would live with the other prisoners, being able to see better than all of the rest. Because of his different perspective of reality and new knowledge, he would assume the position of the leader of the group and take care of the prisoners. Socrates does this exact thing in The Symposium. He seems to be the most enlightened one in the group and appears to be the puppet by which Plato speaks about his own views. Alcibiades speaks about how he looked up to and loved Socrates during his speech starting at 212c. Socrates acts as the mentor and leader in The Symposium, just as a prisoner would be if he were to leave the cave and become enlightened.

Historically, United States battle against racism has come a long way from the days of colonialism, slavery, racial hierarchies, racial demarcated reserves, strict policies and segregation. And yet, discrimination and inequality continue to persist in our society. Howard Winant, an American sociologist and race theorist, stated that, “the meaning of racism has changed over time. The attitudes, practices and institutions of epochs of colonialism, segregation… may not have been entirely eliminated, but neither do they operate today in the same ways they did half a century ago (Winant 128).” The meaning and how racism operates may have changed over time but its negative connotations and implications in society continue to limit the individual’s understanding, explore and accept the complexity of each individual. Presently, racism appears less blatant and may appear “more acceptable,” but its existence and effect is undeniable. As a result, it continues to destroy society’s cohesion and ideas for equality. Racism is the ideology that devalues and renders other racial and ethnic group as inferior and it is reflected through the individual’s interaction, expression and attitudes towards others (Racism No Way). It is deeply rooted from historical, social, cultural and power inequalities. Racism has indeed shifted its course from previously stricter policies and practices of racism to individuals who promote multiculturalism, equality

Racism is an ongoing force that negatively impacts the lives of Americans every day. The racist mindset in America stems from the times of slavery, where blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Throughout history, the ideology of race and racism has evolved and developed several different meanings. Today, we can still see the devastating effects of racism on people of color, as well as whites. “Racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individual” (Tatum, pg. 9). As a result of this system, it leaves the