Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

King discusses the morals and types of laws, those “just and unjust”. By explaining laws and using reason to portray situations when laws can and should be broken, King guides the clergymen through his rationalization. To strengthen the sympathetic pathos in his letter, King discusses historical people and events and because something is legal, it doesn't make it moral, like segregation. He emphasizes that although everything Hitler did, such as murdering millions of Jews and cruel scientific experiments, was legal, it was not morally right. "It was illegal to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal." King is comparing American segregation to Hitler's anti-Semitic Germany. King quotes St. Augustine, “an unjust law is no law at all.” Because King comes off as being moral and fair, ethos is established. He is seen as an integral leader. Through this, King is able to argue why he links segregation to being an unjust law.

First of all, the very first line of King’s letter was appealing and grabbed the attention of the audience. King writes, “While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." (King, 1963) King draws the attention of the church leaders to the dungeons of the jail,forcing

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is the letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. to the clergymen of Birmingham, in which he speaks up against the nonviolence demonstration criticisms by white modernists. In it King suggests that Socrates is civilly disobedient, despite Socrates’ assertions of breaking the law in the Crito, the prison conversation between Socrates and his friend Crito days before his death. Socrates repeatedly states that it would be morally wrong for him to escape prison and go against the laws, however, King believes that he is civilly disobedient. I, too, believe that Socrates was in some form rebellious to the law, and that he was misunderstood and rejected by society. The Apology and Crito are two dialogues that discuss the intent of Socrates’ “crimes;” and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” goes along the reasoning behind King’s claim against Socrates.

“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in the margins of a letter posted by the clergymen of Alabama at this time that sparked his interest and while he inhabited the jail cell for parading around without a permit. This time allowed him the ability to respond wholeheartedly to this cynical oppressing. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s and this direct response distinguishes King’s strong points through his powerful writing.  Unethical and immoral mentions came to the attention of the Minister through the letter, and he expressed his differing views and defended his ideals and actions through Aristotle’s three rhetorical devices, ethos, logos, and pathos.

Place yourself in the shoes of someone who is not allowed to sit down on a public bus,; who is not permitted to stay in certain motels,; who is not tolerated in the “white only” family amusement park,; that was the painful impediment that African Americans of the 1960’s faced solely due to the melanin in their skin (King 2). Among these African Americans was the reverend, doctor, humanist, husband, and Civil Rights activist, Mr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a middle class, black man with a life-long devotion of implementing ethnic equality to African Americans nationwide. Following one of Rev. King’s peaceful protests in Birmingham, Alabama, he was jailed on accounts of “parading without a permit” (King

The Letter from Birmingham Jail is an open letter that defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. It says that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws, and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through others or the government. Responding to the critisms of his nonviolent approaches and willingness to cause tension within the community he wrote "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The crisis and tension causing methods Dr. Matin Luther King Jr. used were organized marches and sit-ins against racism and racial segregation.

The source that I found most helpful for this project is “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” I think it is the best source because it is a primary source. Also because it explains what it was like to be a civil rights activist. Lastly, the message that MLK was writing was very detailed and easy to visualize. Everything in this passage was true and from an activist perspective.

My mind begins to think crazy. Heart beats fast as if I was running. I started to wonder is this really what life is about ? Will people stand up for what's right? When I read Martin Luther Kings, Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” , I started to realize you have to stand up for what you believe is right. King was standing up for what's right and for justice and was put in jail for it. He stated that “ I came across your recent statement calling my present activity “unwise and untimely”,” (King, 2017, p. 411). King (2017) responded “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas” (p. 411). The clergymen did not feel that King was supposed to be in this town saying that “ However, we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders” (Alabama, 1963). King was a clergyman himself, he didn’t think that he was wrong and he felt like it need to be done. King stated he was in Birmingham because “ injustice was here” (King, 2017, p. 412). Many people don’t believe that justice should be served. Totally opposite to Martin Luther King’s Jr. leadership, President Trump is not a leader of equality nor non - violence.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. He attended Morehouse College and upon his graduation he chose to go in the route of his father to pursue Baptist Ministry. Dr. King wanted us all to be treated fairly; he was influenced by Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence and was convinced that all African Americans should utilize his powerful words as a new way of an equal life. Dr. King was a civil rights activist, who believed in transcendence, that right and wrong do exist. His powerful words given during his I have a dream speech led him to earn the Noble Peace Prize. Friedrich Nietzsche was born in Röcken, Prussia in 1844. In 1864 he enrolled in the University of Bonn to study theology. He began to doubt his

Dr. King wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” when he was in jail for holding a desegregation protest in Birmingham, Alabama in April, 1963. As a leader of the civil-right movement, Dr. King found that it was an urgent need to take action in Birmingham where the worse segregation and racism brutality happened. However, Dr. King was criticized by eight clergymen that the protest was an extreme action. The letter was the response from Dr. King to their criticism. This essay will briefly summarizes what the letter was about, then discusses about the main arguments in the letter and why Dr. King’s fighting process was remarkably a great lesson to learn from.

This is a letter about the best sources for learning what is was like to be a civil rights activist . “ letter from Birmingham jail” is my first source for many reasons like talking about equal rights and being written by MLK. “ No more the children of Birmingham 1963 and the turning point of the civil rights movement” is a great source because it shows the effect the revolution had on kids. 1963 civil rights campaign Barbara Sylvia, shores” is a good source because it is from a first person view of someone who was bombed. Photographs are a great source because it shows police brutality and blacks protecting each other. I didn’t choose “ Watson’s go to Birmingham “ because it is a fictional book.

In the early 1960s, Birmingham was, culturally and forced by police, one of the most racially divided cities in the United States. Blacks did not have the same legal and economic rights as their white brethren. When attention was drawn to this issue, they were faced with violent responses. It was conceivably the most segregated city in the country. Protests began to form to fight for equal chance of employment at businesses and to end segregation in public places such as stores and schools. Sit-ins were soon organized after the failed protests to produce a copious amount of arrests and draw the country's attention towards Birmingham. Shortly after, the amount of adults to take part in the sit-ins fell harshly and there were new volunteers. High school and college students rose to the occasion and took part in passively fighting for their rights. With the addition of the students also came many of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). Among those who came with the SCLC was a very important guest. One who was jailed, had an article criticizing himself and his methods, and was able to produce a letter in which he responded to the writers of the article while incarcerated. This man

King effectively creates a respectful tone in the letter to maintain the attention of the religious leaders, and make them more likely to listen and agree with the arguments he presents. King declares, “I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” By intending

King combines the use of ethos and pathos as he compares himself and the rights of men to religious backgrounds. His first comparison is with the Apostle Paul, where Paul had “carried the gospel of Jesus Christ,” as to Kings carrying of “the gospel of freedom.” King addresses this similarity to show why he felt committed to go to Birmingham, because like Paul, he needed to respond as an aid to his people. Towards the end of Kings letter; he exemplifies courageousness in the Negro demonstrations by relating them to the actions of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they refused to follow what they believed to be unjust laws. Saying that if they are supposed heroes by going against unjust laws, why shouldn't the people see Negro demonstrators the same way? They are also God's children and by those disobedience’s, they were really showing the grace of God. These connections to religion supports their fighting against unjust laws as a divine cause.

Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful advocate for civil rights, was jailed for his non-violent protest against segregation. During his stay at the Birmingham Jail, a group of religious leaders publically attacked him with criticisms for his peaceful protest. As a counter attack, King wrote 'The Letter From Birmingham Jail'. This counter was successful for King was able to analyze and address his audience, refer to historical and religious figures and utilize anaphoras, making this letter, one of the most impressive argumentative essays.