Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

King’s use of many rhetorical devices in these three paragraphs of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” solidify his conviction that segregation needs to be quelled immediately. Dr. King’s explanations justify the demonstrations and protests that he is participating in. Although this was a letter meant for clergymen, Dr. King simultaneously taught all of America a very important lesson: justice is a universal natural right, and when it is denied, it needs to be demanded. Racial equality is the form of justice in this case, as segregation was the culprit that divided society into two racial groups. Thus, Dr. King successfully advocated civil rights through this letter with powerful, clever

Finally, racism was a major theme, and it was even the cause of the letter’s writing. For example, Dr. King said that though “it is unfortunate that so-called demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham at this time, but . . . it is even more unfortunate that the white power structure of this city left the Negro community with no other alternative” (78), describing how it was racism that forced his actions which led him to be jailed. Dr. King further described the immense racism present at the time by noting that “There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in this nation” (78).

In, “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, King writes about the criticisms placed on him by the Clergy and to all the white Americans who believe they are superior and do not wrong. For example when King writes, “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King 3), King is speaking to the clergy who dislike his motives and actions. King is stating his innocence and that he is doing nothing wrong and that action needs to be taken in order to initiate a change. The purpose of King’s letter is not all to inspire a change in America and just address the criticism towards him and his actions but it is also a call to action. King takes on the time of a courageous, righteous, and disciplined man who

“Each day brings a new adventure” is a saying that holds true in any individual’s life. With each day, individuals should seek for new adventures to have a broader perspective of life. With diverse outlooks, a person does not only develop and find their true self, but can also reflect betterment of their society. The amount an individual is influenced by society can limit the person’s capability to play a more important role in life. Society tends to hold individuals to certain norms and perspectives; so, an individual must embrace diversity around them to not only find oneself, but to also offer more to society. Evidence of this type of relationship between society and an individual is apparent in the speech “The Danger of a Single Story”, given by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. Both pieces explore the ideas of how one might find a sense of individuality and community, and the conflicts and balance that comes with them

Letter from Birmingham Jail was a letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from a solitary confinement cell in Birmingham, Alabama. Some portions of the letter were written and gradually smuggled out by King 's lawyer on scraps of paper including, by some reports, rough jailhouse toilet paper. Violent racist terror against African Americans was so horrible in Birmingham in the summer of 1963 that the city was being referred to by some locals as “Bombingham”. King had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march on the grounds that he did not have a parade permit. He had been called to Birmingham by one of the affiliates of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a group of which King was president, to help in the protests of the extreme racism present in Alabama. Segregation laws and policies were part of the Jim Crow system of separate schools; restaurants, bathrooms, etc. for blacks and whites that existed far beyond the era of slavery, especially in the American South. Several local religious figures Dr. King had counted on for support simultaneously published a letter entitled A Call for Unity, which was critical of King and his supporters. King 's letter, in turn, identified and responded to each of the specific criticisms that he understands are being made by these men, specifically, and by the white church and its leadership, more generally; however, this letter was also deliberately written for a national audience.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a well-known advocate for justice and civil liberties. His biggest devotion was for equality of African-American citizens, usually revealed in marches or peaceful demonstrations; in Birmingham, however, one of such protests rendered King and hundreds of his fellow protesters in jail. From that cell, King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” in which he proposed the idea that “it is a historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture but…groups tend to be more immoral than individuals” (par. 12). Regarding King’s quote, it could be ammended to state that groups are more likely to influence the upkeep of a practice of privilege while individuals hold more power over their own decisions.

Through establishing his credibility, King prepares the readers to be open as to how his actions were justified in Birmingham. He simply establishes in paragraph 6 that “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: (1) collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, (2) negotiation, (3) self-purification, and (4) direct action. He later goes on in the letter to describe how before they even left to go to Birmingham, they realized that the city was full of injustice. Secondly, King describes how they attempted to negotiate with local leaders and business owners to start implementing laws for desegregation, only to realize that it was a waste of their time since none of the leaders were actually being truthful in their promises. At this point, King states that they decided to go through a process of self-purification. They went through the self-purification process by establishing workshops on nonviolence, training themselves by asking, “Are you able to accept blows without retaliating? … Are you able to endure the ordeals of jail?” (King 8).

Dr. King begins by giving a recount of the events that brought him to Birmingham and the injustice that lead to their demonstrations. He then addresses common critiques of their campaign, answering them through logical arguments, as well as empathic appeals. The latter half of the piece deviates in that it aims not to justify their actions, but to shame everyone who doesn’t support their cause. Rather ironically, yet strategically, he expresses disappointment in “the white moderate” (pg.3), who he describes as: “more devoted to order than to justice” (pg.3). In addition to “the white moderate”, he calls out the clergymen, and “the white church”, for ignoring and even at times opposing their cause. Finally to conclude his letter, he prophecies the inevitable end of segregation “One

A Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on scraps of paper in response to a public statement of his efforts being seen as extreme issued by eight clergymen, while incarcerated in Birmingham. In response to the statement King makes a claim of "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Kings claim of “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Is supported throughout the entirety of his letter through the use of rhetoric devices such as Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.

In a society where technology is used by almost everyone and the government has access to everything we see, are we really completely free? The constitution of the United States guarantees privacy and our individual will, but it has been proven that maybe that does not matter. The average citizen comes to the United States in an attempt to flee from oppression and get freedom, but this is where the definition of freedom can be contradicted. When the elements such as government control and peer pressure are more than abundant in our society, what freedom are we even getting? The individual is not free inside society; he is trapped.

The logical reasoning in Kings letter is that segregation cannot end if the white moderates cannot change their way of thinking; in other words, King is “convinced that if our white brothers dismiss as “rabble rousers” and “outside agitators”,” (para. 21) eventually the Black community will unravel into violence and racial chaos. Furthermore, King Jr. makes it known that there are two opposing forces within the Black community. One side is reserved and has become accustomed to the segregation laws, as a result, has no self-respect or sense of identity. The opposing side, which is mostly middle class, has become insensitive to the underlying issues because at some point they have profited from segregation. King Jr. establishes his point that segregation cannot continue this way if the white and black community does not solve their differences within each other; for these reasons, they will not be able to live among each other peacefully.

'Letter from Birmingham Jail' is, truth be told, a letter composed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from an isolation cell in Birmingham, Alabama. A few segments of the letter were composed and step by step pirated out by King's legal counselor on pieces of paper including, by a few reports, harsh jailhouse bathroom tissue. Vicious supremacist dread against African Americans was so awful in Birmingham in the late spring of 1963 that the city was being alluded to by a few local people as Bombingham.

The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. is written to the injustices of the African Americans by the white man supremacy, and to address the direct actions African Americans were making to change the people’s perspective. The books that have been read in this class reflect the same injustices that Martin Luther King Jr is addressing in his letter. The main point of this letter is to address the direct action being taken by the African Americans and how they sacrificing everything for their rights when only little progress is their outcome. The white supremacy is overruling and the direct action needed to be taken is negotiating with non-violent acts to create a tension between the communities to confront the issues. A non-violent act, such as sit-ins, freedom rides, and marches will create the tension to the white community.

My role model is Dr. Martin Luther King, an activist and a Baptist minister who sought to end racial discrimination and segregation in the United State. Martin Luther king remembered as one of the greatest speaker and writer, who have strongly influenced the fate and heritage of black Americans in United States of America. Martin Luther king stated that,” I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” (1). The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is one of his most famous works; where Martin Luther King, Jr. answers to a public criticism made by a group of white clergymen at his pro-black organization’s non-violent demonstrations aimed to eliminate racial injustice among black people in Birmingham. After I read the article, I admire Martin Luther king because he fought to change their political and social view toward the black people.

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.