Martin Luther King Birmingham Jail Essay

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.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. one of many great influential speakers wrote a life changing letter after being arrested for peacefully protesting African American rights. While sitting in jail Dr. King received a letter from clergymen questioning his motives and timings for being in Birmingham. In a response Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes a “Letter from Birmingham Jail” vividly expressing physical and emotional purposes for his presence in Birmingham, AL.

In Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham jail”, King talks about his imprisonment for his involvement in a nonviolent protest and defends his rights and moral grounds for organizing nonviolent protest activities. In this essay, I will look at his views on nonviolent protest and how they differ from todays violent protests.

In his essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. disproves the assumptions of people that believe racism is acceptable when he compares the maltreatment of blacks to the inhumane treatment of the Jews by Hitler. King establishes a relationship with his audience by connecting on a level that is larger than the exploitation of African American's rights. He forces his readers to think about the execution of millions of Jews that was ordered by Hitler. He makes it logically apparent in his letter that just because segregation is a law, it does not mean that it is just. These strong words by King help establish a common ground between

Egalitarian societies originate from resistance to injustice. As Europe entered modernity, much of Western civilization was ruled by absolute monarchies. Consequently, pivotal events like the Enlightenment founded modern democracy, epitomized by the creation of the United States. While the Declaration emphasizes natural rights and freedoms, the Constitution implements checks and balances, emphasizing balances of power and representative governments. Most importantly, the malleability of the Constitution allows for a continually evolving understandings of freedom and rights. These fundamentally interconnected concepts led Thoreau to coin 'civil disobedience' during a perceivably unjust war for western expansion. Civil disobedience positively impacts societies because it

Some privileged people disregard the violence against the oppressed people to develop a sense of safety. They hide behind their entitlement and exemption; ignoring the rest of the people that are suffering around them. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famous letter, “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” in response to the criticism that was expressed by eight prominent white clergyman. He wrote the letter to battle injustice and oppression against African Americans during the events of the Civil Rights movement. His letter was written decades apart from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Letter to my Son,” however, both letter still reflects the ongoing events of today’s society. Coates’ letter, written on 2015, portrays a black American father writing to his son and fears that however hard he protects him from the street, encourages him to work in school, and do the right thing, the color of his skin, will always make him vulnerable. King and Coates’ letter both appeal to the broader public to inform them of the institutional racism in America. King focuses on the immorality of the church in order to justify the cause of the power structure that racism reinforce. Both authors expose the injustices of the legal system to support their indictment of the systemic racism in America.

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.

     Martin Luther King Jr. writes the Clergymen that have written him a letter disputing his actions in Birmingham. King is disturbed and offended by the Clergymen disagreeing with his purpose in Birmingham. King say he normally does not respond to criticism because it would waste to much precious time, but since these were men of good will he wanted to give his answers to their statements. In King's letter he appeals to many emotions as pathos, ethos, and logos to appeal to his audience.

In King’s essay, “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King brilliantly employs the use of several rhetorical strategies that are pivotal in successfully influencing critics of his philosophical views on civil disobedience. King’s eloquent appeal to the logical, emotional, and most notably, moral and spiritual side of his audience, serves to make “Letter From Birmingham Jail” one of the most moving and persuasive literary pieces of the 20th century.

Throughout the 1950's and 1960's in the United States, there was a lot of tension and strain on the black community who were trying to fight for their civil rights as citizens. Martin Luther King Jr. proved to be a major protagonist in the fight for civil rights along joined by African Americans and sometimes, white people. When the community began to commence a peaceful protest movement, it was deemed extreme. To get his point across, Martin Luther King Jr used a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos in a letter, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" from his time spent in a jail cell. King would use people's emotional conflicts for his cause, awaken people's faith, and providing a sense of reason and logic to motivate a plea for help as his fought for a change regardless if he was known as an extremist or not.

One of the most skillfully written compositions was done in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was heading a national political movement for the recognizable equal treatment of colored people wrote a letter to his fellow clergy men while being imprisoned. In one article, he was able to address not only the clergy, but a wide, diverse audience, send his message across thoroughly, and affect millions of lives because of his purpose and the different personas he assumed. Dr. King's letter was a success because of his ability to incorporate and involve everyone in his writing.

When talking about two major civil rights leaders like James Baldwin and Martin Luther King and what they talked about in both of there readings Letter From A Region Of my Mind, and also in King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail you have to really pay close attention to the context to see what they are talking about. Martin Luther King Jr and James Baldwin grew up in a world that is different and that has changed a lot from our time today, where race and color matters a lot more than it does now so both of them had moments in there life where they were not treated fairly because of their skin color so I believe this is what played a big part in them writing about black identity because they wanted to know why there weren't treated fairly because

In April of 1963, locked in a Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation”. In Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail he accurately displays his distinctive ability to influence public opinion by appropriating ideas from the Bible, the Constitution, and other canonical texts (Autobiography); by establishing his credibility, appealing to the audience’s logic, and invoking the emotional aspects of the African-American plight in this era.

In 1963 on April 12th Martin Luther King Jr. along with 50 other protestors were arrested and then he composed the Letter from Birmingham jail. He was arrested for not having a parading permit while protesting against the way that African Americans were being treated. Birmingham was a hard place for a person of color to live because of everything being segregated and the amount of violent threats African Americans would face. Segregation and inequality of races was aloud at this time because Jim Crow laws were in place. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965. (Wikipedia) King was an extremely strong

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. writes specifically to southern clergy men but also expands to anyone who opposes the civil rights movement. He informs his audience about the purpose of the civil rights movement and its importance to black and white people in terms of living as equals in a more peaceful society. King urges the public to understand the purpose of peaceful protests and the civil rights movement. He also wants people to understand the hardships in which his people face. If these arguments were taken upon, theoretically those who King is referring to would have to forget their previous prejudices which have been engrained in their minds. They must also evaluate the biases they did not realize they had in their daily lives. In a practical sense they must have enough conviction to challenge the social norms of prejudice and racism. They must be able to look at a certain credence and challenge others by proving it wrong like the stereotypes which white people create of black people.