Martin Luther King Identity Analysis

¨Wait...Just wait¨; For years the only thing negros heard when segregation laws were brought up is to just wait. Martin Luther King Jr. was one who was constantly told to wait, that things were changing, that people were doing everything they could to make changes, and that they didn’t need him meddling in their business. In response to all of these claims King wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” In this letter King addresses many of the issues related to the pace at which segregation laws are changing and how he can no longer just sit by idly and watch. In the text King uses a number of different rhetorical strategies to get his points and ideas across. King uses pathos to appeal to his audiences emotion to get them to see things from the negro point of view, ethos that really build his credibility and get his audience to really listen to him, and logos to appeal to people's logic and compare what is happening with the progression of segregation laws in other countries compared to the United States. Although King is in the minority and has far less people on his side he deploys the use of all of these strategies so beautifully and with so much character that it is almost impossible to not side with him.

The central claim of Dr. Kings argument is that, he felt as if Blacks were still classified as slaves. The emancipation proclamation was passed one hundred years prior, promised freedom and equal opportunity to all Americans that meant Blacks as well. That was supposed to be the end of slavery, yet Blacks were still forced to live under poor living conditions. Although they weren't actual slaves anymore, still Blacks were subjected to unethical treatment. Some of which were, being limited to resources such as education, good jobs, and good housing. They were segregated for those very reasons so that they could not persevere, in a country with next to no rights as an American citizen; due to the color of their skin and background. Dr. King

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.

One of the ways that Dr. King brought change was through his message of hope and optimism for the future, and his long, eloquent sentences that proved that he was a man of intelligence that should’ve been listened to. In Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech he makes clear his belief that racial equality can only be achieved by integration. This can be best describes when he states “I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right here in Alabama little black [African-Americans] boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white [Caucasian] boys and little white girls as sisters and brothers.” (King 5) Dr. King discusses how he believes that if the Caucasian

Martin Luther King uses historical examples to prove his point, using logos which most intellectuals can understand, and then uses examples for any African American can understand. In paragraph 16, King talks about St. Thomas Aquinas and his definition of an unjust law. "Any law that degrades human personality is unjust."(King, Pg.3) In Paragraph 21, "In the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake."(King, Pg.4) He discusses Nebuchadnezzar and how people in that time refused to obey his laws because they were unjust, just as he did in Birmingham. Socrates, the Boston tea party, early Christians who gave their lives for their religion. These historical events gave King an edge in his persuasiveness. Now he isn't just someone who has broken laws, now he is now just like all other famous ancient historical figures. However he also addresses his "Negro brothers" in paragraph 14, when he describes what its like to have to tell your children that they cant go somewhere or do something because they are black, or what it is like to watch as your family is beaten or lynched in front of your eyes. He is directing this at the

This was great rhetoric. King plays on Americans’ patriotism when he says, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.” He makes it seem that those who are segregationists are backward people. Another great argument he makes is by showing the brutality African Americans must undergo. He says, “But when you have seen vicious mob s lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters…then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.” (King 47-48) King’s great arguments make it nearly impossible to ask African Americans to wait.

That leads into King talking about how the time is now. The time to make a difference. The time to give every person the basic civil rights that they should deserve. He states, “Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood” (King 260). He then brings it all back to Birmingham, Alabama. King tells his audience that he sees “two opposing forces in the Negro community” (261). He describes those two opposing forces as being one that is made up of those who are “so drained of self-respect” that they have gotten used to the segregation (King 261). The other force is one that is made up of “bitterness and hatred” that is found in “Black Nationalist groups” (King 261). King doesn’t want there to be two opposing forces. He wants to enforce the idea that there is a more peaceful and nonviolent way to resolve their issues

Dr. King's effort to make non-violent campaign and to end racial segregation led Negroes to protest together for equal rights. Appeal of emotions in letter the King use have shown anger and sadness from broken promise and injustice law. The King clearly stated that disease of segregation will never end after all suffer, “For years now I have heard the word “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.”(King 275).

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Believed in achieving equality through peaceful demonstrations: “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” (King, pg.3 ¶.1). He felt that equality had to be gained through honorable, civil ways otherwise those fighting for equality were no better than the slave owners. We can see this best when he says, “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence” (King, pg.3 ¶.2). MLK felt that it was in the best interests of all parties for black to integrate into society. A couple of his quotes that show this best are, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (King, pg.4 ¶.6). and “I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (King, pg.5 ¶.2).

King belabors the point made on the struggles of colored people; he lists specific examples that highlight the overarching point of this paragraph. He establishes a candid, impassioned tone that allows the reader,

Martin Luther King Jr. believed in transcendence, believing we all should be treated fairly and that right and wrong does exist. King’s critics violate non-contradiction, appropriate authority, and equivocation. The oppress gets freedom when they demand it. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King uses evidence to prove his statements. King believed in just and unjust laws. To King a just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. Unjust laws can be broken if it’s something you believe in and needs to be stood up for, even if that are consequences that go along with your decision. King wanted better for African American and did not want them to suffer from unfair justice any longer. Dr. King was a motivational speaker who supported non-violence actions and believe that no man should fight with their hands but with their words. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King is not only appealing to Christian Authorities but to other beliefs and religions also. King blames the regular white society instead of the powerful white supremacists because they were the ones that are not doing anything to help the blacks overcome the triumph. The legislator states that it is democratically correct that only the white can vote. The white individuals equivocate the word democratically saying that only whites can vote, when in reality anyone can vote. Just because a person makes a claim about the blacks, does not mean they have all of the credentials to make that direct claim. King refers to the bible and utilizes it in his letter by saying that by doing right and believing in God does not mean that the result will always be in your favor the first time around. King says that even though doing right is not always easy, we should not give up and continue to strive for the success that you

King did not want African Americans to express a feeling of hatred toward all white people. He made an excellent point when mentioning, "…not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny…" By presenting this point in his speech Martin Luther King made known to everyone that he is a man of great character and honor.

The primary purpose of Dr. King’s eloquent and dramatically delivered speech is that of persuasion. King’s claim is the Negro people are still not free one hundred years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. This warrant is supported by King’s effective emotional appeal to his African American audience. He supports this with the following: "but one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.” This is emotional because after one hundred years of oppression, the African American community has still not achieved their cultural and economic potential according to King. He is endeavoring to persuade his audience, fellow minorities and

King’s speech is a long educational essay on how and why everyone should be equal and become family and close friend with one another like we are today. King said “ I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” What Dr. King meant was in the future he want his children - all children to be able to have the chance to be judge on how they act and not their skin color . In the Nobody Turns me around: A People’s Story History Of The March On Washington , Dr. King states ,”We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation . He meant that we as people can not just be satisfied with nothing there is more out there waiting and we are not just watch it go down the drain .

Throughout the whole speech there is a message of togetherness and brotherhood. King was not talking about black togetherness. He was talking about everyone in the world coming together to improve themselves and their surrounding environment. A few people finally began to realize that togetherness was needed to accomplish their goals. Some black people along with some white people began to join hands, voices, and souls to fight for the rights that every human being deserved.