Summary Of The Letter Martin Luther King

Dr. King wrote the letter as a response to the criticism of his church peers. The letter was his way of addressing the injustices happening around him. More than anything else, he wanted equality. Not for himself but for his children and all the other children growing up in this dark era. It is one of the greatest pieces of writing I have ever read that uses emotion, ethical appeal and logical appeal in the perfect combination. The essay has a way of capturing the readers’ attention, and wanting them to fight alongside him for his cause.

Martin Luther King Jr. gave arguably one of his most influential speeches on 3 April, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. This would be the last speech he would give to the American people before he was killed shortly after. The speech addresses the unfair treatment of African Americans and how they should respond to it. He talks about how he wants people to peacefully join together in full force in order to fight for equal rights. King talks about all of the successes the Civil Rights Movement has had so far and what his hopes are for future success. He explains all of the events he is thankful he had the opportunity to experience. It acts almost as a goodbye to all of his supporters and a reassurance that everything will be okay no matter what happens in the future. Throughout the speech he appears very confident that the Civil Rights Movement will have the success that he has intended. The speech was, in many ways, unique due to the fact that it seemed as though Martin Luther King Jr. knew that it would be on of his last speeches he would have the ability of making. It Throughout the speech, King uses ethos, pathos, and logos in order to effectively get his point out to his listeners.

He starts the letter with a very calm and reflective tone. He states “ Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticism are sincerely set forth, I want to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” By addressing them in a calm manner he is easing them into his argument with respect making them more likely to engage. His tone shifts from calm to passionate and reflective. He states that “we know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” His tone is meant to demonstrate the struggle African Americans face. Through his passionate stand he is urging the audience to understand the main reason behind his efforts, hopefully moving them to action. He is also standing up for them as a leader working insufferably for change. Doctor King’s tone is incredibly passionate and outraged when he states “I wish you had commended the negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation”.

Throughout the letter, Martin Luther King gradually develops his argument by retelling his own story, the reasons lie behind his action in Birmingham, thus increases credibility among the readers by his eloquent words. He appealed to both the clergymen's empathy and logic by recounting the hardship he and his organization has been through for the cause of desegregation. He justified his reasoning for taking direct actions as

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a peaceful protest march in Birmingham, Alabama. While he was incarcerated he wrote an open letter, using the salutation "My Dear Fellow Clergymen," explaining his beliefs and his mission. It is a powerful and moving essay that clarifies Dr. King's position. Even more, it was a call to action for all good people to join the cause of the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Jr. 's 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail", a rhetorical masterpiece, was written in response to eight clergymen’s statements condemning his nonviolent direct actions. He defends the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights nonviolent, direct action against individuals, institutions, and laws that look the other way while unjust racial prejudice against African Americans runs rampant in Birmingham. Using three main appeals, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Dr. King communicates the struggle that was the essence of human rights, equality. Appealing to the logic, ethics, and emotions of the reader strengthens his rebuttal of the opposition, helps him gain support, and clearly justify the recent direct action he led. King uses logos to illustrate his argument and invalidate the opposition to his claim, leading the reader to side with his position. Exampling this, he demonstrates that direct action is not opposed to negotiation, contrary to what his fellow clergyman believe, and states “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King par 9).

Martin Luther King’s adherence towards peace and especially social justice is clearly shown in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In this letter King writes with passion and conviction. Through this suggestive yet powerful letter Martin Luther King uses various rhetorical devices to get his point across by saying “justice too long delayed, is justice denied.” Through the clergymen’s arguments and use of ethos, pathos, and logos, he demonstrates to them that they need to take action immediately.

Credibility and ethics are one of the first things noted in King’s letter, and the presentation of it helps the reader to carry on reading the letter with open-mindedness and trust that King will continue to sincerely explain the reasons for the letter and the protest. Also, he establishes his credibility in the second paragraph by responding to the clergymen’s view that he was an outsider coming in. Similarly, King institutes his credibility by revealing that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which was an organization working in every southern state. Martin Luther King Jr. also appeals to ethos by even stating the clergymen’s views throughout his letter, which, of course embodies the alternative to his views. People have respect and trust for King which is proof of his reliability, as one man writes, “I believe Luther's actions truly reflect his belief that all people should be equal. His actions also show his commitment to the movement and the fact that this man was a leader” (Akerman 1).

Throughout history, there have been many significant documents and speeches that enlighten and inform us on what is and was happening during those times. Abraham Lincoln’s speech, The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned everybody that people who disrespected American laws could destroy the United States. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, and argued that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Based on these facts, Martin Luther King Jr does not agree with Lincoln’s counsel.

The argument of the letter is that direct action must be taken in specific ways for changes to be brought about. King says that nonviolent action can only be achieved by following four specific steps. The first step he says is to determine if there really are injustices being made towards a certain group. He shows these injustices with examples of violent acts against Negroes including police attacks, bombing of homes and churches, and lynching by mobs. He says that Negroes have been victims of discrimination in their inability to receive the benefits that their white counterparts receive. More have also been in poverty due to prejudices against them. He sees a flourishing, affluent society in which blacks are not allowed to play a role in. King knows that the Negroes are not free and in order for freedom to be gained it must "be demanded" because it "is simply not given". The second step in the process of starting a nonviolent movement is the attempt to negotiate with your oppressors. King spoke with white merchants in Birmingham and asked that racial signs be removed from store windows. These merchants promised

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he attempts to explain himself to the clergymen that have been criticizing his actions , and explain why he is protesting in the city of Birmingham. In the beginning of this essay, he states his points as to why he belongs in Birmingham at this time, and that he is not an "outsiders coming in”. Further along in this essay he shows the importance of these non violent protest, and that “all communities and states are interrelated, and he feels compelled to work for justice anywhere that injustice is being practiced.” In this Argumentative letter, Dr. King uses many rhetorical appeals to give his argument great strength, and he show cases immense emotions to appeal to the readers to help them relate to the injustice that him and the African American community are facing.

My emotions as I read Dr. King, Jr’s letter are anger and sadness. It makes me angry the way the Negro communities were treated; all they wanted was to have the same rights as white people. It makes me sad because we are in the 21st century and so much racism and injustices still exist. This letter reminds me of the way certain people feel about illegal immigrants. I am not condoning the way they come in the U.S, but I do know that they come here for a better future. Many presidents have made promises after promises that they will change the immigration law, but those promises are always broken. My latest experience that reminds me of Kings letter is when Mexican people were called rapist. It offended me because I come from a hard working Mexican

The reason for us having some rights in the U.S isn't because we were born with them but because we fought for them. We fought for them by creating a Civil Rights Movement. Because of the Civil Rights Movement and because of the person who created it, we have rights that give us our freedom, and property. The person who started the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King Jr. During the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther was imprisoned on April 16, 1963. Being imprisoned didn't stop him from trying to convince the White Moderates for equality. But instead, he wrote a letter that responds to the criticism demonstrated by the Clergymen. This letter wasn’t only supported by the events that were occurring in his time but also from events

In Martin Luther Kings (MLK) letter he refers to the Jim Crow laws (JCL) that relate to segregation of schools and and segregated public/private services. MLK talks about verious topics within this letter, all relating to discrimination, many in which changes are seen through out the 1963-1965 time period. In 1964, one year after MLK’s letter had been sent, congress passed a civil rights act saying discrimination based on race was illegal. MLK also talks about his daughter and how she was forced to grow up in a world where one is considered less due to their race. “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?” (Lettet from Birmingham jail, MLK SB 207). In his letter he makes it known he, and every other African American are ready

Mr. Barry Scott set the stage and gave an outstanding performance to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This performance takes us back in time throughout the civil rights movement and the adversities that were faced during his life. He recreates the speeches Mr. King gave through a timeline of events and pictures. He starts the performance by taking us back to the beginning time by portraying the almighty and asking “Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?” He motivates the audience by persuading them to not giving up when there is trouble and darkness in the world. He walks us through the life of Mr. King and what others faced during that time. He portrays how African Americans were treated and how they overcame such