...The core of MLK's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is explaining his actions in Birmingham and the need for nonviolent protests. He takes the need for nonviolent protests one step further by stating it is their moral task to break unjust laws. MLK explains the process they have gone through leading up to the sit-ins and boycotts such as meeting with leaders of the economic community in which merchants promised to remove the racial signs from their stores (3). These promises never came through after months of waiting and the need for directs action arose. He addresses the "untimeliness" of their actions in Birmingham and the need to wait for changes to be made. MKL responds with "For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear...
Words: 312 - Pages: 2
...Jr. was a sensational speaker. He has a way with words. A way that can sway you and your view of things. In “ Letter From Birmingham Jail”, it is clear this effect is not sacrificed in his writing. King may not have known the specific literary actions he has taken, however, he did an excellent job of y]using rhetorical devices to get his point across. In “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by MLK, King uses rhetorical devices such as, rhetorical appeals, metaphors, and allusions to strengthen his argument in the letter. This letter was written to address the biggest issues of the south. King, through his use of rhetorical devices, to further support his argument. King’s most effective way of getting his point across was his appeal to emotion, credibility, and logic. This is also known as Ethos, Pathos and...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Kyle McCrite Ms. Vaughn English 102-01 14 September 2009 Someone Else’s Shoes Martin Luther King’s (MLK) “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was written in 1963 as a response to the Eight Alabama Clergymen’s public statement against King’s actions in April of that year. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for desegregation of the south in the early 1960s and overcame much adversity to attain incredible gains on the segregation issue in the United States. King uses effective persuasive appeals of logical evidence, emotional appeal, and author credibility to win over his audience in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” MLK’s writing shows the effects of segregation in Birmingham with clear direct language and heart wrenching examples. Imagine being put in his position. If your family and friends were being treated cruelly and unjustly would you not help them in any way possible, especially if included in the mistreated group? After reading MLK’s letter, maybe you would see things in a different way with his convincing examples of logical and emotional appeal. Martin Luther King proves his credibility by several factors. The first way King proves he is a credible author is the fact that he is in the Birmingham jail. He is arrested while protesting in the city. The reader can believe that MLK is writing about something that he is well versed in because he shows that he has experienced it firsthand. Another way that Martin Luther King shows he’s plausible is by stating “I have...
Words: 1426 - Pages: 6
...Then there were organizations that were against segregation like the Black Panthers who tried to use the approach of violence to get their point across. During this time there were many protests, which usually were nonviolent, but some lasted 382 days. One famous peaceful protest in Birmingham, Alabama when thousands of people were jailed along with Martin Luther King Jr., is where MLK Jr. wrote his piece Letter from Birmingham City Jail that he wrote to call for the end of segregation. It was a tough time in history for the African Americans of...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...Letter from Birmingham Jail - by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With some discussion, please answer the following questions independently. Write in complete sentences, 1-2 paragraphs per answer. Answer completely and thoroughly. Put serious thought into your answers. 5 points per question. *Write a one paragraph summary of the letter. Include the following: -Reason why MKL was in jail. o -Reason for writing the letter. o -Intended audience of the letter. o -Main points o -Significance of letter for Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King was imprisoned because he participated in a nonviolent demonstration against segregation. He purposely chose to be a part of this demonstration to bring attention and publicity to the city of Birmingham, the heart of discrimination. He wrote the letter to respond to the criticisms of eight white religious leaders in the south. He seldom responds to criticism, but he felt a strong motive to explain to these leaders his cause for doing what he is doing. He gives descriptions of his ideal just and unjust laws and gives several examples of why they are unjust. He also calls out the white moderate, saying that their lack of doing nothing is just as worse as the white radicals. Also he talks about how freedom is never willingly given up by the oppressor, and that something must be done to bring justice to these problems. This letter gave many whites a chance to see the demonstrations from his...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
... March 17th, 2014 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Question 6 on page 177 Have you ever thought about integrity? We all have at some point in our lives. The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest or fair and the state of being complete or whole.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stephen L. Carter spoke about this and defined it in their own ways. Stephen L. Carter wrote in “The Rules about the Rules” that “integrity requires 3 steps: (1) discerning what is right and what is wrong; (2) acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost; and (3) saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong.” During a major protest of unfair business practices in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was arrested and put into jail for his actions. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he gave evidence of Stephen L. Carter’s definition of integrity. “Discerning what is right and what is wrong.” In 1954, the Supreme Court came to the decision to outlaw segregation in public schools. Even though this was Federal Law, the community still chose to obey the city ordinances of segregation. Dr. King stated that for the African-American people there was “grossly unjust treatment in the courts, and there were more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any other city in the nation.” Despite strong efforts made from the leaders in the African-American community, the city...
Words: 522 - Pages: 3
...In April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama. During his time in jail, he wrote what became to be known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” King wrote this letter to explain his actions to the other clergymen who disagreed with his protests and actions. This was very effective in getting more blacks, and even some whites, to join King’s group of peaceful protesters. It was effective because he appealed to the emotions of the reader, and he used vivid analogies to make the content of the letter easier to understand. The writing of this letter was a vital point in the Civil Rights Movement. After the letter was written, many people joined the Movement. Without this letter, the Civil Rights Movement may not have been the success it was. At the time this letter was written, the Civil Rights Movement was beginning to gain momentum. King had become the face of the fight against discrimination. People in the movement knew that they needed to start having bigger protests to gain statewide and national attention. So in April of 1963, King started doing lunch counter sit-ins, and later they marched on Birmingham City Hall. After the march on City Hall, King and many of the other protesters were arrested and put in jail. This is where King would write his letter. He wrote the letter in response to other articles in the paper saying that the protests were unwise and untimely. There was a statement in a newspaper which was written...
Words: 1244 - Pages: 5
...ENC 11102 August 15, 2009 Genre is a term which defines the different categories which things are categorized into. For example, when defining different forms of music; music is put into categories in which we use the term genre. Different music is put into these genres depending on the different rhythms used in it. It allows Rhythm and Blues to be differentiated from and Rock and Roll, and Rock and Roll to be differentiated from Gospel. In writing, a writer’s choice of style is the determining factor in how we choose his/her genre. When the genre of the writing is determined, then the particular audience can be determined to who its interest of reading might be. The audience in writing is defined by the person or group of people that is reading or listening to a certain choice of writing. Depending on what kind of writing genre is presented, determines the audience of the writer and how the writer choose to reach his or her audience. In order for a writer to reach a particular audience, the writer has to be able to compose his writing. The writer can do so in such a way that a rhetorical situation is formulated in a particular genre which reflects the type of audience that it interests. A rhetorical situation is situations in which a story and a scenario is presented and explains a situation that could possible occur in real life, therefore giving a situation in which the reader can assume the outcome; a certain form of communication...
Words: 1571 - Pages: 7
...Engl. 1213-009 29 November 2010 Letter from Birmingham Jail In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King expresses his grief for his fellow black people, after seeing and hearing about the injustice that was taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King is very explicit in the letter; he makes a very obvious argument on the immeasurable amount of injustice taking place. A reader experiences firsthand that it was about time for necessary action to take place, considering how long the black people had waited for equality through nonviolent protest. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a response to eight clergymen’s letter called “A Call for Unity”. In the letter, Dr. King addresses his critics that believed his actions were “unwise and untimely” (King 204). To achieve his personal proposal, King uses ethos, pathos and logos to convey a sense of understanding a reason for equality and sympathy. The main point in Dr. King’s letter is that black people have patiently waited long enough for their God-given rights; “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights” (King 207). And despite what anyone might have said, it time for change to take place. He starts his counterargument towards the clergymen, ministers and civil leaders of Birmingham adequately; he wrote “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, but your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought...
Words: 941 - Pages: 4
...Letters from Birmingham PeeJay Nowling Argosy University Online Letters from Birmingham 1. King was in Birmingham to address the issue of injustice by organizing a protest. Define the injustice and the protest and explain how Judeo-Christian ethics were applied to allow for civil disobedience. How was the injustice in Birmingham tied to all communities in the south? Dr. King had the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization in every southern state. Their headquarters were in Atlanta, Georgia. They had 85 affiliated organizations and one of them was the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. They shared staff, educational and financial resources with their affiliates. Several months back Dr. King and members of his staff were invited because they had organizational ties there and they were asked to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if it were necessary. Dr. King was in Atlanta and could not stand idly by while there was injustice in Birmingham. He said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” (King, 2006). “He wanted to carry the gospel of freedom” (King, 2006). King claimed without direct action there would be no change. 2. King lists four steps to nonviolent campaigns. Name them. “There are four basic steps to any non-violent campaign...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...Letter from the Birmingham City Jail When Martin Luther King went to jail after he led a protest in Birmingham City against the moderate, his fellow clergy men wrote him a letter, showing their disapproval for his actions. Luther then replied, explaining why he did it and let them know it was to be this way if they wanted a change. They asked him if he could’ve negotiated instead of direct actions. Non-violent directions from people who wouldn’t think of negotiating to confront issues at hand that can no longer be ignored. He also said that non-violent tension is necessary for growth. He uses Socrates’ example when he thought that it was needed to create tension amongst others in order to rise above bondage and myths. His fellow clergy men also accused him of carrying out his actions in an “untimely” manner. He told them that actions unwanted are always untimely. Without non-violent pressure they have not gain anything in the civil rights. He explains that people in authority don’t volunteer freedom and that justice that is delayed is justice not granted. There is a time when everyone gets enough of injustice. Just Law: 1. A man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. 2. Uplifts human responsibility. 3. A code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not blinding on itself. Unjust Law: 1. Not rooted in internal and natural law. 2. Degrades human personality. 3. All segregations statuses (distorts the soul and damages...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis- w/ focus on Ethos “...we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders…” In this quote, from the third paragraph of the letter written by eight Alabama clergymen, the term outsiders is used. Early on, this creates a label for Martin Luther King, outsider. Throughout his Letter From Birmingham Jail, King is able appeal to ethos in order to refute his title of “outsider” and generate a connection with his audiences, the clergymen and the people of America. King is able to do such a thing by alluding to multiple passages from the Bible as well as the figures it contains, which is done so that he may identify with the clergymen. When not speaking in reference to the Bible, King makes allusions and references to specific points and people in American history, which allows him to connect to his larger audience, the people of America. By demonstrating his practical wisdom, through the use of allusion, King attempts to strengthen his character with a visible appeal to ethos. King alludes to the Bible multiple times throughout his Letter From Birmingham Jail. These allusions are notable in paragraph three, where king refers to the biblical figures “Jesus Christ” and “the Apostle Paul.” The context in which these two are used is to reiterate the story of Paul leaving Tarsus, which King also mentions, to spread the word of Christ. In paragraph...
Words: 1579 - Pages: 7
...Summary of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” In the featured article, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, an imprisoned Dr. Martin Luther King, on the date of April 16, 1963, composes a response to his fellow clergymen addressing their criticism of his activities and beliefs. He begins the note with an explanation for his presence in Birmingham. An associate had invited him with the request of initiating an immediate action, nonviolent plan, to fight the segregation, racial issues, and injustice found in Birmingham. The author suggests there are 4 steps to building a nonviolent campaign: verifying the existence of injustice by compiling evidence, negotiating with the power, self-purification to prepare for the event, and immediate measures to deal...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
...Nick Genaris Professor Ngoh Protest Literature 21th October 2015 Letter from Birmingham Jail-Rhetorical Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time (racism) and to also address the critics he received from the clergymen. The letter discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham and although it is primarily aimed at the clergymen King writes the letter for all to read. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos, alliteration/repetition, and ethos to back up his belief that nonviolent protesting and disobedience is the most effective means to protest anything that needs to be changed, in this case segregation. After reading King’s letter I, and almost anyone, would come to the conclusion that King is deeply motivated to help against any injustice in the US. Who else would go to such lengths if they didn’t? He knows how persuasive he can be by using his knowledge of the English language, and he uses this to speak out against people who doubt him (clergymen) and to incite a different way of thinking into the people in hopes of change. Dr. King’s letter is extremely effective because it provides an enormous amount of evidence to the reader that he and his company are being treated unjustly and also that King truly cares about making a change for the good of the city. It also re-directs attention...
Words: 1884 - Pages: 8
... was arrested and put in a Birmingham jail for demonstrating/protesting without a permit. During this time, he wrote a letter to eight dissatisfied white clergymen on behalf of a public statement of concern. In this lengthy, strong-handed letter, Dr. King did not argue; he did not get angry, but rather, he provided views of brotherhood and peace within his rebuttal. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses a variety of rhetorical strategies in order to persuade and inform his audience of the benefits of equality. Dr. King was thrown in jail due to illegal protesting. During his time of being locked up, “[he] came across a recent statement calling their present activities ‘unwise and untimely”. (King 1) During the time that King was locked up, he had plenty of time to think and release his anger, but it wasn’t until later when he began to write a rebuttal of the recent criticisms made by the eight white clergymen. In the letter, King does not release any anger, nor does he argue with the clergymen’s response. In fact, he writes in a calm manner that sends a message of peace, as well as comfort. On the other hand though, he doesn’t simply ignore the fact of the utter ignorance of what was said. A main strategy that King uses is one that...
Words: 1254 - Pages: 6
