Premium Essay

Letter from a Birmingham Jail Response

In: Other Topics

Submitted By livliv40
Words 1324
Pages 6
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”, this is a quote from the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Equal. This is the key word in this quote; this is the foundation of the United States of America. In the 1960’s many of the white folks, especially in the Southern states seem to have forgotten what the term “equal” meant. They treated the African Americans like animals. They saw them as meaningless organisms, not even human beings and that their only purpose in this world was to serve the white men. Thankfully, someone had enough courage to stand up for the African Americans and take the physical, verbal, and emotional abuse to fight for their freedom once more, and his name was Martin Luther King, Jr. King writes a letter titled, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"; in this he helps both his audience, the white clergymen, and the rest of the segregated United States understand how these unjust laws are restricting African Americans from their constitutional and God-given rights. He also empathizes the feelings of exhaustion, anger, and hatred that the African Americans feel towards the federal government, and more specifically, the white clergymen who are taking these rights away from them.

As King stated, "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws" (3). Also, in the same sense he gives a definition of just and unjust laws. He says, "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" (3). Agreeing with King's earlier statement, we all have that moral conscience that knows right from wrong and when to stand up for what is right, so from an individual or group standpoint it is "okay" to disobey unjust laws. However, you

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Mine

...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

Free Essay

Letter from Birmingham Jail

...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

Free Essay

A Leter from Birmingham Jail Analysis

...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

Premium Essay

Summary Of Martin Luther King Letter From Birmingham Jail

...In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a Letter from Birmingham Jail after arrested for peacefully protesting against segregation and racial discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama. The Jim Crow system created segregation laws for blacks and whites having separate bathrooms, schools, and restaurants that existed after the era of slavery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had expected the support of numerous local religious figures in hopes of uniting to end racial terror. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail King recognizes and replies to every nine detailed criticisms created by the white church and its leaders. What is evident in this letter is that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses emotional, rational, and ethical to persuade those who read his letter. To get his readers feeling emotion King...

Words: 584 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Rhetorical Strategies In Letter From Birmingham Jail

... 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

Premium Essay

Birmingham Jail

...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

Premium Essay

Rhetoric In Letter From Birmingham Jail

...While being detained in a Birmingham city jail, amid the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. penned, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, King would burgeon into a notable figure, who relentlessly pursued the eradication of ending racial inequalities that plagued the nation during the 1950s and 1960s. King single-handedly dismantled the cornerstone of injustice on which the country was built on, in not only to a response to eight of his fellow clergymen who chastised his rationale regarding protest, but to those of whom also deplored his methods. In a compiled 21 typed pages, that was initially composed on scraps of paper, King seamlessly wove together a riveting piece of literature that captured the essence of his cause for peace and brotherhood. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,”, written on April 16, 1963, King harnessed the compelling nature of rhetoric while...

Words: 1375 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Letter from a Birmingham Jail Analysis

...“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in the margins of a letter posted by the clergymen of Alabama at this time that sparked his interest and while he inhabited the jail cell for parading around without a permit. This time allowed him the ability to respond wholeheartedly to this cynical oppressing. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s and this direct response distinguishes King’s strong points through his powerful writing.  Unethical and immoral mentions came to the attention of the Minister through the letter, and he expressed his differing views and defended his ideals and actions through Aristotle’s three rhetorical devices, ethos, logos, and pathos. First and foremost, King establishes his credibility to spark off his strong defense.  Introducing himself as “The President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. … [with] eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail” 2). This credential not only puts King into a position of power but also proves that he has seen enough of the south and the problems within it to create a strong argument against his opposition.   Another point that establishes this is on page seven of “Letter From Birmingham Jail” where King states that he’s traveled through the “length and...

Words: 1012 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

How Does Martin Luther King Use Rhetoric

...On April 12,1963, Martin Luther King Jr. , in his jail cell in Birmingham, receives a letter from 8 local Protestant leaders criticizing the protesters and King himself, describing them as an outside agitator. Martin Luther King Jr., an American Protestant minister and a Civil Rights Activist, replies to the clergymen exposing and shaming them for criticizing his own non-violent protests engendering a tone of dignified passion. Within paragraphs 22 and 23, Martin Luther King develops a tone of dignified passion using various rhetorical strategies. In response to the accusations of King’s protest methods getting out of hand, he utilizes a series of allusions, anaphoras, and incorporates an antithesis to emphasize his ambitions for the Civil Rights...

Words: 696 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

...“The Letter from the Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a response made to Clergymen who found Kings incarceration to be a result of his lack of wisdom as well as untimely action taken in response to events in Birmingham (King 1). Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, he followed his fathers’ footsteps as a pastor while continuing his education at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Ultimately earning his doctorate at Boston University. While in Boston he met his would-be wife Coretta Scott, having two sons and daughters with her(Nobel). King is most well-known for his involvement in the Civil Rights movement, being the face of it for majority of his life. He advocated for people of color until his untimely death at the age of 35 in Memphis, Tennessee(Nobel). The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a response to Clergyman as well as the media for their remarks towards Kings actions in Birmingham which led to his arrest. King states in the second paragraph on page one that he was in the city due to the fact the ‘Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights’, a branch of the ‘Southern Christian Leadership Conference’ which Dr. King was president of,...

Words: 704 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Rhetorical Analysis "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

...Devin Ponder Eng291-001 13 September 2013 Rhetorical Analysis Rhetorical Analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King, Jr., is a letter in which King is writing to his “fellow clergymen” in a response to their recent criticism of the actions he was leading in Birmingham at the time. The letter was written in April of 1963, a time when segregation was essentially at a peak in the south. Birmingham, in particular, is described by King as “probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States” (King 7). King goes on to inform the clergymen of the reality of the situation where he is and how waiting isn’t an option anymore. In the letter, King uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to accomplish the task of appealing to the readers from a logical standpoint. King first establishes his credibility to answer the clergymen by naming his personal title and comparing himself to such a higher historical authority as the apostle Paul. King uses repetition of his personal experiences in Birmingham to describe the situation from an emotional standpoint. By stating his credibility and giving his personal experiences, King gives the readers no choice but to listen to what his reasoning is behind his actions taken in Birmingham. He does so by describing how he has dealt with the situation in Birmingham appropriately using the four basic steps of any nonviolent campaign, and defining what those are. By coordinating the rhetorical...

Words: 1507 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Leadership vs. Management

...kicked off the Birmingham campaign, a campaign that was designed to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. This campaign was led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a minster from Atlanta, Georgia that also served as the president of SCLC. Dr. King along with other SCLC volunteers and supporters were arrested on April12, 1963 after violating an anti-protest injection what was obtained by Birmingham’s police commissioner Bull Connor. This was Dr. King’s 13th arrest and during this time he was kept in solitary confinement where he pinned the famous “Letters from Birmingham Jail.” In this letter Dr. King addressed the criticism that had been published in the Birmingham News from a group of eight local white clergymen who codenamed his methods of using non-violent protests to eliminate racial injustice. In the open letter the eight clergymen felt that though injustice did exist in the American society that the battle against racial segregation should be addressed in the courts verses in the streets. They also felt as it the protest was unwise and untimely and seemed to take issue to the fact that the protest was organized and led by outsiders. In Dr. King’s response his aim was to defend the use of non-violent protests and also to appeal to the American society, both black and white. In the beginning of Dr. King’s letter, he responds to the criticism that he and his fellow activists were “outsiders” causing trouble in Birmingham. Dr. King...

Words: 1337 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

King Essay

...black people, marched into downtown Birmingham and protested against the unjust racial segregation. However, all the members involved in the march were arrested. In Jail, as a response to the letter written by the clergymen to stop the black’s demonstration, Martin Luther King wrote “The Letter From Birmingham Jail” back to the clergymen. King’s letter longs for the immediate need for non-violent and direct protest against the unjust and immoral segregation laws. The letter itself exemplifies all the aspects of arguments. However, to be little more specific, King’s effective and brilliant employment of ethos and pathos to persuade the audience plays the major role for his effective and remarkable argumentation in this letter. Effectively and successively utilizing ethos, King succeeds not only in disproving the clergymen referring King and his crew as “outsiders” but also in making his arguments more credible. In “Statement by Alabama Clergymen, April 12, 1963”, the clergymen refer Martin Luther King and other 53 black people to the term, “outsiders.” As a response to this, King starts off with the use of ethos in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail” to acknowledge the audience that he is not an outsider, but one of the clergymen in Birmingham Society. He greets the clergymen with the head of the letter, “My Dear Fellow Clergymen:” By using the word, “Fellow”, King implies that King himself is also a clergyman of a church in Birmingham society, not an outsider. It is definitely...

Words: 809 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Martin Luther King’s (Mlk) “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Argument Analysis

...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

Premium Essay

Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

...Rhetorical Analysis of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" “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” quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. He was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. During the civil rights protests, he was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama because for protesting without a permit. Some realized arresting Dr. King is the best idea. However, Dr. King did not let jail block his...

Words: 839 - Pages: 4