Preview

An Analysis Of Dr. King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
83 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
An Analysis Of Dr. King's Letter From Birmingham Jail
The letter written by Dr. King from the Birmingham Jail was addressed to his fellow clergyman, however when taken as a whole this writer beings to understand his audience is not limited to such a small ecclesiastic circle. In the letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addressed multiple groups he felt contributed to the racial divide in Birmingham, namely the white majority, the Religious groups and the Moderate whites. Each group contributed to the racist climate through direct action, inaction or quiet consent.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, he uses an authoritative voice in his analogies, allusions, and ethical appeals that make his argument more relatable and compelling. In comparison, his authorial counterpart lacks the same confidence in his stylistic devices and ethical appeals making his argument weak and less…

    • 52 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    About individual civil rights. In the ´Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King sorts to respond to the criticism of several clergy men since he believes they are “men of genuine good will”. In respond to what they said about their actions being “unwise and untimely”. King explains their delay in action due to the occurring events, back to back. They do not wish the media to copulate their actions with the events, because they are two separate things. After that explanation, King states what brought him in Birmingham. Injustice is what brought this man to the city. King states that Birmingham is the most segregated city in America. Simply because there are brutal police incidents. Bombings of Negro properties such as homes, churches than any other city. And colored people are treated unjustly in courts. Thus with these things happening in Birmingham, King went there to get justice for the oppressed, because he believes that their individual civil rights are…

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. argues the differences between just and unjust laws using the method of comparison.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail was written on April 16, 1963 while he was incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail. This letter addresses the criticism that a group of white men had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization about their non-violent actions against racial discrimination and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. He notes that he doesn’t usually respond to letters of criticism but he thought that they were “good willed people and their criticism was sincerely set forth.” King writes this letter to defend his organization's actions. King's letter talks about…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Written by Martin Luther King Jr., the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a paragon of persuasive writing that takes advantage of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to convince its readers to take MLK’s side during the American civil rights movement. The use of ethos defines MLK as a credible writer; the use of pathos appeals to his audience on a personal level; and the use of logos layers his arguments and claims with irrefutable reasoning and logic. By using all three techniques, MLK is able to hold the attention of his readers and persuade them to take his side in the battle against segregation.…

    • 1184 Words
    • 34 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a response to eight of his fellow clergymen. He wrote this letter while the government arrested him and other protesters who were demonstrating in Birmingham, and he dedicated his whole life to the civil rights of the Blacks. In this letter, he response to the clergymen that questions his methods of protest. Different from Thomas Jefferson’s pure logic argument, he still adds his passionate sense of the injustice African Americans has suffered to his cool logic argument. Also, he uses first person perspective in this letter, which makes it more personal. Anyway, these two writings own different properties, so it is obvious that they would have different writing techniques. However, Martin…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Communicating to a unfriendly or an aggressive people can be very complicated, hard, and impossible at times. It’s simply because those people are against you and don’t want the better for you or whatever reason you are fighting for. They’re blind as an eagle; They see the situation crystal clear yet, they ignore. This country we live in today is heading towards a sink hole under the presidency of Donald Trump. This news has created a unkind type of environment throughout the country with people disagreeing with us. We need to look at the example to deal with those unpleasant people. To help us learn how to deal with a hostile audience we will look at Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham City jail. Dr. King's message was thorough; Non-violent direct action to deal with such people who disagree with everything you seek for the better of all color people.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. uses rhetoric to persuade readers into supporting his cause. His letter addresses white men questioning his actions, though his message is for gaining supporters throughout America. Addressing the criticism of white men questioning and criticizing his recent behaviors, he begins explaining the motives behind his actions, their justification, and his next endeavors to rid America of its social injustices.…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr Prominent leader for the African American Civil Rights Movement was imprisoned on April 12th, 1963, for the actions he committed against the law, purposefully breaking the laws at the time through acts of non-violence to propose a future of a non-segregated United States of America. Following Dr. Kings imprisonment, a group of eight clergymen had sent an open letter out, formally known as “A Call for Unity” to criticize whether his actions were suitable for others and himself to follow and urging others to halt their demonstrations. He constructed his response through a letter which he had written on April 16th, 1963, within the Birmingham jail which, was later publicly titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Dr. King discusses…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It has been sixty years since the Civil Rights movement began. During that time, Civil Rights activists were attempting to combat injustices and discrimination throughout the South and other parts of America. Since its end in 1968, many Americans think that there has been real progress made in regards to the issue of injustices in America. A poll conducted in June of 2014 found that nearly eight in ten Americans think there has been real progress made since the 1960s in ridding the country of discrimination. While the fight against injustice and discrimination was raging, one man was on the front line leading the battle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King, though extremely passionate about his cause, was non-violent in his approach to attaining his objectives of justifying his cause, demonstrating the trials of African Americans in America, and arguing that immediate action is paramount. While in a…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When one thinks about the civil rights movement, the first name that comes to mind is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He contributed greatly to the advancement of African American people in the U.S.; however, in the case of the Birmingham Campaign, it was a collective group effort from numerous local leaders and MLK that peacefully protested for, and eventually gained, the rights that all American citizens deserve. Few mention the efforts of local leaders like Fred Shuttlesworth’s work with Project “C”, James Bevel’s orchestrating of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade, Wyatt Tee Walker’s organizing confrontations with city officials. MLK’s own brother A.D. King, who played a part in the eventual success of the movement, is often left out of these…

    • 2816 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he shows that nonviolence is the way to get the positive attention that his plight deserved. He believed that to use violence was negative on a couple of points. First, violence always gets negative attention. Second, violence was the way the Klu Klux Klan went about their business. He wanted to expose unjust laws and do it in a fashion that conveyed his beliefs without causing other problems. In Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he is trying to convince his “fellow clergymen” (566) that his fight for the civil liberties is a just one, and that the march was a nonviolent one and one that was surely needed. Dr. King stated, “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny” (566). King is saying that it’s something that can no longer be ignored, that he can no longer sit on the sideline and be an idle observer. The black man has to take it to the streets. In this letter, Dr. King showed that nonviolence, direct action, and the ability to stand by one’s convictions are the right path.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This means that if we let injustice happen, then this injustice will grow and start to affect good people. We cannot afford to ignore something bad happening in one place. If injustice occurs and no action is taken against this injustice, then people who hear about what happened might think this injustice is acceptable, and continue being unfair.…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was written in response to the violent racist terrorist attacks toward the African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as to respond to the criticism he received about his work in a respectful, yet powerful way. He was arrested and sent to jail while participating in a non-violent anti-segregation march because he had no permit. Treatment of African Americans were unfair and un-American and Dr. King had enough of the way African American’s were treated and in his letter wrote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere.” In order to spread freedom throughout Birmingham, Dr. King followed through with a plan built on facts, negotiation, and non-violent direct action mainly in the form…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he describes the countless acts of terror and discrimination that are imposed on him and his fellow black members of society at the hands of the privileged whites. He writes, “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters…” (Charters 28-9). Due to all of the atrocities they must face on a daily basis, it is not easy to patient. Anne Moody also tells her story with the same level of urgency. After hearing Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C., she writes that “we had dreamers instead of leaders…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays