Letter from Birmingham Jail Paper
Letter From Birmingham Jail
Thesis Statement: This Letter, designed as a response to the clergymen that opposed the way in which Dr King was protesting, Dr King’s letter actually addresses two audiences simultaneously; the limited and defined group of clergymen and a broader and less exactly defined group of intelligent and religious white moderates. In this letter, Martin Luther King addresses these clergymen on their own terms. He uses the very cultural, biblical, and classical foundations of Anglo society to point out the inherent hypocrisy in what they claim to hold dear and once he accomplishes this, the argument for the protest broadens and his tone shifts and begins to include the larger aspect of prejudice across the land, and the laws which are twisted to suit the white moderates needs, but is unable to be twisted back for the colored man. Dr King's letter brings out the black history of violence, harsh treatment and prejudice that started long ago. Also mentioning that Birmingham is one of the worst cities to be so ugly and brutal to the colored people all through its history. He speaks also of the long hard battles that are fought and no changes come about, the word "wait" is used as though, if they just wait a little longer things will get better, but it never did, "When you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of 'nobodiness' then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait" (King Jr)par 12) This particular city blatantly disobeys the federal order for desegregation, and yet the government does nothing, and in turning their head and allowing it brings about continued failure to obey the federal laws and the violence escalates and increasingly gets worse, knowing there is no punishment for the acts. The eye opening facts come when he speaks of teaching their children how it is in life , the separation between the white man and the coloreds and that certain things are only for the privileged whites. I can only imagine what that was
Thesis Statement: This Letter, designed as a response to the clergymen that opposed the way in which Dr King was protesting, Dr King’s letter actually addresses two audiences simultaneously; the limited and defined group of clergymen and a broader and less exactly defined group of intelligent and religious white moderates. In this letter, Martin Luther King addresses these clergymen on their own terms. He uses the very cultural, biblical, and classical foundations of Anglo society to point out the inherent hypocrisy in what they claim to hold dear and once he accomplishes this, the argument for the protest broadens and his tone shifts and begins to include the larger aspect of prejudice across the land, and the laws which are twisted to suit the white moderates needs, but is unable to be twisted back for the colored man. Dr King's letter brings out the black history of violence, harsh treatment and prejudice that started long ago. Also mentioning that Birmingham is one of the worst cities to be so ugly and brutal to the colored people all through its history. He speaks also of the long hard battles that are fought and no changes come about, the word "wait" is used as though, if they just wait a little longer things will get better, but it never did, "When you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of 'nobodiness' then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait" (King Jr)par 12) This particular city blatantly disobeys the federal order for desegregation, and yet the government does nothing, and in turning their head and allowing it brings about continued failure to obey the federal laws and the violence escalates and increasingly gets worse, knowing there is no punishment for the acts. The eye opening facts come when he speaks of teaching their children how it is in life , the separation between the white man and the coloreds and that certain things are only for the privileged whites. I can only imagine what that was
Cited: King Jr, Martin Luther. "Letter From Birmingham Jail." Letter From BIrmingham Jail. 16 April 1963.