The letter was a response to one he got from the white priests, who were encouraging him to go to the court with the issue of racial segregation. King had been imprisoned following a peaceful parade held in Birmingham, to raise a voice against racism. However, he was in violation of the court order that forbade any kind of demonstrations in Birmingham. It was penned in April, 1963 and was meant to fight for the freedom of all humans to protest peacefully against any injustice (Vox, L. 2012). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a philosopher and a priest by profession but he is known for his work as the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a black revolution leader who fought for the equal rights of blacks in USA.
A priest by profession.
A philosopher and hero of the blacks.
Headed the Southern Christian Leadership and held peaceful protests.
He was arrested for a similar protest in Birmingham.
White priests sent him a letter in jail, asking him to end the demonstration and approach the court with his problem.
He wrote this in reply to their letter on 1st April 1963.
He followed Jesus' doctrine of peace and believed that with peaceful protests the cruel and unjust can be made to realize their mistake.
The letter from the white priests of Alabama was published in the newspaper Post Herald.
In the letter the clergymen said
Luther was an outsider he should stop demonstrating and negotiate with the government.
his protests were ill timed or untimely the protestors broke the law and no one should be allowed to do that.
It was illegal to hold public demonstrations in Birmingham and King was arrested on the charge of breaking that law.
In response King proved that he was definitely not an outsider, he was an American.
He also clarified that he had already tried to negotiate and appeal in the courts but nothing came from it.
The protests in Birmingham were considered a focal point of his fight against racial discrimination.
King at Press Conference, 1964. His police database snapshot
Library of Congress
Google Images
John Winston Lennon (9 Oct 1940-8 Dec 1980).
Singer, song writer and musician became famous as a member of The Beatles.
In 2002, a poll about The Greatest Britons, carried out by BBC, named him the 8th greatest.
2008, Rolling Stone Magazine 5th Greatest Singer.
A peace activist, he participated in rallies and wrote songs to condemn Vietnam war and British actions in Ireland.
'Imagine' is an iconic hit and considered a peace anthem
Released in 1971, inspired from Yoko Ono's poem
Third greatest song in World music .
Based on Lennon's belief that the world, people and country's are all one .
The main idea of the song - equality, peace and harmony.
Statue in Lennon Park, Havana, Cuba.
John Lennon
Wikimedia Commons, 2012
Google Images
Motion Picture 'Crash' was released on 6th of March 2005.
The writer and director is Paul Haggis.
The movie won Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the 2006 Academy Awards.
The movie doesn't fall into any particular category, genre or form.
Movies like 'House of Sand and Fog' and '21 Grams' which are neither comedy, nor thrillers.
The story is about several couples belonging to different races. They collide and come face-to-face with racism, prejudice and loss.
The movie seems to say that all human beings are similar and everyone is guilty of prejudice and cruelty at some point in their lives.
Scenes from the movie
Imdb.com, 2012
The movie, song and the letter all share a common theme. They advocate equality, brotherhood, unity and justice for all. The purpose of all three is to help make the world a peaceful place, where people are not judge, degraded or treated cruelly. In my profession as a Registered Nurse it is very important to let go of personal bias and provide all patients with the same amounts of care and attention. Every individual patient's life is equally valuable.
Water being sprayed on black protesters to force them to disperse - Birmingham
(Hub Pages, 2011)
Scott, A.O, 2005
Rogerebert.com, 2006
Google Images
The reason he was imprisoned was that the Mayor of Birmingham was a racially biased man and he didn't want King to rouse the backs against the establishment.
Birmingham was the safe haven of segregationists (Sparksnotes.com,2012).
Language and arguments make it an essay rather than a letter.
He discusses the disparities in the way law and government treated blacks and whites, especially in Birmingham.
He addresses the white clergymen and calls upon their Christian goodness .
He invites them to eradicate segregation between blacks and whites.
He uses Biblical 'allusions' and references to Socrates principles to give weight age to his arguments and gain support for them.
The Biblical references are used to compare him and his mission to the actions of prophets and biblical events.
"A Letter from Birmingham Jail"
These references help make the religious people feel guilty . As they will think that by condemning King and his followers they were condemning the Christian leaders and principles.
He uses irony and sarcasm against the whites to show them that they are wrong in their discriminatory practices .
But he still keeps his tone light and friendly, as if he is having a nice chat.
An example of his sarcasm and humor, " I am in Birmingham because injustice is here."
He uses pathos in large quantities, like mentioning the conditions of the jail where he was imprisoned.
He then eludes to negroes as prisoners and their lives like prison.
He addressed the white public along with the priests and appealed to them for help (Dawson, C. J, 2008).
He uses it to get some reaction from the priests and the community.
His polite and respectful tone and religious referencing helped him gain the sympathy and empathy of many devout.
He ends the letter on an irony, downplaying the plight of the blacks. He does this for making the letter more effective .
Imagine can be classified as ' Classic Rock.'
It comprises of three stanzas
In each verse Lennon starts with 'imagine' asking listeners to imagine a particular scenario.
1 st: Imagine there's no heaven.
2 nd: Imagine there's no countries.
3 rd: Imagine no possession. I wonder if you can.
He moves from an easy scenario to a difficult one. With each scenario he provides a solution and an alternative:
The absence of heaven and hell, means presence of peace.
Absence of countries is also countered by 'living life in peace.'
In the end he states that if material wants are removed than people would live in harmony and peace.
Complexity of thought is countered by simplicity of verse style and tune.
It leaves an optimistic and refreshing feeling in the listeners.
It has a peaceful and simple melody.
Lennon recording a song.
Symbol for Peace
Clip Art
Google Images
New York Times says that the movie does not fit any existing genre or form.
The story of the movie revolves around several people, all belonging to different races.
Through the course of the movie these individuals get into accidents and come across people from the other races.
A black couple, gets harassed by two white officers.
The white officers mother died in a hospital due to lack of attention and care from a black nurse.
The same officer later helps the same couple when they have an accident.
SO it is a complicated mesh where everyone acts unethically towards others at some point.
The events of the movie take place in a time duration of 36 hours.
Clip Art
Clip Art
By the end the characters have mostly either forgiven each other or feeling repentant changed themselves.
The white officer who was in the beginning seen as a law abiding person in the end kills a black young man whom he thinks is a robber.
The dialogues are very frank and open. The writer has made no effort to mask criticism of any regime or class.
The editor of the movie ' Hughes Winbourne' won an Oscar for Best Editing.
The movie was what is called an 'Indie movie' that's why its budget was low and could not cover the cost of reshooting.
The film was shot in a total of 35 days and comprised half million feet of film to be edited (Peters, O, n.d).
Paul Haggis with his own Golden Statuette
A collage of scenes from the movie
People Daily's online, 2006
Google Images
A Letter From Birmingham Jail
Meaning
The letter was the voice of the black against the atrocities being committed by the black.
The Birmingham population consisted of 40% blacks, 80,000 voters and only 10000of them were black. King did appeal to the courts but these were white control, so no one paid any heed.
King's letter is ingenious in the sense that without raising his voice he gained support of many white religious individuals.
The use of pathos and his sarcasm was a brilliant idea to get the clergy and the others to react and reaction means that their words being heard.
His soft tone angers the priests and authorities and makes the masses feel sympathetic.
His ploy of speaking to the population not only made him popular but also gave momentum to the movement.
Mood
Friendly, humorous. It sounds like a sermon and oozes sympathy.
Themes
All humans have a right and freedom of speech, practice of religion and action
All members of a society should be treated equally by the government and law.
A Nazi cross painted on the door of an African-American families house. This ploy was often used to alienate them from the society
Getty Images
Meaning
The song itself is very soothing and does seem to have a refreshing quality to it.
It is filled with a sense of hope and positivity.
The song is an exhibition of Lennon's anti-religion beliefs.
It is mainly about peace and getting people to realize that religious, political, regional differences don't hide the fact that we all are humans and that we have the same needs and wants and desires.
He targets evils like discrimination, selfishness, greed and calls for their extermination.
A very unhealthy perspective is his idea that religion is the cause of most unrest in the world. The youth should not be exposed to such ideas.
Mood
The song is simple, and very soothing.
Its mood is serene and slow, so much that it can calm people down.
It also invites or rather invokes reflection in the listener.
Themes
To bring peace, prosperity and harmony to the world it is necessary to take down religious, racial, political barriers.
Human beings need to become unselfish and giving.
Meaning
People are not always bad the circumstances make them react in that way.
The white police officer kills black youth in self-defense but at the start of the movie he was the one stopping the ill-treatment of the black couple.
Discrimination and racism is not limited to any race, all humans commit acts of bias or prejudice at some point in life.
Human beings have a great propensity to make errors.
The characters learn to move beyond personal bias and accept each other . The misbehaving police officer saves the life of the black woman.
They repent their hateful actions and go through self reformation.
Mood
The is a story of several characters and shows how their lives intermingle in a short period of 36 hours. Thus the plot and the name of the movie are clear indications of its hectic pace and frantic mood of chaos and emergency.
The movie has an extremely serious tone and a viewer can't help but leave the theatre with a thoughtful look and serious introspection going on inside.
Themes
Equality and justice are at the fore front of the tale.
Redemption and introspection appear in the case of the two police men.
Self-analysis and its importance to achievement of a mature, peaceful world.
Being tolerant and accepting of differences helps ensure peace.
Forgiveness. People need to forgive each other and themselves for such acts.
To err is human and to forgive is divine.
How were the conclusions regarding Theme, Mood and Interpretation of the Work?
The meaning was ascertained from reading about the three art works.
Some knowledge of the back ground of discrimination in U.S. helped in forming conclusions.
The understanding of the Mood comes from the analysis of content and Language used: humor, sarcasm lead to the idea that mood is light and friendly.
the theme were derived from analysis of life and missions of the author, poet and screen writer.
They the creators philosophy.
like when Lennon says there is no heaven, hell and 'no religion' he is alluding to his atheism.
The phrases 'living life in peace', 'will live as one' give a sense of hope.
The tune, vocabulary and topic help decide the mood .
The end of the characters shows clearly what the writer had wanted to portray in the movie.
Similarities:
King and Lennon both have used a soft tone.
They are both following King's doctrine of peaceful protest.
They do this because their aim was similar: to make people realize their mistake, their inherent flaws.
They both want people to reflect on their actions, analyze themselves.
King's Letter & Lennon's Song
Differences:
The difference is in form and the use of language.
Since Lennon wanted the layman to grasp what he was saying so he has used a simple melody, simple language.
King was trying to convince educated people of his views so he used complex vocabulary and devices to lend support to his views.
He uses a lot of literary devices: repetition, allusions, rhetoric etc.
Lennon states his beliefs
King uses sarcasm, humor and irony to impress readers.
King talks about the past
Lennon talks of a bright future.
Malcolm X another black fighting for freedom
An image of Heaven
Black Protestors calling for a ban on Racism
Google Images
Clip Art
Google Images
Similarities
All three pinpoint the same evils: discrimination, injustice etc.
They get their audience to see that all human beings are like them.
King's letter and Crash attempt to explain the problems of their opponents to their audience.
Crash wants everyone to realize that like they have issues that mold their character, other have similar issues.
Crash like Imagine is for the masses and easy to understand.
They leave the audience with a lot to think about. Feelings of guilt, regret, shame and compassion for all.
Lennon Perform's Live
King with the American Flag and national symbol - the Bald Eagle. It shows an America belonging as much to Blacks as Whites.
(rogerebert.com,2012)
Votingamerican.wordpress.com, 2012
Differences:
Unlike the other two Crash begins and ends with a bang.
It is an intense explosion of emotions and feelings with neatly written pointed dialogues and easy to understand
Like King uses sarcasm, Crash uses shock to try wake up the audiences imagine gives birth to general thinking. For the whites of Alabama King's letter and for the world audience 'Crash' lead to self-analysis.
Crash vs. The Letter and Imagine
How the similarities and differences enhance understanding?
The similarity of idea helps see how each handles the theme in different ways.
The disparities help us compare them together which leads to analysis of which one is more accurate.
It is based on real life and explains what was actually happening to the black population of Birmingham.
It shows the bias and prejudice and sense of superiority inherent in the White population.
A Letter from Birmingham Jail
Imagine
It's negation of religion is showing the absence of faith from the society
With Absence of faith comes absence of morals which leads to chaos and loss of peace.
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