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I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk," (para. 47). The use of sarcasm allows King to retain his sense of confidence rather than to seem conciliatory to those who have thrwarted civil rights. Earlier on, King also uses sarcasm to enhance the confident tone of his writing. "I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes." (para 4).
To achieve a balanced tone in the letter, King blends anger regarding discrimination with the hope of liberation. Doing so, King frames civil rights as a necessary part of achieving the social order and the goals of the Founding Fathers. He remains angry while also pointing out that liberation was the ultimate goal of American Independence. King states, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights," (para 13). King again points out that the protesters are "standing up for what is best in the American dream...thereby...
46). Framing civil rights as a legal imperative, King blends confidence, anger, and hope.
Anger is harmonized with hope in King's letter, as the author is willing to defy the establishment while at the same time acknowledging the need for peace and social order. King uses sarcasm and arrogance to assume a position of power. This tone allows King to remain strong in his position as he calls for immediate social change. King then balances anger and defiance with hopefulness, as he concludes "that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty," (para. 49).
Work Cited
King, Martin Luther. Letter from Birmingham…
Work Cited
King, Martin Luther. Letter from Birmingham Jail. April 16, 1963.
He clarifies his status i.e. A spiritual leader and a learned person by using well chosen ethos of St. Aquinas, Jesus and Paul therefore puts him forth as a trustworthy person. Also being an African-American makes him the right person to participate in this event because he understands the situation properly. By use of logos he explains the reason behind the actions of the black persons of which the
This aspect of the letter is incredibly important because King does not want to appear to be irrational to his opponents. One of the logical appeals King makes in his letter revolves around the issue of just and unjust laws. In his opinion, the officers that arrested him were obeying an unjust law, pointing out that a law is "unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail." It uses M.Gandhi as an example of extremism to match King's example of Jesus Christ. It includes a quote by King on Gandhi. It distinguishes King's form of extreme behavior from the extreme action of those who mailed the anthrax-contaminated letters. LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL Martin Luther King Jr. knew the same discontent and yearning for freedom that eventually manifests in oppressed people
You carefully outline the four steps to your non-violent approach of ending segregation: determining the existence of injustice, attempting to negotiate, purifying and preparing individually and as a group, and finally engaging in peaceful direct action. The case you make for these points is strong, and the evidence in Birmingham supporting this pattern of behavior on your part, and on the part of our enemies as well, is equally apparent.
King evokes many of the philosophical premises that justified Gandhi in his actions, and explicitly mentions another famous social agitator -- Socrates -- in the hopes of solidifying the logical foundations of the notion of social protest. When it comes to commitment and communication, the two can easily be displayed in the case of King through his famous letter from the Birmingham jail, where King demonstrated both his ability to
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in