King also makes another point in this passage that directly refutes something another minister told him. He says that this particular minister told him to be patient and wait for the right time. King points out that time itself never did anything; it is "neutral" as he puts it. It is people's actions that make things happen, King asserts, and though it still takes time and perseverance to accomplish things, they will not happen just by waiting. I think this section really shows King's passion and commitment to his cause, especially when he equates silence and waiting with sin, saying "we will have to repent...for the appalling silence of good people" and claiming that "the time is always ripe to do right." King wants to make it clear that not only were his actions justified, but that they were even necessary, and I think this passage accomplishes that more than…...
"In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty."
In that argument, the author also draws a comparison with those most committed to maintaining segregation; presumably, he was referring to those who physically attacked and sometimes killed both African-Americans and white anti-segregation civil rights workers, secretly and under the cloak of darkness. According to Dr. King, one of the hallmarks of justified civil disobedience is that those whose defiance of laws is genuinely a function of their principled objection to laws that are unjust do so openly and unashamedly rather than secretly. The author further explains the basic logic of this conclusion:
"I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts…...
Well crafted sentence explaining how the two text evidences show your point of analysis: In his use of metaphors, King poetically dramatizes the length of time African-Americans have struggled for full civil equality, in response to the white ministers' demand that he be patient, moderate, and not 'push' Southern whites to change too quickly.
Third Point of Analysis: King, to address the specific allegations of the white ministers uses rhetorical questions throughout his letter.
Text Evidence: Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up that state's segregation laws was democratically elected? Throughout Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters, and there are some counties in which, even though Negroes constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro is registered. Can any law enacted under such circumstances be considered democratically structured?
Text Evidence: In your statement you assert that our actions,…...
The essay “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, written in 1963, is a response to a letter that was written by eight white clergymen, who ultimately condemned the strategies that Dr. King used during the American Civil Rights era. It is important to note that the white clergyman who criticized his actions were the most elite members of the clergy in the entire state of Alabama. Their condemnation of Dr. King and his actions were exceedingly damaging, also because they attempted to label him as an extremist, and his tactics a manifestation of extremism. The letter from a Birmingham Jail was Dr. King’s precise rebuttal to their condemnation of him, his strategies and his goals. The letter details King’s correct argument about why nonviolent protest is essential, and why breaking an unjust law is crucial in order to reestablish justice because King shows that justice and…...
He knew that racial divides could be conquered as long as men remained rational.
King's appeal to authority, or ethos, emerges when he states it was "was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake . . . To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience" (King). Here King illustrates how civil disobedience has good consequences and, in the end, one must follow one's on inclination. hen he refers to the Boston Tea Party, he is appealing to ethos because they were disobeying, too. His appeal is logical and more difficult to dispute. The last thing King wanted to do was seem illogical and irrational.
ork Cited
King, Martin Luther. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." 1963. University of Pennsylvania online.
Information Retrieved January 27, 2009.
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Work Cited
King, Martin Luther. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." 1963. University of Pennsylvania online.
Abstract
Writing a Letter from Birmingham Jail analysis essay offers the student the gift of going back in time to the courage and ferocity of the Civil Rights Movement to examine one of the most eloquent documents of that era. The Civil Rights Era was one of the uglier periods in American history—and one of the most triumphant and inspiring. No document embodies this dichotomy as fully as King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. In it, King details many of the horrors that black Americans have suffered at the hands of white hatred and complacency. Yet, the letter is without a doubt, a document of hope and conviction, inspiration and profundity. This paper details the background circumstances that provoked King in writing the letter and examines closely the brilliance contained in the words, ultimately discussing why it remains such a lauded document even today.
Introduction
Letter from Birmingham Jail is often unanimously lauded as…...
Letter from the Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr., and "A Letter from the Clergy" by some leading spiritual clergy in Birmingham, Alabama. Specifically, it will summarize the two letters. Both of these letters provide compelling reasons for what the authors believe in, and they are both very persuasive and convincing in their own way.
The clergymen believe that King's actions, in creating a march that led to many arrests (including King's own arrest), is the wrong way to attempt to gain civil right for black Americans. They believe that these measures are "extreme" and not necessary for the circumstances. They write, "We also point out that such actions to incite such hatred and violence, however technically peaceful these actions might be, have not contributed to the resolution of our local problems" (Miller 486). This is persuasive for a number of reasons. First, the clergy note that even peaceful…...
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References
Miller, Robert Keith. Motives for Writing With Student Access to Catalyst. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005.
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. I do not understand, then, why you insist that the same methodologies that have proven ineffective in the past will somehow work with continued pressure. Your insistence on this non-violent approach is no better than the constant cries of "Wait!" which you claim -- correctly -- echo so painfully in the ears of the so-called Negro men, women, and children who have yearned for freedom for centuries.
Another rising leader of the so-called Negro, Malcolm X, has insisted that "Truth will…...
Essay Topic Examples
1. The Ethical Imperatives of Nonviolent rotest:
This essay could explore the moral principles that underpin nonviolent protest as articulated in "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Discuss how King defends the use of nonviolent resistance to combat injustice and the ethical arguments he uses to support this form of protest.
2. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" as a Historical Document:
Analyze the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" within its historical context. Discuss its impact on the Civil Rights Movement and how it encapsulates the struggles of the era. The essay might also examine its influence on contemporary social justice movements.
3. The Role of the Church and Religious Leaders in Social Justice:
Examine Martin Luther King Jr.'s critique of the church and religious leaders in "Letter from Birmingham Jail." The essay could discuss his disappointment with the church's passivity and its failure to act against racial injustice, as well as his call to…...
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Primary Sources
King, Martin Luther Jr. \"Letter from Birmingham Jail.\" 16 April 1963. The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University.
King, Martin Luther Jr. \"Why We Can\'t Wait.\" New York: Harper & Row, 1964; Signet Classic, 2000.The Birmingham News. “‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ emerges after Lee dissents from gag order.” AL.com, The Birmingham News, 13 April 2018.“The Negro Is Your Brother.” The Atlantic Monthly, August 1963, Complete Text of ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’ The Atlantic Monthly.National Archives. \"Civil Rights Movement.\" The National Archives, Our Documents, 100 Milestone Documents, www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=97.
Justice
The human race has been face-to-face with inequality and injustice since the beginning of time. First there was the inequality of religion, than there was the inequality of gender, the inequality of social status and most recently the inequality of color. All of these inequalities have been eliminated one by one with the belief in freedom. Looking over all of the events that eliminated inequality such as the French revolution and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech a question comes to the mind. A question asking whether there is a "secret" to justice and if there is one what is it?
If there is a secret to justice, perhaps poets will be the first to tell. Maya Angelou, one of America's foremost poets, talks about the spiritual secrets of African-Americans in her essay "Graduation." At the close of the autobiographical essay, Angelou states, "If we were a people much…...
King, Martin Luther. "Letter From Birmingham Jail." "Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay." DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Boston, MA: Thomson Heinle, (2008).611-621. Print.
Le Guin, Ursula. "Where Do You Get You Ideas From." "Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay." DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Boston, MA: Thomson Heinle, (2008).536-541. Print.
Furthermore the rhetoric here is rich in symbolism. Dr. King draws parallels between the response of violence to his peaceful protests and other great personalities whose commitment to justice, truth, and love also had unintended and unfortunate consequences. Personalities like ocrates and Jesus, for example, could not be expected to deny their truth for fear of public reaction. Dr. King makes this argument even stronger by also drawing the parallel between himself and the completely innocent person, whose possession of money resulted in the evil of theft. By drawing these parallels, Dr. King points out that an argument regarding the actions of others cannot be used to condemn those who protest peacefully. Dr. King and his followers are innocent of the crime of violence. Dr. King's argument is therefore that they cannot be held accountable for the violence committed by others, who are neither followers of his, nor affiliated with…...
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Sources
King, Martin Luther. Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
Smith, N. (2010). Rhetoric and martin Luther King Jr.: "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and "I Have a Dream." Article Myriad. Retrieved from: http://www.articlemyriad.com/163.htm
Coatesville" John Jay Chapman "The Letter Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther
Deeply Disillusioned
The United States of America has meant a wide variety of things to several different people, particularly to those who have had to call its shores home. The initial promise of this land -- as one of redemption, as a place where the lofty ideas engraved within such documents as the Bill of Rights and the Constitution have never been fully realized by a widening number of people who have never been treated with the degree of parity and ideals within them -- wasted little time in going sour. Virtually any Native American can tell you: there can never be justice on stolen land. In spite of this fact, men such as Martin Luther King, Jr. have written their own documents (such as "Letter From A Birmingham Jail," a discourse about the need for public non-violent protest) attempting to…...
The Palestinians have never the Jewish version of history and desire to have all the land returned to them. This conflict is intractable and there is little hope of a resolution in the immediate future.
In applying Reinhold Niebuhr's Christian realism to the conflict summarized above it should be noted that Niebuhr was a Zionist who strongly supported the right of Israel to occupy the land and defend itself. His Christian realism combines there elements of realism, political realism, moral realism and theological realism (Moseley 23). Thus, the conflict must be understood firstly as a problem on sin in the lives of the inhabitants of the area. The groups involved will firstly need to understand their action as a product of a sinful experience (Inboden). They should be prepared to act in moral and right way toward their fellow men. The Jews should be prepared to live peacefully with the…...
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Works Cited
Hodges, Sam. "Niebuhr's 'Christian realism'." The Dallas Morning News Feb. 10, 2006. Web
Inboden, Will "Putting the 'Christian' back in 'Realism': A response to Steve Walt" Foreign
Policy December 21, 2009. Web
Moseley, Carys "Reinhold Niebuhr's Approach to the State of Israel: The Ethical Promise and Theological Limits of Christian Realism" Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations
The first independent clause begins in a strong active voice, with a strong decisive verb, (Graff, 2006).
This represents his shift from true passiveness to a form of non-violent action. Then, the dependent clause "realizing that except for Christmas," begins with a gerund. The verb to realize is transformed into a noun with the adding of a "-ing." This is aimed at showing the general modality of the speaker. The speaker and all involved had a previous knowledge of the realization involved in the process. Then King Jr. refers back to the object Easter with the subject and verb of "this is." This is a form of a relative clause which is therefore a form of adjective clause, (Lewis, 1986).
The next sentence continues the modality of the gerund verb. This sentence is a dependent attached to an independent clause first beginning with a gerund, "Knowing that a strong economic withdrawal…...
Birmingham Campaign of 1963 and the Civil Rights Movement
Since the end of the Civil War and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in America, equal rights for African Americans was one of the anticipated outcomes. Yet, the law did not swing entirely in favor of equality; rather, it offered freedom and segregation. Jim Crow laws were essentially institutionalized with the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision, which affirmed that blacks were “separate but equal” to whites—i.e., they were “equal” in the eyes of the law (after all, the 14th Amendment had affirmed their equality, and the 15th had affirmed their right to vote—even women were not granted that right until the 19th Amendment), but as far as the law was concerned blacks were not permitted to mingle with whites in public. Thus, blacks had to sit in their own sections in a theatre (the balcony—referred to as…...
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