King’s use of rhetorical tools helps him convince the clergymen to take a second look at how African Americans are being treated. King utilizes emotive language to target his audience’s emotions. For example, he states, “if you would watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro” (3). He then goes on to give more examples, including, “I don’t believe you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its angry and violent dogs literally biting six unarmed, nonviolent Negroes” (3). These help achieve his purpose because they are specific examples that make the clergymen feel guilty. Next, King utilizes questioning to make the clergymen reevaluate what they are doing. He says, “In this sense they have been rather publicly ‘nonviolent.’ But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation” (4).…
King starts his essay with addressing that he never usually answers statements that criticize his work. He goes on to state what role he plays in the south and why he is in Birmingham. He is there because Birmingham is the most segregated city in America and injustice is most prevalent there. He writes that nations such as Asia and Africa are moving forward with gaining political independence, but America was still moving with incredibly slow speed trying to obtain the same goal. There are examples of the horrors that colored people have gone through; parents getting lynched, people getting abused by officers, not being shown respect, and having to explain to their children why the cannot be in the same area as white people. He goes on to talk…
In his letter, King attempts to persuade the men to look past their current prejudices and perform their expected duties as Christians. He also aims to defend his nonviolent methods of protest through a collage of brilliant rhetorical tactics that he fabricates in his own mind. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is exceptionally effective at convincing the audience of the immorality of segregating blacks from whites because his tone is incredibly befitting to his audience, his strategical implementation of common ethical values is thought-provoking, and his grandiose deliverance of emotion is heart-wrenching and successful at grabbing the audience’s…
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. creates a powerful response to a statement by some Alabama clergymen opposing his actions in Birmingham, Alabama. The initial explanation of why King is in Birmingham later becomes the background to the letter, justifying King’s civil disobedience and explaining the immorality of racial segregation. The letter not only addresses the issues of being arrested in an unjust manner for being an “extremist” of his approach to the protest, and the incompetence of the church, but it is also an appeal to the clergymen’s opinion from his point of view. The white clergymen stereotype King as another typical African American man that is not intelligent or important…
Furthermore, King states “the white power structure of this city left the negro community with no other alternative” by preaching patience and valuing “order” over “justice,” moderates have ensured the continuation of segregation. King’s disappointed that the white moderate’s do not realize that the black man causes tension, in order to reveal society’s underlying tension by taking direct action against injustice. King warns that moderates will one day feel remorse for having settled with “silence” instead of taking action against the injustice that the black community had…
In the informative essay “Black Men and Public Spaces”, Brent Staples describes his own experience growing up black in a racist society and discusses the interaction that take place with people. “The ability to alter public space in an ugly way”(302), through racial stereotypes affected him and many others. Stereotypes affect individuals regardless of race, sex, or religion.…
The reader sees constant development of ideas introduced by the author which, reduces the impact of the overall stance. For instance, too much emphasis is put in determining the nature of just and unjust laws (4), (5). Along with the content of the paragraphs lacking consistency, the links between the paragraphs themselves seem unsystematic. This is shown in between the paragraphs referring to ‘White moderates devoted to order than to justice’ (6) and King being optimistic about help from the White moderates but only a few supported him in his cause(8). Though both serve as examples of White moderates not being supportive of about parity across United States, which inevitably resulted in disgust among the Negroes; King has not included that these are all examples of the same phenomenon. He has assumed the reader would draw the link themselves. The disunity among the paragraphs acts as a major flaw in the letter. The reader’s attention is lost as the evidences provided by King are either too wordy or it just takes the reader’s thoughtfulness away for the main purpose. For instance, the numerous examples used by King to describe the massive torture the African Americans had to face is also too prolix and unnecessary. The reader notices that King has employed extreme use of pathos which seems rather pointless…
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…
In the past year there have been multiple cases of “racial discrimination” against the police, these cases have been associated with police brutality. Segregation and racial prejudice was a large part of the history in the United States but not in a positive way. Many Americans are not proud of the way the African Americans were treated by their fellow citizens. Prejudice and racial discrimination are prevalent today in both the same and different ways as when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought against it. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he uses periodic sentences, syntax, diction, and allusions to write about his beliefs about the immense struggles African Americans experienced to gain their rights, how he…
In “Black Men and Public Spaces”, Brent Staples is in his early twenties and is faced with the menacing crime of being a black man in the 1970’s. As Staples likes to walk the streets at night due to his insomnia, every stranger that comes close enough to realize that he’s a tall black man lets their fear take control of them as they avoid him to the point of fleeing. To the eyes of people (mainly women) at night, he was no different from any other thug or criminal who prowls the street. Having moved to New York, and growing accustomed to being perceived as a threat, Staples learned to properly give people their space to intimidate them less as he walks the streets. Despite being a journalist, he has even had security called in on him at a magazine class is viewed in the American society, as Staples expresses how African Americans company simply due to his appearance. No matter what people perceive Staples as, he never lets it gets to him as he would whistle the pleasant tunes of various classical music to show he means no harm. All these events truly reflect how race and gender struggle to maintain equality through his own personal experiences and actions.…
In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he stressed that now is the time to give African Americans true freedom, equality, and opportunity. This is still very relevant to African Americans today, even though it shouldn’t be. I say it shouldn’t be because now, for Mr. King was 52 years and five months ago. These problems have been going on for more than half a century after he professed his dream, and there has been little change since then. There is still discrimination towards blacks and other colored races. Racial injustice against Black Americans is America’s top priority or at least it should be. Plus, there are still forms of segregation in this country.…
One of the most effective uses of persuasive languages in Dr. King’s speech is the use of repetition. The use of repetition emphasises the crude meaning of racism and helps the audience’s minds associate “I have a dream” with Dr. King. By using repetition in his speech he creates many different effects. By using the word “negro” in his speech repetitively, it helps the viewer to recognise how racist…
Dr.King’s “I have a Dream” speech inspired a lot of people. His dream is one yet to become a reality but Civil Right’s have been give. However racism is still out there and affect African Americans lives and the country as a whole. To make his dream a reality, racism will have to end. Assuming a white shot a black on his color on purpose must stop, society will have to accept what each other race is capable of and how not everyone white or black is evil. According to King, they(protesters) must march ahead and never stop to fight. Also, that the country needs to live up to its creed “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”…
The thesis of Brent Staples written piece, “ Black Men And Public Space” to me states that in America for a long time, we as black men had to deal with racial issues for a long time in this nations most disgraceful time period, slavery. Feeling like a criminal all the time is not a good feeling, as he stated, a white woman made him feel as if he was a mugger or a rapist and “that being perceived as dangerous is a hazard in itself”. This is a chapter in America’s history I know they wished never happened.…
King tries to do this by first informing his audience of America's current condition but with an emotional appeal added to it. He speaks about how it is shameful that "the Negro is still languished" and "finds himself an exile in his own land." He speaks of the " unspeakable horrors of police brutality" that much too many Negro's have experienced. He speaks of this along with many other injustices that the Negro have had to face. He stated all of these wrongdoing committed from the white as his own strategy to hopefully reach out to some extent of humanity left in the hearts of those that have committed these deeds, to realize how much damage they are actually doing to millions of people. He states that he and many others will never be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and…