Mlk "Letters from a Birmingham Jail"
Analyzing the Argument of a Jail Dream
The civil rights movement took place during a time when America was divided by race and creed. Dr. Martin Luther King was motivated to write this letter by the unjustified violent acts of discrimination, imprisonment, and physical bodily harm that he and many others had encountered during what was supposed to be a non-violent racial segregation protest in Birmingham, Alabama. After being arrested for his part in the protest, he penned “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from the confines of his cell. He used examples of well-known religious leaders and their successes throughout history to show his stance on civil rights and the need to change the way people viewed his race. In his letter, Dr. Martin Luther King used logic, credibility, and emotion to establish his claim of cause. Dr. King used rationale when he talked about compassion and peaceful thought processes for the Civil Rights movement in order to enable equality. In the Birmingham letter he talked about many past religious idealists and how they overcame hostility. In the following passage, he reflected upon the philosopher, Socrates, and his beliefs on human equality:
Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. (King)
This quote demonstrated the claim of cause in Dr. King’s predicament. The logic that Dr. King used in his letter clearly related to the arguments for human equality. This was reinforced by the universal stance of “all men are created equal”. Dr. King also used good logic when he described acts of violence that were used by the local police, government, and clergymen in
The civil rights movement took place during a time when America was divided by race and creed. Dr. Martin Luther King was motivated to write this letter by the unjustified violent acts of discrimination, imprisonment, and physical bodily harm that he and many others had encountered during what was supposed to be a non-violent racial segregation protest in Birmingham, Alabama. After being arrested for his part in the protest, he penned “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from the confines of his cell. He used examples of well-known religious leaders and their successes throughout history to show his stance on civil rights and the need to change the way people viewed his race. In his letter, Dr. Martin Luther King used logic, credibility, and emotion to establish his claim of cause. Dr. King used rationale when he talked about compassion and peaceful thought processes for the Civil Rights movement in order to enable equality. In the Birmingham letter he talked about many past religious idealists and how they overcame hostility. In the following passage, he reflected upon the philosopher, Socrates, and his beliefs on human equality:
Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. (King)
This quote demonstrated the claim of cause in Dr. King’s predicament. The logic that Dr. King used in his letter clearly related to the arguments for human equality. This was reinforced by the universal stance of “all men are created equal”. Dr. King also used good logic when he described acts of violence that were used by the local police, government, and clergymen in
Cited: King Jr., Martin Luther. "Color Coded Rhetorical Analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail." 26 November 2011. Deanna College. document. 7 March 2013.