King, M. L., Jr. (1963). Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Atlantic Monthly, 212 (2), 77-78. Retrieved from http://www.uscrossier.org/pullias/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/king.pdf…
The letter written by Dr. King from the Birmingham Jail was addressed to his fellow clergyman, however when taken as a whole this writer beings to understand his audience is not limited to such a small ecclesiastic circle. In the letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addressed multiple groups he felt contributed to the racial divide in Birmingham, namely the white majority, the Religious groups and the Moderate whites. Each group contributed to the racist climate through direct action, inaction or quiet consent.…
About individual civil rights. In the ´Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King sorts to respond to the criticism of several clergy men since he believes they are “men of genuine good will”. In respond to what they said about their actions being “unwise and untimely”. King explains their delay in action due to the occurring events, back to back. They do not wish the media to copulate their actions with the events, because they are two separate things. After that explanation, King states what brought him in Birmingham. Injustice is what brought this man to the city. King states that Birmingham is the most segregated city in America. Simply because there are brutal police incidents. Bombings of Negro properties such as homes, churches than any other city. And colored people are treated unjustly in courts. Thus with these things happening in Birmingham, King went there to get justice for the oppressed, because he believes that their individual civil rights are…
Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail was written on April 16, 1963 while he was incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail. This letter addresses the criticism that a group of white men had thrown at him and his pro-black American organization about their non-violent actions against racial discrimination and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. He notes that he doesn’t usually respond to letters of criticism but he thought that they were “good willed people and their criticism was sincerely set forth.” King writes this letter to defend his organization's actions. King's letter talks about…
Dr. King Jr. wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” after an unfair offer was made by eight white clergymen. Their claims were to be that no Negro “outsider” should be allowed to establish or lead any protest and should leave them to their local neighborhoods. I feel like he referenced these sources because they are well known by the people that would be reading this letter and it will make it easier for his readers to connect to what he is saying. Also all of these sources all talk about human equality in some way. The Gettysburg Address was a speech by Abraham Lincoln where he talks about bringing true equality to all citizens of the US and this speech was that in common with Dr. King’s letter. The Declaration of Independence of course is what this country was founded by. The very important line in it is the line that all “men are created equal” which is what Dr.King is talking about in his letter. Lastly the Bible was referenced because it is an religious book that well known in this country which talks about treating people right and equally just like Martin’s letter. These sources make his letter more powerful because these are major a document, moment, and book in our history that will bring up many different emotions in his readers. Also it will make people think about what this country was originally founded of all and how it is not living up to those ideals. That is why I think he uses them as sources in his letter.…
He effectively makes and develops his argument by announcing King's death and mentioning all the problems that is plaguing the U.S. He states that Martin Luther King Jr. has passed away, and he continues to say that with his death. We should learn to love and to give justice, It says on paragraph 3,"Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort." He continues to develop his argument by mentioning that you can be bitter and hate him. He then said how the country would be, if they would continue the they are doing their things. He then mentions the death of a family member, and mentions how he was killed by a white man. He gives his favorite poet and asks everyone to say a prayer.…
"Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love?" Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. states this in his famous " Letter From Birmingham Jail" in which he responds to white clergy-men who critize him for " unwise and untimely demonstrations". During the jail sentence he serves, he writes this letter where he addresses the clergymen and expresses his attitude toward the statements made about him. He constructs his response through the use of parallelism, allusions, and sets the tone of the letter with powerful diction.…
In the excerpt of ¨Letter from Birmingham Jail¨ Martin Luther King Jr uses many rhetorical devices that help make his letter emphasis more on the problem that many African-Americans were facing before and during the civil rights movements. In the the letter King uses techniques like repetition to bring more focus and meanings to his ideas, allusion to relate to an event that explains King's motivation, and pathos to bring the reader to feel what he feels through what he has written. An example of repetition that King uses is on paragraph 7 in“Letter from Birmingham Jail” it states “When you take a cross country drive… when you are humiliated day in and day out… when your first name becomes “nigger” your middle name becomes “boy”... and your…
Martin Luther King Jr. used a lot of ethos in the Birmingham letter. For example when he says “But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. He is showing that he cares about what they think and see their criticisms as being genuine and sincere so he wants to answer their questions in a reasonable time and manner.…
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” uses emotional and logical appeals in response to criticism from white clergymen of his actions, and though in jail King explains in an open, personal, diplomatic, heartfelt and completely inoffensive manner why he believes in the validity for civil disobedience and for nonviolent action.…
In Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, he enhances his argument through the use of logos and allusion. MLK uses logos on page 6 when he states "Birmingham is the most thoroughly segregated city in the U.S." He is comparing Birminghams segregation to every other city in the U.S. He supports his argument with factual evidence. These facts make his argument more believable and reliable. MLK also uses allusion on page 8 when he states " We can never forget that everything that Hitler did in Germany was legal." He mentions Hitler to help support him in his argument by hoping that you will compare it to the segregation that was happening at the time and realize that the people participating in the acts believe it is moral or okay.…
Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., in his “Letter to Birmingham Jail”, argues that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. King’s purpose is to explain how a just law should be followed, and how unjust laws, such as segregation, should not. He supports this claim by appealing to logos, ethos, and pathos.…
2. In paragraph one, King states that he wants to address his audience’s statement “in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” He starts off like this because King wants everything to be peaceful and drama-free. In paragraph two, King said, “Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary.” This piece of evidence is explaining that he was there to take part in something nonviolent. This connects back to what he said in paragraph one because since this is a nonviolent action, he wishes for everything to be civil so everything can worked out as planned. This sets the tone as very calm and straight to the point because King means…
Martin Luther King’s language choice, tone, and style in Letter from Birmingham Jail reflect his political viewpoint and personal character; just like his political actions, they are unapologetic, direct, respectful, and instruct others to act morally. King eloquently conveys the urgency of the Birmingham situation and guides the reader to understand the unjust circumstances and all the “broken promise[s]” that oppress black people. King’s open letter evidences his gift of purposeful and elegant language choice, and reflects his poised self-confidence in the moral mission of “carry[ing] the gospel of freedom”. He is not apologetic, defensive, nor disdainful in the face…
Martin Luther King Jr. was a major part of the civil rights movement. He led a peaceful protest and yet he was still arrested, which violated the first amendment. While in jail, a statement was published by eight white members of the clergy who criticized King’s actions as “unwise and untimely” and that the battle for segregation was supposed to be fought in the courts but never in the streets. In response to their statement, King wrote a multipage letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” directed towards those men and America.…