Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to his fellow white clergymen who criticized his actions that landed him in jail. He used Biblical examples to show that his nonviolent actions were necessary for African Americans to move forward in this country. This letter was mainly directed to those religious leaders who have the power to do something about segregation but don’t. The purpose is to hopefully get the backup from powerful religious leaders and end segregation
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by several clergymen criticizing Martin Luther King Junior’s most recent activities and stating that the activities were unwise and untimely. In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail‚” MLK addresses the clergymen’s concerns by explaining and justifying why his civil disobedience should be supported. To start off‚ MLK explains that he is in Birmingham because injustice is there. He defends his right to be there fighting for his rights. He then compares himself to the Apostle Paul to make a connection
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MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was written in response to those that accused him of being an extremist. Throughout his letter MLK used various forms of allusion‚ anaphora‚ and pathos in order to get his point across to the people that accused him of being an extremist and to the clergymen that called him unwise and untimely. Being a pastor‚ MLK not only referenced the Bible and biblical figures but he also referenced various well known philosophers and theologians throughout his letter. In his
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Letter From Birmingham Jail Thesis Statement: This Letter‚ designed as a response to the clergymen that opposed the way in which Dr King was protesting‚ Dr King’s letter actually addresses two audiences simultaneously; the limited and defined group of clergymen and a broader and less exactly defined group of intelligent and religious white moderates. In this letter‚ Martin Luther King addresses these clergymen on their own terms. He uses the very cultural‚ biblical‚ and classical foundations
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Martin Luther King jr. wrote this letter from the Birmingham jail on April 16‚ 1963. The purpose of this text is Martin Luther King jr contradicting the clergymen and explaining the suffering of the Negro lives. His point was to show that black lives are no different than white lives and how both communities are interrelated. As opposed to the clergymen who wanted negotiations instead of direct actions‚ MLK tried to show the need for direct actions to reach negotiations. For example he had said‚
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Social 4/25/2013 Letter from Birmingham Jail The African American movement transpired in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Although‚ there were many consequences for such rebellion‚ African Americans still rioted for their freedom. They were harmed and suffered great pain for the march and were even jailed for their acts. Martin Luther King was a strong African American leader who fought for the elevation of segregation. He was jailed and wrote‚ “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” to the clergymen
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esteem today. In “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he states several things that I agree with and disagree with. One quote reads “it is a historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture‚ but…groups tend to be more immoral than individuals” I strongly agree with Dr. Kings quote and can relate from my prior experience and knowledge.
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1 Jenny Lum 10/10/14 Period 1 "Letter From Birmingham Jail" Essay Response Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” claiming “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection”. This was the view King had on white people who supported racial equality but initiated no action pertaining to it. Through previous experiences in my life
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This was Martin Luther King Jr.’s decision when deciding whether or not to travel to Birmingham to preach his beliefs. In a Letter From Birmingham Jail‚ Martin Luther King Jr.‚ tries to convince the clergymen that it is necessary to go to Birmingham by appealing to their reason and emotion. Luther initially begins by trying to appeal to their sense of logic by listing multiple reasons why he must go to Birmingham. Luther states that Christ had traveled to the far corners of the Greco Roman world
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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
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