Love Your Enemies In Martin Luther King Jr. ’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he brings attention to the injustice going on in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as throughout the South. In King's letter, he addresses the eight clergymen who were religious leaders at the time and tells them that he could no longer delay the importance of his protest movements; moreover, he makes it clear that the people of the movement can only wait for so long before they grow tired of waiting for “the right time.” He makes it known that civil disobedience can be an appropriate response when injustice is present. Martin Luther King Jr. displayed an assertive and rational response to the grievance that was occurring throughout the southern regions of the United …show more content…
He delivers his message in a very clear and concise manner, making it easier for the reader to understand and relate to what he is trying to say. King states, “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will eventually come.” (King par. 30) This quote shows King’s direct response to the clergymen telling him and his fellow protesters that they need to delay their civil rights movement because it just isn’t the best time. He warns the ministers that if this movement is put off for too long, there will be a time when violent protests and riots will break out because there is a drastic need for change in a broken society such as the one that was present at the …show more content…
's “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, is a timeless piece that was used not only in the past but can be applied to the present and future as well. This piece holds much value because there will always be persecution and injustice present but this text reminds everyone that there can be a difference made if you stick to what you believe and fight for change. King shows us that through non-violent protests you can get your point across in an effective way because you are showing more strength by not giving your persecutors the satisfaction of knowing that they control you and your emotions. He was ahead of his time in the sense that he set the precedent for the rest of humanity to fight for equality and to love those who hate you, even if it is grueling. Too many people will choose caution over courage, and King was a prime example of why we should all choose courage no matter the adversity and detestation that may come with
Civil rights leader and social activist Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a world renown correspondence, Letter From Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963, during a time when segregation was at it’s peak in the South. When King was making his mark in American history, the United States was experiencing great social unrest due to the injustice towards their colored citizens, which would lead to social rights rallies and unnecessary violence. In response to King’s peaceful protesting, the white community viewed “[his] nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist,” and subsequently imprisoned the pastor (para 27). King specifically wrote to the white clergymen who had earlier addressed a letter to him as to why he was apprehended, in which they argued that his actions were untimely and unconstitutional. In response, King emphasized that justice is never timely, and the refusal to acknowledge equal rights was inhumane and regressive.
In Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” King responds to the criticisms written by a group of clergymen about the work that he and his followers (the oppressed black people, members of the SCLC, and a select few of white supporters) are pursuing in Birmingham. Although King directly addresses his fellow clergymen, he expresses deep disappointment in the white churches and moderates of the south as well. Throughout the letter the audience can read how the actions committed against black people by religious and nonreligious white moderates alike causes for injustice to take place in falsely depicted ‘just’ ways. King explains the flaw of how those who fight against him are not solely fighting against their own brothers and
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr responds to his fellow clergymen criticism by arguing that all people have a moral obligation to fight injustice. He educates people about the racial tension and injustice in Birmingham to show that racism has influenced the rest of the United States. King also differentiates between just and unjust laws in order to justify civil disobedience and having to break the state’s law when necessary. He states that African Americans can no longer wait for justice but they must band together to argue for their rights in nonviolent way. King writes this letter to defend civil disobedience so that the racial injustice that African Americans have been enduring can come to an end.
King disagrees with these criticisms and goes on to explain that if he people keep delaying the fight for freedom then it will never happen. He says that black people have waited for “more than 340 years”.(King 3) Another topic that King mentions is the fact that he wants white people to uphold the law but he is fine with black people disobeying the law. He addresses this issue by comparing the difference between a just and an unjust law. A just law is a law that upholds human dignity but an unjust law is a law that hurts or oppresses. He makes a comparison to Nazi Germany where what the Germans were doing was considered “legal” and he says that he would've supported to the oppressed class had he lived there.
This quote exemplifies how blacks have been put down and beat upon for years without the ability to fight back. King detailing the constitutional and god given rights shows that blacks have been denied basic rights that our country has been structured around. The American ideology that “all men are created equal” has not applied to the black race, illustrating their denial of God-given and constitutional rights. The stinging darts of segregation is an example of blacks continuous enduring of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a powerful defense of nonviolent resistance to racism; it promotes a peaceful campaign against unjust laws and calls for direct action to bring about social change. The walk to freedom was never easy, Dr.King and all the people that fought for freedom endured hardships. In the letter Dr.King wrote, he talked about the peaceful protest he led. He emphasized on how it was not an easy walk through. As we read the letter we see some of the hardships they faced; which were hate, broken promises, sacrifice and fighting for what you believed in even though it could have been the reason you end up dead.
The writer, Martin Luther King Jr., was a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was in favor to equality. Moreover, he believed in nonviolence protest to obtain discrimination in America. On April 16, 1963, when King was in jail, he wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to justify his actions and to response the eight clergymen who called him “unwise, untimely and extreme” in the article, “A Call for Unity.” In his letter, he declares that he is in Birmingham because there is injustice. King’s appeal to pathos and his use of evidence combine to create an argument that achieves its purpose of providing that his nonviolence actions are just, and that the laws are unjust.
Martin Luther King Junior wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in 1963, when African Americans were fighting for their equality. The letter was written when Dr.King and hundreds of other protesters were under arrest for their non-violent demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama. He begins the letter by explaining to the white religious leaders why he is in Birmingham, one of his reasons was the prejudice that was being held in Birmingham. He also describes the torture African Americans go through in their everyday lives. The author argues that if the white people in Birmingham, Alabama don’t start treating the African Americans with proper respect, then it’s going to cause more problem and there will be other alternative actions.
King supports his statement was nonviolent civil disobedience. When people break the law, they are willing to accept the consequences for their actions; when one's conscience tells them that a law is unjust and they break it they are willing to pay the penalty in order to get the law changed. If the Negro communities are not allowed to protest in this way it is likely to become violent. This was not meant as a threat; just a statement of what he feared may come in the future if things were not handled. He explained black people engaged in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension.
My Personal Response to the Letter from Birmingham Jail A letter excoriating Dr. King and praising the city’s prejudiced police force was issued by a group of Clergymen. While currently in jail at Birmingham as a victim of racism King addresses everybody with intend to bring injustice and aim to stop it for the good of all mankind. Dr. King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” a focus on ethic discrimination as a response to follow clergy men. Dr. King compared Socrates as an important thinker which he created tension to inspire mankind to grow with this current tension that everybody is facing but, encourages nonviolence.
This quote seems conflictive that citizens of a country themselves feel they are exiled by their homeland. If this quote is interpret in another way, it seems that King is warning African Americans that they should stand for their civil rights from now. King applied a good rhetorical technique to persuade followers of his ideology to join the war with
King writes to the eight clergymen who were critical of his protests and to the indifferent people of the United States. In the essay, he claims that he has done nothing wrong by protesting peacefully. In paragraph 11, King says “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He is saying that freedom is something they have to fight for because the authorities will not give it to them. He is directing this statement at the clergymen while reaching the apathetic people of the United States.
He as well emphasizes the importance of the demonstration in moral and historical grounds. In this letter, King explains the importance and the planning of the Birmingham demonstration. King illustrates this when he faces the criticism of his demonstrations as “unwise and untimely” (King 1). He shares key features to his anti-violence movement: “determining whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action” (King 1).
King believed that if he could just go to Birmingham, and protest non-violently, that he could make a difference. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned, in Birmingham, for protesting the civil rights of Black Americans. While in jail, he began writing a letter addressing the clergymen. His main audience in writing this letter was to the eight clergymen who criticized his actions and also the majority of the population as well. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, argues that injustice
Jenil Patel Mr. Harper English 1102 29 August 2017 Summary and Analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. writes to Clergymen in response to their open letter criticizing him and his Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. In this letter, King tells the clergymen that he is upset about what they said and wishes to address them one by one.