In the essay named “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Junior, He uses many great approaches to many different problems faced in his time. The fact that he wants to use a nonviolent approach to solve these problems is not only an admirable thing to do but also the right thing to do. Instead of using violent means to make his points, he instead uses things such as sit-ins, marches, boycotts, and many other ways to peacefully make his point. This in turn breaks the cycle of hatred between the races at that time. If he had used other means, then the problem would have only escalated and gotten worse.
Nonviolent resistance is one strategy that can be used in any movement or retaliation. In the 1960s, one man, named Martin Luther King, Jr. very much supported that idea. In his letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King writes back to the eight clergymen as a response to their criticism towards his nonviolent movement and actions. Throughout his letter, King discusses how necessary his movement is, especially by using credibility, emotion, reasoning and various figurative language, and the effectiveness it can have towards social reform. Although all that content contained in the essay proved to be valuable to his argument, King’s three concluding paragraphs appeared to be more effectual because of how he ends the letter with a satirical
Leader of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter, known as the “letter from Birmingham Jail,” responds to the letter in Post-Herald, published by the eight clergymen criticizing his presence and strategies in the protests he has lead against segregation by practicing the Gandhian doctrine of nonviolent resistance. Throughout his letter he uses strong appeals of authority, logos and syntax to respond to the clergymen. To begin with, Martin Luther King Jr. begins his contradictions to the letter in Post-Herald by addressing his opposition argument and acknowledging that he stands “in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community.”. He appeals to logic that both sides are being oppressed and “drained of self-respect” for years, in contrast, one side has become “insensitive to the problem” of segregation due to profits, academic and economic securities as the other side has become bitter and “close to advocating violence”. He purpose to indicate this is to clarify to the clergymen that his decisions are made in the best way possible for both sides.
As Martin Luther King, Jr argues in Letter From a Birmingham City Jail, “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, that the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all of their scintillating beauty” (p. 576). In his letter he argues that African-Americans should have equal rights to whites. He writes to the clergymen that his protesters are practicing a non-violent protest to gain the rights they are born with. This is done in a four step process. He adds that his followers shouldn't follow all laws, that there is a difference between just and unjust laws.
Later, King wrote that “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.” In other words, King pointed out the seriousness of the harm caused by the injustice in society. After King demonstrated the situations and issues in society, he provided four steps of nonviolent solutions: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. In this case, King masterly applied the structure that pointed out the issues and provided the arguments as
In SELMA, a movie directed by an African American women, Ava DuVernays showcases a very specific movement in our history’s book space/time when Dr. Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) organized marches and led dangerous campaigns to win equal voting rights for African American people who were prevented from registering to vote in the south. The movie’s central action is about the Voting Rights Act movement in 1965, which led to three dramatic marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The central theme that revolves around the film is not about Dr. King’s biography or his past achievements of Civil Rights Act, but the tough political battle he faces and the portrayal of the many follower voices and efforts that helped him to make these marches
King’s assassination proved for some that nonviolence was an ineffective course for attaining long-sought civil rights for blacks; many felt they could no longer leave their freedom up to people who planned on attaining it through such a slow and grueling process.
In history there have been people such as Martin Luther King Jr. who showed the outlasting impact of uniting people together to create change. King’s legacy is an inspiration to minorities whom have been historically excluded in American society, yet any person can learn from his examples. His philosophy of nonviolent action stood out as a successful alternative to the United States ongoing struggle, creating laws such as affirmative action. Some people consider other humans to be nothing other than inanimate objects. Believing them to be emotionless husks while they are the only person who has feelings; however, this is not the case.
In he letter, King states that “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (4). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explains that nonviolent protests bring focus upon the issue at hand and are hard to be ignored because so much tension is created. To affect his audience, King uses personal anecdotes to appeal to the emotions of the audience and to get them to agree that “only light can drive out darkness” (King). King added that “But 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 policemen curse, kick, brutalize and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smother-ing in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society….
Dr. Martin Luther King was a well known civil rights activist who worked during the 1960’s. This decade was perhaps the pinnacle of the civil rights movement in USA. King dedicated his life to see improved conditions for colored people in USA. He was assassinated during one of his speeches. His dedication in bringing equality has lead to him becoming a martyr.
During this day I believe that I would take up Martin Luther King's view on civil disobedience as my own because I see just how he said that not all laws that are legal are just. I believe that not all that is made law is just for all people but only make it just for the majority. King view on civil disobedience is more suitable for this day and age that why people would try to follow his example if they would have to take up civil disobedience.
The definition of non-violence is to not be harmful or attack someone or something. Martin Luther King Jr. comes to mind when I think of non-violence, his methods of protest were peaceful and powerful. He was involved in the march to Selma and gave his “I Have A Dream” Speech at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. Martin Luther King Jr. fought with words and not actions unlike another Equality activist named Malcolm X. Malcolm X’s methods of protest were violent and cruel but they worked as well. Non-violence was a better alternative to violent and harsh ways of getting points across.
The Martin Luther King we didn 't see on television is the one who fought his whole life for positive change. We celebrate the fact he wanted equality for every one at the time and in the future. His speech I have a dream is a major part of American history and a speech we all learn about in school. His speech helps us all to reflect on what had been happening in the past with segregation and some of the feelings. We didn 't get to see when Martin Luther King was calling out America on what was happening with the war and all of his other political actions against the government.
Civil Disobedience Compare and Contrast Henry Thoreau and Martin Luther King both wrote persuasive discussions that oppose many ideals and make a justification of their cause, being both central to their argument. While the similarity is obvious, the two essays, Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. do have some similarities. King tries persuading white, southern clergymen that segregation is an evil, unfair law that ought to defeat by use of agitation of direct protesting. Thoreau, on the other hand, writes to a broader, non-addressed audience, and focuses more on the state itself. He further accepts it at its current state, in regard to the battle with Mexico and the institution of slavery.
Preceding the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery, movie director Ava DuVernay portrayed the contentious fight for black suffrage in her movie Selma (2014). Dr. King’s famous march, which exposed the mass discrimination against African Americans in the South, had rippling effects on the politics and society of the 1960s. His Freedom March galvanized President Lyndon B. Johnson into signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and kindled a new fight for racial equality that spread across the nation. President Johnson enacted The Civil Rights Act of 1964 to put an end to racial, religious, and sexual prejudice in public facilities and schools. Even though the act was a landmark case for the civil
