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Aphorism In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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In his letter from Birmingham city jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses aphorism to directly express the necessity of nonviolent resistance in order to encourage moral means to achieve the moral end of racial justice. King first quotes T.S. Eliot in noting that, “…there is no greater treason than to do the right deed for the wrong reason….” Here, King is criticizing the disciplined and nonviolent handling of public demonstrators as a moral means to preserve the immoral end of racial segregation. He argues that the police force deserves no commendation in maintaining “order” and “preventing violence” as such efforts are only done to fortify racial injustice in face of resistance. King declares that, “…nonviolence demands that the means we use

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