Justice is a related theme that appears very often in ancient Greek literature and modern day stories. While philosophers and modern thinkers praise justice, most end up dying for what they are convinced in. In Plato’s Crito, Socrates has the chance to escape execution, but he chooses not to because it is not suitable for a man to harm others, even if they have harmed him. He doesn’t believe in revenge, for that means doing wrong to others. Martin Luther King Jr. writes the Letter from Birmingham Jail to help acknowledge and bring exposure to the Birmingham community and to the United States the injustices that are happening to African Americans. While both stories seek justice, each has its parallel ways of portraying it. How does the definition …show more content…
He addresses the issue by stating, “In a nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps.” King knows that all these steps must be implemented in full in order for him to achieve equal rights for the African American community. That’s exactly what happens in Birmingham. King, the smart man that he is famous for, is able to appeal to the audience by using his experiences and emotions. He captivates the audience by stating what was happening to his fellow companions: the ways the whites were taking advantage of the blacks. By following the four basic steps to the campaign, King, and the black community is seeking equal rights for …show more content…
Although King wrote this letter in a jail cell he didn’t belong in, it didn’t stop him from throwing the truth out there. He knew all the bad things his people were going through and wanted the world to hear it as well. Someone had to step up and defend what is right and the man, the myth, and the legend, was smart in doing so. He gave the black community hopes and unity, something so strong that it is virtually impossible to break. Martin Luther King Jr. was instrumental in the beginning of a new generation where the way blacks are treated in America would be different. For that, King will always be remembered on his day, the third Monday of January each year as a
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.
Raeanna R. Essig Prof. Craig Case ENG 124.01 21 February 2017 Actions of Nonviolence Throughout the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King makes numerous profound statements that transcend through the ages. King wrote this famous letter while imprisoned for being involved in various nonviolent campaigns. King, not harboring any fear of retribution for his bold statements, uses a simple letter address the sensitive issues of segregation and racism directly. King writes a highly adequate and powerful response to the circumstances prompting the letter, while also teaching lessons on the correct way to fight for equality. When Martin and his follower’s direct nonviolent methods are being questioned by the fellow clergy members,
Knowing that this is an everyday struggle for the black community, changes your views on how things are established for them. An individual that is not a part of such community can make a statement and say that everything is fine the way it is, but once you get an insight how the black community really lives their lives, it changes your overall perspective. These people have lived tough lives and King is expressing a small part of the real world, but that small part makes such a bold and loud statement that one could not easily
Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and social activist, who led the civil right movement in the United Stated throughout the mid 50’s until his assassination. Dr. King was arrested for participating in some sort of demonstration against racism and unjustified segregation. King’s “Letter from Birmingham city jail” purpose is to basically promote responsible and efficient leadership without racism and injustice. Throughout his letter, Dr. King wanted to illustrate the bias way of how the African American community was treated especially in the South.
King’s letter is full of powerful and motivating quotes. King explained the topic of freedom and how it was difficult for the African Americans to achieve, he stated: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (68). The African Americans, specifically the leaders, went through extremely tough and painful experiences. According to King, for the African Americans to achieve freedom they had to fight for it, because the oppressors refused to give freedom to their victims. King knew this because of the many different painful experiences him and the other leaders experienced to receive their
He does this by using lines such as “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim”. By using this kind of incendiary language and sentence structure he lets the audience envision how horrible it would be to see this happening to you or your own friends. Through the emotions he provokes, King is able to pursue the reader to hear what he has to say about these outrage of acts. King asserts negotiation is the best way to resolve problems, but when it was not an option on the table, he obliges to confront injustices using nonviolent direct action. He emphasized “the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.
The “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 16, 1963. He was charged for parading without a permit. While in jail, he wrote on the margins of newspaper. When that was full, he used toilet paper to finish his letter. The “Letter” is a very emotionally moving piece of writing which is very persuasive.
While in solitary confinement for nearly 8 days, reverend and social justice activist, Martin Luther King Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to the criticism he received for his non-violent protests. Several clergy who negatively critiqued King’s approach of seeking justice, wrote A Call for Unity, arguing that his protests were senseless and improper. Within the article, the clergymen provide nine different critiques that asserted how King’s protest are invalid, uneffective, and simply unintelligent in the fight for obtaining justice and equity for individuals of color. His letter has become one of the most profound pieces of literature of the 20th century, as King uses vivid examples and eloquent rhetorical devices to counter all nine arguments.
He evokes emotion on his audience by discussing the trials and injustice African Americans have endured. In his letter he uses examples like “when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters.” and “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and gathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim” to make his audience envision and feel what many negroes felt while watching their families put up with this mistreatment. King provides imagery to make the audience see what it would be like to be an African American in the united
“Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress,” quoted from, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This quote demonstrates how law and order are created for the purpose of establishing justice and if they fail to establish justice then we will not have civil progress. Dr. King wrote, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” to explain how social injustice has gone long enough and the time is now to receive the pursuit of happiness regardless of your skin color. In this essay, I will discuss the different perspectives when it comes to social injustice and which one of them I agree with.
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because of a peaceful protest, protesting treatments of blacks in Birmingham. Before the protest a court ordered that protests couldn’t be held in Birmingham. While being held in Birmingham, King wrote what came to be known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Not even King himself could predict how much of an impact this letter would have on the Civil Rights Movement. In the letter kind defended Kings beliefs on Nonviolent Protests, King also counters the accusations of him breaking laws by categorizing segregation laws into just and unjust laws. King uses this principle to help persuade others to join him in his acts of civil disobedience.
The theme of Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and the play Antigone, both references an unjust in the writings a higher law is mentioned. That there is an injustice in both something that defies the higher laws, laws that are not implicated by men. There is a basis for Martin Luther King’s moral principle, it is due to his Catholic religion and reading of the bible. For the play Antigone has mentioned these Higher laws a multitude of times, the higher laws largely impact the actions that the characters take on the play. The higher laws, what the higher laws are, are laws that are not set by humans or any man at any point in time.
“Letter from Jail” On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the eight clergymen while he was incarcerated. Dr. King wrote this letter to address one of the biggest issues in Birmingham, Alabama and other areas within the United States. The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discussed the great injustices that were happening during that time towards the black community. Dr. King wanted everyone to have the same equal rights as the white community, he also went into further details about the struggles that African Americans were going through for so many years, which he felt like it could change. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement.
With the help of these four steps, he justifies the need for the demonstration. King illustrates the city of Birmingham as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,” (King 2). Here King is able to show that injustices are present in Birmingham, which further justifies his reason for a peaceful demonstration. King proceeds to speak about his method of protesting. He states that negotiation was not met, and that “[their] hopes had been blasted,” that like “victims of a broken promise,” their wishes had been disregarded, (King 2).
“Effective writing can cause riots, ignite revolutions, and induce love. Treat the form with respect” (Ellis). Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, was a revolutionary document. It was not a letter to cause a bloody revolution, rather being a letter to heal. The United States was a festering wound that wasn’t able to heal on it’s own, and needed the assistance of King.