Historical And Biblical Allusions In Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

King and Douglass to a considerable degree. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King responds to the clergymen with logical reasoning whom write his community off as extremist (6). He emphasizes that his community has practiced and highlighted the power of nonviolent protest and communicates that the "excellent way of love and nonviolent protest" is one that they practice (6). This way, Dr. King seems to reclaim and rationalize the charged term 'extremist,' which is often carried with negative connotation. With a string of rhetorical questions, he inquires "Was not Jesus an extremist for love?

He explains this by discussing the unjust law system. He states, “One may well ask, "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "An unjust law is no law at all” (3). C. Claim about Reading 2 (state what is the claim that you will be making about your second reading)

Many people believe in the word “Activism,” but they have never truly experienced what it means to be an “Activist”. During the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was embroiled in the civil rights struggle when he penned his now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. To completely understand Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, you have to understand why it was written. It was, while King was in jail for 11 days in Birmingham, Alabama during the civil rights struggles of 1963, written in response to a local newspaper article written by 8 local white clergymen. In that article they questioned why he was there (he was loosely referred to as an outsider) and the timing of the peaceful protests.

There he wrote "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," which advocates civil disobedience against unjust laws. After years of marches, protests, speeches, and conferences in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. In conclusion, Martin Luther king and Gandhi had more comparisons than contrasts, however they were both protesting for different injustice problems in their government using nun violence acts they both had the same believes about civil disobedience and they both end up in jail. Even though Gandhi end up in jail more times than Martin Luther

In the two writings The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, by Abraham Lincoln and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr.; each author explores the complications of their society when they lived and how they view the laws present. For the two writings, the authors explore the levels of ability the people of America have to change laws that they do not see fit for their democracy. In the First Amendment of the Constitution, the people are given the right to petition their government if they feel their rights are being compromised, while also reserving the right to assemble to show their unhappiness with the law or laws created. Each one of these men does not embody the same ideals, causing a conflict of thoughts on how Americans should be allowed to petition their government. The same could be asked about how the government is required to act when they are being petitioned.

These people have been moved and motivated to take action, by not only the wrongdoings of the government. But with the help of people like King who give his speeches to people about segregation and how they should end it. Martin Luther King uses Metaphors and Allusions in his "Letter from Birmingham

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he uses different methods of persuasion throughout his letter to help the eight white religious leaders understand why he has paid a visit to Birmingham. Starting with Ethos, King uses this to justify that he is not an outsider as they may think. King is a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that has various facilities spread out across the South including Birmingham. King and many of his staff members were requested to visit Birmingham it is not as if they were planning to raid the city and disrupt the peace if there was any to begin with. To top it off the invitation that King and his staff received was sent months ago before they arrived at Birmingham.

Letter from Birmingham Jail – Analysis Questions 1.) Audience: The audience the clergymen were trying to reach was Martin Luther King Junior; they were trying to explain why they feel like the segregation movements are, as the letter describes it, a bother to the people of Alabama. The Clergyman’s letter was discussing the people who feel as though they are having to “deal with racial problems in Alabama.” Martin Luther King Junior’s speech was trying to explain to the clergymen why black people feel the need to cause a movement, and why he feels the need to lead such a big event, like ending racism.

In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr addresses seven clergymen about a letter they wrote about King and his demonstrations with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King addresses these clergymen in a professional manner, but he also states the reasons why he and the rest of the protesters are protesting. Even though people have different views of the world, everyone has the same hopes and dreams for their country to be perfect. During Dr. King’s time the topic was about race. In today’s world there is the same topic but we have come a long way.

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. is about the unfair, brutal, and racist treatment the black community has been receiving from white people. This letter was written when he was arrested after peacefully protesting about segregation and how the black people didn’t agree with the law. In the letter, Martin Luther King Jr.’s feelings are being expressed toward the unfair events and it is an example of a well-written argument. In the letter are three claims pointed from King, it states he has a valid reason for being in Birmingham, the black community has no alternative, but to demonstrate and the need for justice is urgent. Also, it discusses king’s intentions during the civil rights movements.

He uses examples to explain the differences between just and unjust laws (4). Also how everything that Adolf Hitler did was legal but immoral, just like what America was doing at the time (4). He uses religious, historical, and political examples to show the clergymen that he is just as educated as they are. His religious examples include Jesus who was an extremist for love, Paul the extremist for the word of God. It also includes Shadrach, Meshach, Abendigo who refused to obey Nebuchadnezzar’s immoral laws, Amos the extremist for justice, and Martin Luther who was another example of a religious extremist (6).

So if segregation is morally wrong, it can’t be a just law and Dr. King looks at it as being acceptable to violate the segregation ordinances because it is an unjust law. Another example of an unjust law is when a larger group creates a law that the smaller group couldn’t have a voice in because obstacles prevented them from voting. At the time period different methods kept Negros from becoming registered voters. In other words it wouldn’t be fair to say the governing body that enacted the segregation laws were voted in by the majority, when a large portion didn’t a have voice in the matter. King argued it was justifiable to break this law because a law couldn’t be just when the Negro communities weren’t given the same rights to vote on the segregation laws.

Being a highly educated civil rights activist, a fellow minister, and the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King declared his knowledge and experience as proof that he had the authority to speak on the issues. He strategically used biblical and historical references to expose the reality that segregation, injustice, and racism still strongly existed in Birmingham. Though it was an open letter to all Americans, his intended audience was the eight white clergymen. He presented them with concise reasoning for why they too should take action, or face the dilemma of being immorally incorrect in their beliefs.

Martin Luther King letter from Birmingham’s jail, it is an emotive letter written from his 8 days solitary confinement in Birmingham city. In this letter Martin Luther king intends to respond to his critics by letting them know about the motives of his nonviolent actions. As an activist of African American of the civil rights movement, Luther king replies to his clergyman peers with reasons why the way to conquer real freedom for color people is through legal reforms rather than violent actions. One of the main arguments of his letter, it is his non-conformity with white people decision to not follow the enacted law of 1954, in which Negros were given equalitarian treatment as white people did. Martin Luther king uses his most eloquent words

Atlanta, Georgia 1929, a Baptist priest was born a son who would grow up to be a fighter of extraordinary proportions. This son grew up into a man-Martin Luther King Jr. and this man became the face of African American civil rights during the 60’s. April 16, 1963 he wrote a powerful letter in response to white clergyman who stated that racial injustices should not be fought in the streets, but rather in the courts. A Letter From Birmingham Jail is a piece that defined a trying time in American history and continues to be relevant today. King discusses non-violent resistance and the deplorable state the church was in.