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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on 16 April 1963 in a solitary confinement cell in Birmingham, Alabama. He had terrible conditions when writing this letter since it is known that some parts of this letter were smuggled out by his lawyer on scraps of paper and even rough jailhouse toilet paper. Things were not looking good on Birmingham either, violent racism terror against black people was so bad that the city was being called “Bombingham” by some residents. But these things did not make King give up, he stood up for what he believes is true and he fought for it. In the following paragraphs, we will look at a brief summary of the letter to understand it better and after that we will try to see …show more content…

He tells that they are more devoted to "order" than to justice and they think they can restrict a man's freedom with their shallow understandings. King has hoped that they would understand that we have laws in order to have justice in this world. After that, King addresses the claim of him being an "extremist". He accepts this claim and describes that he is in the middle of two extreme ideas. One of them is to do nothing and the other one is a violent protest by hatred black nationalists. He informs that if King's philosophy is not emerged, more people will be on the violent side and it will inevitably lead to a chaos. Even though he wasn't happy about being categorized as an extremist at first, he states that he is now happy with the label, giving several examples of people considered extremist back in the day, like Jesus. After that, King talks about his disappointment of the Southern church, staying silent and not giving him any help. However, he is happy to see some white people who are in the same page with him. At last, he mentions the police torturing black people for no reason, and blames Clergymen for commanding them to do so. King believes that one day the clergymen will recognize their real heroes, which are the brave black men fighting against injustice. He finishes the letter with apologizing about the length of his letter but tells that considering he is alone in a narrow jail cell, he …show more content…

I imagined a dark, cold room where King was sitting by himself. Although he was in a very bad condition, I think his letter is masterfully crafted. He made me understand the situation very well. I felt bad for black people living in those times and I was also ashamed of the unacceptable behavior of "white moderate". He made me feel so much empathy that I thought I could be the one to solve all of the problems and bring justice to everywhere. When I read the quote "Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother", I was ready to join him no matter

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Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to address the issue of racial injustice in Birmingham and the United States at the time. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham, as well as serve as a rebuttal to the eight clergymen arguments. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses his appeals to emotion to establish his credibility on the topic of the racial discrimination and injustice that was occurring during that time, as well justify his reasons for protests. King wanted to make his letter come from an emotional standpoint to make the audience of clergymen feel the strong emotion and pain he was feeling about the outrage of acts and justify his cause of writing. “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and

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In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama when he was arrested. He was arguing his point that he was wrongfully arrested and describing bigger issues in Birmingham. Martin Luther King Jr. had been arrested while participating in a peaceful anti-segregation march on the grounds that he did not have the right or permission to do so. He claims in his letter that he was invited there to protest. He says “I am here in Birmingham because injustice is here”.

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Brian Ezenwugo Political Science Mr. Somma December 1st, 2014 Letter From Birmingham Jail The Letter from Birmingham Jail is a document written by Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963. This letter defended the approach of peaceful accommodations to racial discrimination, debating that citizens have a just responsibility to break biased laws. This letter stands alone as one of the most influential documents of the civil rights era. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter was intended to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.”

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Letter from the Birmingham Jail, a letter created by the one and only Martin Luther King Jr.(MLK). This letter was inscribed April 16, 1963 within the walls of MLK's cell at the Birmingham jail. The contents of his writing defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. Martin Luther King Jr states a commonly asked question “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth?

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In “Letters from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr answers the clergymen's criticisms in a calm and collected way, acknowledging them and providing insight into his ideas rather than attacking and criticizing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr begins this letter by addressing his audience, the clergymen, as “My Dear Fellow Clergymen.” This automatically shows that King is taking a more friendly, sincere approach to this rather than a confrontational approach. He is attempting to make them listen and agree with him and his ideas, not give them a reason to completely disregard what he is saying. Throughout the whole letter, King addresses the clergymen’s complaints and criticizes them, without directly attacking and accusing them.

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Disappointed with white moderates, King reveals that they are more "devoted to 'order' than to justice" (King 704). He hoped that the white moderates would understand that they need law and order to exist to establish justice. Their unwillingness to take action does not help King's movement to end segregation, which is why King emphasizes protest to eradicate the unjust

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In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail for protesting the treatment of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. Incarcerated, he wrote a letter in response to the Clergymen’s letter in which he wrote his thoughts and justified what many saw as an act that was “unwise and untimely” (King 2). King believed that people were born with the right to freedom and that he was trying to regain that right even though he continued to put it off. He finally saw that he could put it off no longer because of the broken promises and the time he was wasting. His being in Birmingham was brought by the injustice he believed to be there that was far greater than any other place.

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Martin states he is slightly satisfied for being considered an extremist. King gives different types of extremism. There are extremists for hate and extremists for love. There are extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the cause of justice. He notes that the world and especially the South are in serious need of inventive extremists.

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Letter From Birmingham Jail Sparknotes

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The priest protests that the demonstrations as unwise, untimely, and a lack of respect for the Negro community as their message to the powers that be. King believed that it was important to let the public see the other side of the argument for the clergy failed to offer any protesters credit for their actions. The clergy people think that the problems afflicting their country the benefits will be handled on a case that is not on a street corner. The King connected to his readers when he wrote a letter to the African-American community that they will no longer stand to go through as a white area and denying them their God-given

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With all those reason he hopes they clergymen understand the black community “unavoidable impatience” (King 1125). Throughout the rest of the letter he talks about how the clergymen are concerned about the African Americans willingness to break

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But, King was not going to let them take him down and that he is going stand what he believe what was right. He believes that justice itself is in contradictory. King believe injustice can be blackmail to justice and it can be place anywhere.

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When responding to the eight white clergymen, he states, “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas,” giving the reader the notion that a plethora of criticism must come across his desk. But, he has chosen to write a response and explain himself simply because King feels they are “men of genuine good will” and their criticism is “sincerely set forth.” After the introduction of his letter, he feels he must next explain his location at the time: Birmingham Jail. “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” says King. This quote lets the reader know there is a reason behind King’s arrest, a very good reason, too.

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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).

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