Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

199 Words1 Page

In his writing, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. asserts that corrupt segregation laws throughout the United States need to be reformed. King supports his argument by employing analogies, anaphoras and pathetic appeal. The author’s purpose is to highlight the injustices and oppression which black Americans face in everyday America in order to reform segregation laws in the southern United States. He writes to an audience of white church leaders, supporters of segregation and American society. Martin Luther King Jr.’s argument is a reflection of decades of work pursuing social justice as a civil rights activist. King’s use of analogy is found in the second cited paragraph. The comparison is made between the word “wait”

Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
542 Words | 3 Pages
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
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
278 Words | 2 Pages
Summary of the Letter In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, he addresses many criticisms from clergymen. King started out by addressing the fact that the clergymen are calling him an outsider. He also addressed how to have nonviolent cases and how laws are breakable if they are unjust. The clergymen believed that the blacks needed to be patient and that their actions were untimely, but King does not agree. Finally, King addresses the problems in the church and the Birmingham police force.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
295 Words | 2 Pages
The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr., is as stated, a letter. It is in response to the clergymen who criticized him for being in Alabama. Throughout the letter, King explains why he is in Birmingham. He stated that he was there to negotiate with businesses. Some made promises to King and did not fulfill them.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
209 Words | 1 Pages
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”.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
333 Words | 2 Pages
In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (1963) Martin Luther King Jr.,revered leader of the Civil Rights Movement, argues for the urgency of changing segregation laws. He supports his argument through the uses of fluent anaphora, weighty allusion, and urging imagery. His purpose is to make known the reality of a day in the life of Negro in order to compel the recipient’s to think “What if?” Dr. King addresses the white clergymen with a respectful and dignified tone although his circumstances. ‘Wait’ another word for never to the Negro.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
174 Words | 1 Pages
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King expresses his point of view on the points made by several clergymen about his non-violence demonstration in Birmingham, more specifically, his disagreement with the points the clergymen made. By presenting the ideas the white majority supports and responding to it, King effectively identifies the flaws in the arguments the white majority supports. An example of this would be when King explains that the white majority believes that the non-violent demonstrations are forms of extremist. After he points out the argument the white majority makes about non-violent demonstrations, King mentions the flaw behind this idea. He goes on and explains that if the white majority believes that his non-violent
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
1120 Words | 5 Pages
Alyssa Farris Dr. Michael Torrence English 1020 10 February 2015 1. Review paragraphs 1-4 carefully. What is King's purpose in that section of the Letter? Who is he addressing and how does he attempt to build confidence and trust (ethos)? How does his tone show awareness of his actions?
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
486 Words | 2 Pages
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.”
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
570 Words | 3 Pages
In his open letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written on April 16, 1963, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King wrote this letter after he was arrested for being part of a non-violent protest, which was against racial segregation. The letter is in response to a declaration made by eight Alabama clergymen, “A Call for Unity,” on 12 April, 1963. The declaration stated that the existence of social injustice and racial segregation should be fight in court and not in the streets. Dr. King answered that without strong direct action, like his own, real civil rights could never be truly achieved.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
348 Words | 2 Pages
Martin Luther King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" not only to reply to criticism from clergymen, but to expose the racism in this city and promote his mission. King starts off his letter by writing about how he does not usually reply to all the criticism he receives, but he feels that this topic is too important to let pass by (King 331). King appeals to all aspects of citizens. By mentioning that he is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King ethically appeals to his audience by strengthening his character with experience and leadership skills (King 332). Another way King ethically appeals to his audience is by writing about the many occasions that African Americans have been treated unfairly.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
165 Words | 1 Pages
“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was written by Martin Luther King in 1963. He claims that real civil disobedience doesn’t mean succumbing to the forces of evil, but encouraging people to use the power of love to confront evil. He believes in the power of conscience which is implicit in everyone’s mind. He wants to awaken the conscience of more people, and he wants to use moral force to expose the unjust law. He also indicates that law-abiding protests and moralizing can not simply abolish apartheid.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
232 Words | 1 Pages
In his seminal work, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. passionately advocates for immediate action against racial injustice. Published in 1963, his letter serves as a compelling response to critics who opposed his methods of protest and urged patience in the pursuit of racial equality. King emphasizes the urgency of the civil rights movement and the indispensability of nonviolent resistance in addressing segregation and discrimination. The core of King's argument lies in his firm belief that justice cannot be postponed. He firmly rejects the idea of delaying the struggle for racial equality, highlighting the perpetuation of suffering and oppression that would result from inaction.
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
992 Words | 4 Pages
(6) King warns against the allowance of too much time passing. The demonstrations that he helped to orchestrate, that the clergymen deemed “untimely” were a testament to King’s dedication to use time constructively, to not let too much time pass without taking further action. Just as the practices and principles of dialogue and nonviolence that King advocated for were also literary tools for in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, so is this idea of the use of time constructively - as king was in fact in a jail cell while writing this letter. He did not wait until he was released from jail to write this letter, and he did not allow the time he spent in jail to become wasted time, time that could have become destructive to his cause and to the movement of which he was a
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
541 Words | 3 Pages
Extended Summary In April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail after participating in a peaceful protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Eight clergymen had criticized King in a letter titled "A Call for Unity" and King replied with the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" with the intention to eradicate all social injustices by peacefully protesting the unjust laws placed in Birmingham, Alabama, and all throughout the South. King starts with addressing the clergymen's claim of him being an "outsider". He refutes that he was invited to Birmingham as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which operate in every southern state, "to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program" (King 699).
Read More
Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail
1239 Words | 5 Pages
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., King addresses the dynamics of social power in the United States. Social power is defined as the degree of influence that an individual or organization has among their peers and within their society as a whole. This idea is illustrated throughout King’s letter to show the significance of the disadvantages and unfair treatment the black community has faced for the entirety of their existence. The black community has never been able to gain the respect of others they deserve, due to racism. Martin Luther King is able to express these ideas by referencing multiple examples as to how social power has negatively affected their societal presence for many years.
Read More

Open Document

Summary Of Letter From Birmingham Jail