Letter From Birmingham Jail Act - 904 Words

In April 1963, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was caught in the midst of massive civil rights protests. Protestors advocating for desegregation brought the city to a halt with widespread disruptive yet peaceful protests. After a circuit court placed an injunction against protesting, parading and picketing King was arrested for his involvement. While in jail King received a letter written by eight Alabama clergymen criticizing King for his disruptive protests and the breaking of laws which lead to his arrest. In response King wrote an open letter explaining his actions that would be known as â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†. In his letter Dr. King effectively addresses an unsympathetic audience by focusing on building his credibility rather than seeking an emotional response. The largest challenge Dr. King faced in writing his response was that his audience did not respect him. As a result of the laws he devoted himself to protest, Dr. King was a second class citizen. To the white clergymen he was addressing he was both socially and legally inferior. The feeling of supremacy that the clergymen, and many other whites, had toward blacks at the time made them largely unsympathetic to their plight. To avoid appearing pitiful or even pathetic he maintains a calm and authoritative tone. Even though the clergymen were harshly critical of his activities and methods King responds in a collected manner â€Å"I feel that [†¦] your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answerShow MoreRelatedLetter From Birmingham City Jail Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesProfessor Ybarra Philosophy 1C 23 November 2015 Letter From Birmingham City Jail Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham City Jail to the clergymen, saying that they criticized the actions and how they were targeting him. He explains in the letter how the city of Birmingham has gone through all the nonviolent campaigns and that it proves that their is serious racial injustice. Martin Luther King Jr. composed the letter to Birmingham in 1963. The reason why so many people were complainingRead MoreThe Great Thinkers Like Socrates And Martin Luther King1229 Words   |  5 Pagessomeone who earns knowledge from an unreliable source. He believed that his source were reliable and it was suitable for the society, Similar to Socrates, Martin Luther King advances his community by letting his people to seek more knowledge about just and unjust laws. In his letter from Birmingham jail, King says â€Å"How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust† (Letter from Birmingham Jail, 611). Socrates was onRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From A Birmingham Jail873 Words   |  4 PagesAfter criticism from eight Alabama clergymen for his nonviolent demonstrations, Martin Luther King Jr. was compelled to enlighten them on the current issues plagui ng the African American community. During his confinement in a Birmingham jail, King wrote Letter from a Birmingham Jail to address most of the clergymen s concerns about his protest. In his letter, King emphasized why his actions were not unwise or untimely and explained that now was the perfect moment to act. His studies and sermonsRead More Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay1349 Words   |  6 PagesLetter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. â€Å"Hence, segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the greatest speakers in all of history wrote these words in his letter from Birmingham Jail (King 48). His great use of rhetoric affected largely the freeing of an entire race. During his work in the Civil Rights Movement, he visited a small town called Birmingham in Alabama, and wroteRead MoreEssay on Birmingham 19631346 Words   |  6 PagesIn April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as â€Å"Bombingham.† It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and were n’t very well attended. This was dueRead MoreSociological Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail1214 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Sociological Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail Abstract The paper analyses Martin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† from a sociological point of view and shows how three major theories (structural functionalism, social conflict, and symbolic interactionism) are treated in the letter. The paper shows different appreciation of King’s ideas and works by his contemporaries and modern people. It also explores the concepts of â€Å"nonviolentRead More The Rhetoric of Pathos in the Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1141 Words   |  5 PagesAfrican-Americans behind a veneer of social and political platitudes accepted as givens by others in the same society. Those easy assumptions Dr. King challenged in his reflections on the African-Americans experience to that time. What set apart his remarks from all the others that day, however, were elements of style--an oratorical style--that Dr. King had honed in speech after speech for years. He was, in fact, a much practiced orator. A comparison of almost any set of his remarks reveals the key to theRead MoreKing s Letter From Birmingham Jail1253 Words   |  6 Pagesdaughter she has a limited life because of her race? Segregation is the lack of diversity or also known as the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his acts against segregation during the civil rights movement. By this Letter from Birmingham Jail, King discusses the inequalities and prejudice forced upon African Americans. This great injustice leads to protest, which are led by King and his followers. TheseRead MoreLetter from Birmingham Jail Paper1660 Words   |  7 PagesLetter From Birmingham Jail Thesis Statement: This Letter, designed as a response to the clergymen that opposed the way in which Dr King was protesting, Dr King’s letter actually addresses two audiences simultaneously; the limited and defined group of clergymen and a broader and less exactly defined group of intelligent and religious white moderates. In this letter, Martin Luther King addresses these clergymen on their own terms. He uses the very cultural, biblical, and classical foundationsRead MoreLetter from Birmingham Jail1872 Words   |  8 Pages2015 Letter from Birmingham Jail-Rhetorical Analysis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time (racism) and to also address the critics he received from the clergymen. The letter discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham and although it is primarily aimed at the clergymen King writes the letter for all to read. In his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail