A Letter From The Birmingham Jail

       Martin Luther King Jr's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written during his 8 day sentence in jail in 1963. He chose to travel and protest in Birmingham due to the fact that it was widely known as one of the most segregated city in the U.S. The letter not only addresses the issues of unjustly being arrested for being an "extremist" of his approach to the protest, and of the incompetence of the church but its also an appeal for things to be seen from his point of view.

On April 16, 1963, from a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. composed an extensive letter to eight clergymen who condemned the timing of the civil rights movement. Although the letter was addressed to these eight clergymen, the Letter from Birmingham Jail speaks to a national audience, especially King’s “Christian and Jewish brothers”(King, 29). His peaceful but firm letter serves as a remarkably persuasive voice to an immensely chaotic mess, and is seen as a major turning point in the civil rights movement. King believes that without direct action, the full rights for African Americans could never be achieved. He defends the impatience of people in the civil rights movement, upholding that without forceful

Martin Luther King’s adherence towards peace and especially social justice is clearly shown in “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In this letter King writes with passion and conviction. Through this suggestive yet powerful letter Martin Luther King uses various rhetorical devices to get his point across by saying “justice too long delayed, is justice denied.” Through the clergymen’s arguments and use of ethos, pathos, and logos, he demonstrates to them that they need to take action immediately.

After being criticized about his presence in Birmingham by white clergy in a letter published in the Birmingham newspaper, Martin Luther King set out to not only establish why he was in Birmingham, but also to establish moral, legal, and ethical cause to his platform and the resultant peaceful protests he had been promoting, all of which lead to his arrest and the reason he was in jail. Martin Luther King established early on in the letter his credibility as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and also that he was in Birmingham due to an invitation as a result of his organizational ties. Mr. King also went on to elaborate about his personal reason for being there due to a great injustice to the black people that prevailed in Birmingham. Mr. King used the artistic proofs of ethos, logos and pathos to establish his credibility and persuade or convince his audience in the relevance of his platform.

Martin Luther King created an archive that might start the defining moment of the Civil Rights development furthermore provides of the battle for genetic equity. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” aims to defend those who are frantic for peaceful immediate action, the outright shamelessness for unfair laws is very disgraceful and it needed to be exposed for what it really was. Also the expanding likelihood of falling back on amazing confusion and fighting, the utter frustration for those who lie within the chapel who, in King's opinion, required not to live up to their obligations as individuals for the lord. Those activities of the African-American race needed aid and support as the lord required demonstrated in King's Letter. Likewise, King explains, “past promises have been broken by the politicians and merchants of Birmingham and now is the time to fulfill the natural right of all people to be treated equal”. Secondly, King's solution for those clergymen's declarations that separating the law may not be the path to accomplish the effects the African-American is searching for. King feels that the chapel has bypassed its responsibilities to the African-American people, concealing behind “anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows”. King sums up his letter by making a side point that he trusts that the chapel will view its duty and intend as Concerning illustration individuals of the lord and comprehend to have immediate action, those who support unfair/one sided laws and the looming risk of the African-American climbing dependent upon Previously, savagery if they would not listen. King does this all in a diplomatic, ardent

The ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ was written on April 16, 1963. The letter was a response to directed to his fellow clergymen about how he was imprisoned for protesting, and to answer the criticism he received about his work and ideas trying to get fair treatment and equal rights in the United States. The Letter had intent to change the clergymen's thoughts, and so the clergymen would accept him and his ideas, also to act upon them.

One powerful example of King’s pull on the reader’s consciousness in his letter is on page three when he refutes the argument of the Clergymen saying that Colored people should just “wait”.  While many words truly stand out, King’s true effect was mastered by the appeal to the parents in the group, “When you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: “Daddy, why white people treat colored people so mean” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail” 3)Then again, “humiliation day in and day out by nagging signs” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail 3) and even further, when “you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail 3).  Another element that helps support King’s point in his letter is the fervent repetition of his blatant disappointment in more than simply the clergymen, but their Christian faith and the churches in service within Alabama during this time. King repeats how disappointed he was in the “common whites” also and their bystander reactions to racial issues. The fact that this man, a minister, “beneath” the said extremist white clergymen, and inhabiting a jail cell during that time, who was disappointed in people showed a true depth which hit the audience profoundly. (King)

Martin Luther King’s inspiration for writing his, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was mainly to appeal to an undeniable injustice that occurred during his time. His letter was in response tos eight white clergymen, who objected to King protesting in Birmingham. Dr. King effectively crafted his counterargument after analyzing the clergymen’s unjust proposals and then he was able to present his rebuttal. Dr. King effectively formed his counterargument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then using logos, pathos and egos to present his own perspective on his opponent’s statements.

Aristotle is a very citable man when it comes to the way we think today. His rhetoric techniques are still being used in today's society. The Neo-Aristotelian Criticism is three different appeals of persuasion. This is ethos, pathos and logos, which makes one heck of a convincing argument. Ethos gives credibility, pathos shows emotion and logos uses words. In the text, Letter from Birmingham Jail, we find many examples of the criticism. Martin Luther King Jr. is writing a letter from inside the jail of Birmingham in April of 1963. This letter King wrote was in response to a letter he received from the religious leaders after King is making a stand against the racial issues in Alabama. These leaders

King opens the letter by explaining that he is replying to their criticisms, in that the protests are “unwise and untimely” (p. 120). King believes that the clergymen are sincere people of genuine good will, but are serving as God’s people in an unjust society. King later highlights the example of early Christians such as Apostle Paul, who preached far from home, and relates to his personal Christian duty in which he chose to travel to Birmingham to blacklist injustice. After all, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” according to King, so when it comes to fighting injustice, there is no such thing as an outsider in the U.S. (p. 121). King gives numerous examples of personal and political wrongs that have taken place while African-Americans had waited for racial equality. Under the hardship of such injustice, impatience is understandable. King responds to the clergymen’s concerns about the protestors’ violation of laws by deciphering between just and unjust laws within an unjust society. Just laws collaborate with moral law and should be obeyed. Unjust laws violate the commandments put forth by God, therefore must not be obeyed. King expresses his anguish in the lack of action from white moderates, as they feared disorder more than injustice and believe they had the right to tell African-Americans to wait for their freedom. King compares segregation to a boil that can’t be cured “as long as it is covered up” but that can be cured if it is “opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light” (p. 125). King’s final response is criticism of the clergymen’s applause of Birmingham law enforcement’s maintenance of order during the protests.

Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful advocate for civil rights, was jailed for his non-violent protest against segregation. During his stay at the Birmingham Jail, a group of religious leaders publically attacked him with criticisms for his peaceful protest. As a counter attack, King wrote 'The Letter From Birmingham Jail'. This counter was successful for King was able to analyze and address his audience, refer to historical and religious figures and utilize anaphoras, making this letter, one of the most impressive argumentative essays.

In arguing, writers use different techniques to effectively convey their message to their intended audience. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was a response to "A Call for Unity" by eight white clergymen in which King’s presence in Birmingham and his methods of public demonstration were questioned. King’s letter was not only a response to his presence in Birmingham, but he also used the opportunity to address the unjust proposals by the clergymen that Negroes wait for the legal system to abolish segregation and unjust laws. King uses rhetorical modes of persuasion such as ethos, pathos and logos to meticulously address and discredit the claims made by the

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a defense of the kind of non-violent direct action that King promoted and used during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. It is a response to statements of disapproval made by the clergymen of Birmingham, Alabama, and is obviously written in a way that appeals directly to this audience. King uses his knowledge of this audience's identity to design highly targeted arguments and to choose relevant historical examples for citation, and uses his personal experience in writing sermons and speeches to construct moving sermon-like passages that complement and reinforce his arguments. The arguments' basis in terms that the clergymen will find to be familiar and agreeable,

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail," the leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., discusses the injustices and racism of the African-American community in order to address the clergymen's concerns. King’s purpose is to display the racial discrimination of the black in America, to justify his cause, and dispute the requirement of immediate action. He develops an earnest tone throughout the letter to let his readers know that he is not attacking the clergymen but merely trying to get his point across.

Despite both Malcolm X and MLK actively fighting for freedom and equality during the Civil Rights Movement, both men are not remembered equal. Undeniably, their approaches were different and this resulted in varying outcomes for their success. Indirect action seemed ineffective to Malcolm and he desired changed immediately which seems like the most effective route for change, yet Martin Luther King Jr. is famously known for his success. Malcolm X focused on direction action and standing up for the black community while Dr. King wanted to negotiate and was willing to wait for his equality which ultimately allowed him more success.