Examples Of Symbolic Interactionism In Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King pinpoint the oppressed should be able to raises their high dignity and do not come with the hate and malice to the injustice system. He also indicates the nonviolent resistance contribute to the moral way and will be a positive model for the next generation. At last, Martin Luther King conclude his argument with his philosophy of how to deal with the oppression, and to clarify that the nonviolence resistance is not against the people but against the

In this analysis ,”Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King’s was exhibiting his skills in the usage of Ethos, Logos ,and Pathos to respond to his fellow Clergymen who blamed him for organizing the blacks to demonstrate and make the whole world aware of how they are been treated in the Birmingham community. After reading King’s letter I have realized that he was such a passionate and strong man who was able to fight to the end to achieve his goal, had it not because of his actions the injustice will still be going on in this country up till now. Despite everything his opponents do to bring him down, he still stood strong to fight for the black community. I was also impressed about his work of art and the choice of words that he uses to make his letter a success. After I finished reading the essay I felt sad for him going to jail and the punished he experienced over there, but it takes one person’s sacrifice to save the rest.

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King uses allusions to historical and biblical individuals and events to justify and support his reasoning. In the letter he uses the examples of how equality and freedom are possible today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience and America civilly disobeyed Great Britain through the Boston Tea Party. Throughout history, individuals have disobeyed the authorities over them to invoke change. King has done and is doing just that. After the arrest of King, you declared him an extremist in his ways.

Dr. King’s earnest “Letter from Birmingham Jail” seeks to both justify the past and forthcoming actions being taken within the Civil Rights Movement as well as create an understanding of the importance and urgency of what was considered to most at the time a disruption of the public peace.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a response to a public statement of caution that was issued by several religious leaders of the South. During the midst of the nonviolent demonstrations against segregation in Birmingham, Dr. King was arrested and felt compelled to respond to their statement as he saw these fellow religious men as sincere and of good nature. In this letter he defends the use of nonviolent resistance to the racism occurring. He states that there is a moral responsibility to break unjust laws when taking direct action, in order to further the cause for justice which does not occur on its own.

The purpose for Martin Luther king to write “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was to respond to white Alabama clergymen who before this had criticized his action saying they were “unwise and untimely.” These clergymen had published a criticism directed towards King’s organization and participation in his protest march against segregation in Birmingham. This letter is not intended to persuade these men towards supporting civil rights, but rather to demonstrate that there is an immediate need towards direct action, and also that they need to open their eyes and see the African American community’s suffering. King withal expounds the need for tension, though only through nonviolent means, a tension that will coerce society to confront the present convivial iniquity head on. King disapproves being called an outsider because of his belief that humanity is part an "inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."

In August of 1963 while confined in Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote to the religious leaders of Birmingham, who had voiced discontent regarding the recent demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. The letter written by Dr. King, not only gathered local attention, but also brought awareness nationwide to the growing civil rights movement. In this analysis, I will identify Dr. Kings intended purpose in writing this letter, its directed audience, and the techniques that made it effective.

Martin Luther King, Jr. uses metaphors to make his argument in “The Letter To Birmingham Jail” by saying things such as “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say wait.” He is referring to when the people were being brutalized by police officers. They were kicked, cursed at, and treated awfully. I believe one reason Martin Luther King uses metaphors in his writing to show you more detail and give you a visual of what he is saying. In addition a good example of Martin Luther King using a metaphor to show detail would be when he talks about little girls not being able to go and play on the playground with other white children.

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written precisely on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. the letter was written to his co-ministers in reaction to their disapproval about his deeds in Birmingham. This letter was written when there was discrimination in the South. The forcefulness and communal prejudice have created unnecessary heartache and depression among black people, with the way things are going if there is no solution to the problems things might get out of hands. The writer stresses that if they stop the protest there will not be a chance for change, acceptability, and understandings of the blacks to get the right they deserve. In addition, it will be difficult to solve the socioeconomic and human problems rising among the blacks and the whites. In order to defend his wish for racial justice and equality, the writer uses an ethical appeal, logical appeal, and pathetic appeal to earn his audience approval.

As a result of racist laws that forced blacks to be segregated and refused them their right to peacefully protest, Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960’s, was considered the most racist part of the United States and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. worked towards removing segregation laws from being enforced. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. publicly addressed the issue of racism on a religious, political, and social aspect by addressing his letter to the clergymen, disobeying the law through nonviolent civil disobedience, and expressing disappointment when he did not receive support from the white moderate, respectively. Advocating against the extreme racial injustice in Birmingham, Dr. King’s support of St. Augustine’s belief that “an unjust law is no law at all” caused a controversial debate across the country over who has the authority to decide which laws should be disobeyed (King 3). Although Dr. King addressed his letter to the white clergymen, his target audience was to the entire white moderate of the country whom he hoped would help him gain support in order to change unjust laws that promote segregation and refuse citizens of their First Amendment rights to a peaceful protest (King 4). Dr. King was looking for support from other members of society in order to create an effective change in society’s ethics. Moreover, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s large audience and public movement used nonviolent

Martin Luther King Jr. discusses the advantages and purposes for his theory of nonviolent direct action in his Letter From Birmingham City Jail. He shows four basic steps that must be taken to achieve nonviolent action. They include 1) collection of facts to determine whether injustices are alive; 2) negotiation; 3) self-purification; and 4) direct action. Each of these steps will be explained as part of King's argument later in this essay. The main purpose of a nonviolent campaign is to force any community to confront a problem rather than refuse to negotiate or face a specific issue. In the letter, King discusses his group's reasons for coming to Birmingham.

James A. Colaiaco in the article, “The American Dream Unfulfilled: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’” explains how Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence tactics ultimately allowed African Americans to make great strides for equality in the Supreme Court. Colaiaco supports his claims by giving detailed explanations about the main points mentioned within King’s letter. The author’s purpose is to persuade the reader to continue to help making social changes in order to fulfill the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Colaiaco begins his article by giving the reader background information about events that took place during the early 1960’s and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s role in the civil rights movement. He argues that “the events in Birmingham proved to be a turning point in the battle for civil rights, after which the forces of

This was openly embraced in the Civil Rights Movement in America. The faces of the movement were many but most notably among them were Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. As he explicates upon in “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. practiced civil disobedience, he did it to bring attention to plight of African Americans at the time and attract the news outlets to Birmingham, the capital for racial injustice. At the time, African Americans were facing horrible treatment, including unfair treatment in courts, unsolved bombings of churches and homes, a refusal by “city fathers” to negotiate, and countless other transgressions. In the light of this, the acts of civil disobedience the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. took part in sparked public attention and led to changes in the public’s regard fro civil rights issues.

The paper analyses Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “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 “nonviolent direct action” and “natural law” and determines their importance in the civil rights movement.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a powerful and eloquent letter that effectively argued the point that segregation is fundamentally unjust and should be fought with nonviolent protest. This letter, through describing the injustice taking place during the civil rights movement also provided some insight about Dr. King’s view of the government in the 1960s. Three mains themes present in Dr. King’s letter were religion, injustice, and racism.