Letters to Birmingham Analysis - 1728 Words

Over the course of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† (1963), the author, Martin Luther King Jr., makes extended allusions to multiple philosophers, among them Aquinas and Socrates. His comparison would seem to indicate that he shares an affinity with them. However, the clarity with which he makes his arguments and the dedication to a single premise strikes most strongly of Kant. Just as Kant’s magnum opus, Critique of Pure Reason, attempted to completely upend a previously accepted mode of thought, so also was King’s work devoted to a single objective: the protection of civil disobedience as a form of protest such that the Civil Rights Movement could continue in uncompromised form. Despite this singularity of purpose, the complexity of the†¦show more content†¦King says,â€Å"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was ‘illegal.â€℠¢ It was ‘illegal’ to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers.† Here he establishes a powerful example of an unjust law (how it was illegal to aid a Jewish person in Germany during Hitler’s rule), and how he would have reacted to it (giving aid to his â€Å"Jewish brothers†). This tosses the ball back into the clergymen’s court – implying that they should think about what they would have done. It is assumed that as good Christians, they would have given aid to any person in need. He draws a correlation to the atrocities committed against the Jews to the atrocities committed against African Americans in America – though on a much smaller scale, the situations can be considered similar, with unjust laws bringing about violence and deaths. King forces the clergymen to think about the morally correct course of ac tion. Martin Luther King then justifies his fight for an â€Å"extremist† cause by providing specific examples of other historical â€Å"extremist† causes that actually brought about changes for the better. He says, â€Å"Was not Jesus an extremist for love†¦ was not Amos an extremist for justice.. was not Paul an extremist for theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail1074 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was serving a prison sentence in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama for nonviolently protesting through sit ins and marches.. It was during this time that King, outraged by the criticism of his methods of nonviolent direct action, wrote one of the most thoughtful arguments for civil disobedience and direct action against unjust and immoral laws. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a poignant rebuttalRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail1052 Words   |  5 Pagesracial discrimination is? A Rhetorical Analysis of Letter From Birmingham Jail It is known to all that Martin Luther King is a famous person in America, who strongly goes against the racial discrimination all the time. Here, in this letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, it is easy for us to realize that racial discrimination appears and the non-violence action is still serious at that time. As a matter of fact, this letter is coming from the people in the Birmingham jail, stating their inner thoughtsRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Letter from Birmingham Jail1517 Words   |  7 PagesPonder Eng291-001 13 September 2013 Rhetorical Analysis Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† by Martin Luther King, Jr., is a letter in which King is writing to his â€Å"fellow clergymen† in a response to their recent criticism of the actions he was leading in Birmingham at the time. The letter was written in April of 1963, a time when segregation was essentially at a peak in the south. Birmingham, in particular, is described by King as â€Å"probablyRead MoreCritical Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail1191 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis Essay â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† 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 theRead MoreAnalysis of Letter From Birmingham Jail773 Words   |  4 Pagesperceptive to his message. Though King pierces the heart of his audience by pinpointing their patriotism and value of family relations, he also provides his targets of persuasion with a more comfortable and enticing appeal. Throughout King’s letter there are numerous alliterations, each serves the same purpose of augmenting his argument. King states â€Å"When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters. The hard â€Å"c† or â€Å"k† sound reinforces theRead MoreAnalysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail1542 Words   |  7 Pagesto defend yourself? In â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail,† Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses fellow ministers’ criticisms on his movement by eloquently expressing his views on the fight to end segregation in an incredibly organized manner. He calmly and directly shoots back a compelling argument to those who question his authority to lead protests on the subject. Overall, King uses exampl es and accurate representations of history to show the need for change. MLK Jr.’s letter embodies the rightful cryRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail Analysis1172 Words   |  5 Pageswrote too. This is displayed in professional fashion in the Letter From Birmingham Jail. Martin displayed a circus of statements in response to the Clergymen in the Letter From Birmingham Jail. He did this by analyzing their statements and responding with his own in an argumentative manner. He demonstrated this through persuasive statements, answering quotes from the community, and used a past leader as an example. Through this letter, Martin proved he could hold his ground in the line of fireRead MoreLetter from a Birmingham Jail Analysis1025 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"A Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in the margins of a letter posted by the clergymen of Alabama at this time that sparked his interest and while he inhabited the jail cell for paradin g around without a permit. This time allowed him the ability to respond wholeheartedly to this cynical oppressing. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s and this direct response distinguishes King’s strong points through his powerful writing.   UnethicalRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Letter From Birmingham 1148 Words   |  5 PagesBridgette Beach-Bankole September 21, 2017 AP Language Composition Homework #2 â€Å"But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedomRead MoreAnalysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail1197 Words   |  5 PagesDr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"A Letter From Birmingham Jail,† depicts the fight for equality by African Americans during the civil rights movement. In this letter, King uses tone, rhetorical questions, and allusions to discuss the racial segregation sweeping the nation. King’s letter is a response to â€Å"A Call For Unity,† a condemning message written by eight white clergymen who frowned upon the peaceful protests conducted by many African Americans. Although Dr. King i s presently seen as an American