An Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a compelling letter from a Birmingham jail cell. This letter was to his peers, fellow religious leaders of the local churches who had felt his direct action tactic in their city were of poor taste. He was written a letter from these leaders and King felt a need to respond. Dr. King was a man who was used to being criticized and usually turned the other cheek. In this particular moment, he felt the need to respond to his peers and he did a successful job of addressing their concerns. King was proficient in using descriptive adjectives that provoke emotion and forces the reader to empathize with his points. Most successful was his use of biblical and philosophical reference to support his argument and remind the clergymen of their role and responsibility. King uses a plethora of non-basic words which stresses his level of education, ability to be well-versed and worldly knowledge. His sophisticated use of words definitely makes him a leader to his peers or any adversary that dares question him.

In his essay “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was addressing some fellow clergy-man that were questioning his actions that landed him in the Birmingham jail. In this letter Dr. King expressed several values that were worth giving his life for. He, masterfully, supported these values using Scriptural and secular examples. I will discuss only two of the values: Righteous Justice and Peaceful Action.

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King responds to the clergymen’s criticism on his non-violent actions being “unwise and untimely.” In his introduction, King uses front loading to provide a preview and background of what his letter will discuss. As he justifies why his actions were not “unwise or untimely” King addresses the bigger issue of the black community suffering injustices and the need to take action for justice. To convey his arguments King effectively uses quotations, allusions and pathos to support his argument and to refute what his opposition is saying.

Every writer needs an inspiration to craft a brilliant literary piece. Whether this inspiration is tangible or intangible, it is still necessary. Some forms of inspiration come as passionate love while others appeal as injustice. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was a response to "A Call for Unity" by eight white clergymen. His inspiration for writing the letter was the clergymen's unjust proposals and the letter allowed him to present his rebuttal. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen, and then using logos, pathos, and ethos to refute his opponent's statements and present his own perspective.

During the course of living human being are subjected to many controversial arguments and ethical stations. Education in concept of ethical reasoning and in the fundamentals of the principles are important for one to be skilled in ethical reasoning. Ethical reasoning is a very important element in human nature of living either professionally or individually. Ethical reasoning offers critics with the capability to represent viewpoints, ideas and make judgement. Moreover ethical reasoning enable critics’ to consciously give examination for them to reach a solution that does not harm anybody else. Ethical reasoning can be defined as arguing the wrong and the right of human behavior.

While I was reading Dr. King’s letter his main thesis to me was the fact that he was trying to protest peacefully and make amends with the clergyman. He was taken into jail where he had to explain himself writing this letter so that they will understand why he decided to take such actions. The worst part is that he was trying to make his point across to this man when he was doing nothing wrong just expressing his concerns as any other citizen, but not even a peaceful protest was allowed back then. Dr. King was trying to make society understand that black people are human too who have values and deserve to be treated like every other person.

In the middle of a civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. sat in a jail cell and wrote a letter on the margins of a newspaper. King writes to the eight other clergymen about his bittersweet, but optimistic views on this topic. The letter “Letters from Birmingham City Jail” explains how his actions that had him condemned and put in jail were justified and why they were the right things to do. King demonstrates that his peaceful protests were just and fair through his tone, logos and pathos.

Throughout history, there have been many significant documents and speeches that enlighten and inform us on what is and was happening during those times. Abraham Lincoln’s speech, The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned everybody that people who disrespected American laws could destroy the United States. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism, and argued that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. Based on these facts, Martin Luther King Jr does not agree with Lincoln’s counsel.

Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter called, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. This letter was written to clergymen who criticized his nonviolent approach. It was written in 1963 during the height of the Civil Rights movement. This letter’s purpose is to show the way that King felt about his movement to create a more equal society than what he was living in and what he thought about his nonviolent acts contrary to the clergyman.

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.

:"Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a powerful piece of writing that graces the writings by Martin Luther. Part of the power lies in the use of rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos, and pathos in the letter. Luther used these stylistic devices and literary approaches to express his message, intention and express the mood of the letter making a masterpiece like no other letters before.

In Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King responds to the eight clergymen, who just so happened to all be Caucasian, that wrote to him disagreeing with his views and actions referring to the very much long awaited issue of equality amongst the people. The clergymen understood, or so they claimed in their letter, that the people of color were tired of their dreams of equality not being reached, but they called their nonviolent actions “unwise and untimely.” They would have much rather have had these issues debated whilst in front of a judge rather than the way they were handled on the streets stirring everybody up about the issue. King replies by saying that they tried to make the undeviating action at a time convenient

Even though slavery was abolished many years ago, racial segregation continued to flourish. I have recently had the privilege of reading a powerful letter written by Martin Luther King Jr titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. The letter details Dr. King’s ongoing mission to seek justice and equality for all member society regardless of race and color across America. In my eyes, Dr. King was a strong and heroic man who sought these equal rights. He enlightened others, not with an iron fist, but with well planned peaceful events, thought invoking intellect and mutual comradery. What sparked this letters creation was the injustice Dr. King encountered while pursuing his dream of equality

Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr after he was arrested for participating in nonviolent protests against segregation. The letter was addressed to clergymen who did not approve of his actions. He was trying to explain to them what events lead up to his arrest and why it was important for him, and everyone else, to be involved in. A huge part of his letter was painting a picture of what the racial inequality and segregation was like in Birmingham. This letter was a way for Dr. King to address their concerns.

In Martin Luther king jr.’s “ Letter from Birmingham” he got arrested for protesting what he believed in. In the his letter he said “ injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere “, so he knows that's unfair the people can't speak on behalf of what they believe. He wasn't planning on answering to criticism, but he felt the need to explain the reasons why he was in jail. In the process of him speaking of human rights he was punished for stating his rightful opinion. He fought for not only his rights, but also for the rights of people who criticized him doing so.