Analysis of “I Have a Dream” and “Letter to Birmingham Jail” In the “Letter to Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King addresses the criticisms and objections that the white clergymen had made towards his and his affiliated organization’s efforts in trying to end segregation and achieve his and his people’s birth right: the right to be free through nonviolent means. Through the “I Have a Dream Speech” King speaks to his supporters and as well as to the entire nation to make them be fully aware of the injustices they are facing and through this make them stand up to those injustices. Both “Letter to Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream Speech” have the same underlying meaning however. That way too long have the black community been treated wrongly. That way too long have the black nation been “judged by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character (King 815)” and therefore it is time for them to rise and stand up for their rights.
Malcolm was not a violent person he just did not like people to take advantage of him or his people. He said “I ‘am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man’s problems just to avoid violence” ” (Malcolm X). Malcolm philosophy was successful, but not as successful as King. The reason that African Americans have equal opportunity today is because of King’s methods. At the end both King and Malcolm were assassinated for a cause they both fought
They prayed and Sheriff Jim Clark’s deputies and Major John Cloud’s troopers unblocked the bridge. But Martin Luther King still returned to Brown Chapel and did not press on. This infuriated SNCC, whom after seeing the deputies and troopers move wanted to continue with the demonstration. Martin Luther King had made a deal with Federal Mediators and he did not wish to violate it. But The Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee saw no reason not to continue on because the men had cleared the way and therefore they believed they should be able to move through without problems.
In his “I Have a Dream Speech” he is more so talking to the white majority that has held him and all of the other colored people being segregated against and to the black people that want to make a difference in history and further the civil rights movement and get the rights they deserve. Once he has his target audience engaged, much like in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” his language becomes very simple and direct again. The difference is, he is now urging direct action . His tone becomes more “preacher like” as he says “Go back to Mississippi: Go back to Alabama: Go back to South Carolina: Go back to Georgia: Go back to Louisiana: Go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair”(King) His assumptions of the basis of American society (religion, founding fathers, and the American Dream) enable him to keep his intended audience paying attention for what he most wanted to convey—the emotional battle of those involved in the campaign for civil rights.
By citing references of protest such as Jesus Christ, St. Paul, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, he justifies his current actions for the Negro community and states that he is willing to face the consequences when it comes to protesting for equal rights amongst all Americans. This was the first time that I have read Dr. King’s letter from the Birmingham jail and I have to admit that it was a very moving and inspirational letter to the people of the Civil Rights Movement at the time. I think that this letter showed how he was always protesting through love and peace and never violence, even though he had been classified as an extremist by the white community. By showing this type of leadership he proved to be such a courageous and intelligent figure in the Negro community and his words of wisdom made such a huge impact on the history of the movement. I believe that without letters such as these to his fellow brothers, most protests would not have been “peaceful” and the entire pursuit of equality could have been in jeopardy.
The Balance of Objection and Respect While in jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the letter commonly referred to as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to a letter addressed to him earlier from the Clergymen of Alabama in order to refute many of their claims while also appealing to his neutral white audience. Through his use of parallelism, complex periodic sentences and Biblical allusions, MLK Jr. establishes his credibility to the Clergymen as well as the “white moderate” and illustrates to them the necessity of his protest while maintaining a respectful tone that is consistent with peaceful ideology. Although the letter is written in a non-violent tone, MLK’s use of parallelism and repetition throughout the letter demonstrates
Martin Luther wrote a letter in response to the Eight White Clergymen. Using ethos, pathos and logos, King tried to persuade the church to adhere to the problems African Americans are facing. He let them know that what they wrote in their letter was not the completely accurate. Most importantly he told them even if the church does not come to aid, African Americans will still overcome their struggle and gain their freedom. “But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future.” King kind of challenged the church; with or without them, African Americans will continue to strive.
It wasn't unwise to have had a nonviolent protest. King tried to compromise with the leaders of Birmingham but got the cold shoulder so he had to make his point across in a more physical yet peaceful way. King stated that direct action was a way to establish creative tension and awareness in the community. The tension was there to dramatize or alert the crisis of segregation. The main purpose of direct was to aware white leaders and citizens that African Americans refuse to stand down until negotiation was taken place.
The MIA(Montgomery Improvement Association) was formed with Martin Luther King as president. Leaflets were passed around the black community urging them to stop using the bus services. The effect was immense, with countless buses in Montgomery empty. An MIA meeting of 7000 was held in Holt Street Baptist Church, where it was decided that the boycott would continue. At that meeting Martin Luther King gave an inspiring speech that spread the boycott further among blacks.
Unwise, and Untimely? : A Rhetorical Analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In this passage taken from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. writes in response to white religious leaders’ criticism detailing that the protests in Birmingham were “ ‘unwise and untimely’” (163). However, King was not hindered by their statement, but instead adamantly challenges the religious leaders to reexamine their moral principles. From this passage, King effectively employs rhetorical techniques, such as addressing counterarguments and employing a neutral tone in effort to appeal to ethos, utilizing powerful narrative examples and strong word choices to appeal to pathos, and logical reasons to appeal to logos to persuade the white religious leaders that their non-violent protests were not only reasonable but timely. At the beginning of this passage, King appeals to ethos by addressing their counterargument stipulating that their direct nonviolent protests were “‘unwise and untimely’” (166) using a neutral tone.