Jennifer Smith Prof Franco 3/26/2011 Engl 1213 Standing up One of the most known advocates for equality is Martin Luther King Jr. He’s had some of the most moving, convincing and change inducing speeches of all time. His “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is no exception. King wrote the letter from a Birmingham jail cell in April on 1963 following his arrest for public demonstration. In the beginning of the letter, King describes his reason for writing the letter as a response to the Clergymen’s statement calling his “present activities unwise and untimely. ” (King).
Dr. King fought his whole career for equality amongst the races, meaning all communities with violent, racist actions should be addressed. The clergymen presented Dr. King with a list of arguments they had against him; he responded to these in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. A few of the arguments King responded to from the clergymen were to have local solutions to local problems; to pursue justice in the courts, not the streets; and to keep peace, law, and order among all. Corwin 2 The clergymen of Alabama were clearly against any outsiders coming into their territory. They had called Dr. King an outsider to the Birmingham community.
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.
Toulmin Analysis In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King he responds to a letter written by eight, white Alabama Clergymen to the editor of a newspaper in Birmingham. He wants the audience to believe that the clergymen fail to discuss the circumstances that brought about the demonstrations in Birmingham. In September 1962, King had the opportunity to talk with the leaders of Birmingham economic community. The merchants made many promise such as how they would remove the stores’ racial signs. Upon these agreements, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, the leader of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, (including Martin Luther King) had agreed to delay the peaceful demonstrations.
1. In the opening paragraph, King’s tone can be described as formal, ironic, and sarcastic because he is defending his actions against those he describes as ‘men of genuine goodwill’ and sincere. He further supports his ironic tone by mentioning his secretaries. Because this letter was written from a jail cell, King obviously did not have any secretaries. However, he mentions them in order to imply that he does get a lot of criticism and is taking particular care to address the specific concerns of the clergymen.
King does not take insult to the clergymen’s criticism but he gently counter argues every point they bring up. Letter from Birmingham was a great response to Dr. King’s critics about his actions in Birmingham. He does a great job appealing to their emotions, religious beliefs, and uses logic to answer all their questions. He was an advocacy for equality and fought to his last breath to make sure that the blacks would get the same treatment as
AP Language & Composition Sample Responses to Questions on MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail Read as a response to the letter by the clergymen, King’s essay can be approached as a shrewd argument that shows a thorough understanding of its immediate audience. Following his introduction, in paragraphs 2-3 King explains why he is not an ousider; in paragraphs 5-11, he explains how his organization has tried to negotiate and how it will again; in paragraphs 12-14, he refutes the accusation that his organization’s actions are untimely; and in paragraphs 15-22 he presents an argument justifying civil disobedience. In each case, King deftly crafts his response to show that he, in fact, agrees with the claim the clergymen make, but he redefines the terms for them. For example, he agrees that outsiders should not intrude in community issues; then he shows that he is an insider by virtue of his position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, his concern for justice, and his belief that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Thus, King systematically, logically, and (one might argue) respectfully responds to each claim made against him. After these counterarguments, he mounts his own argument.
Both King and Thoreau effectively utilize all three of these in their essays. King, however, uses more pathos in his argument. By asking many rhetorical questions he attempts to sympathize with his audience, making them feel that their ideas are valid and important, even though he is just preparing to refute them. For example, on page 2, King says, “You may well ask, 'Why direct action, why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?'
His speech was extremely persuasive in nature. The use of Biblical references was powerful. One of those powerful references included “Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?” (1) This quickly appealed to the audience’s faith. During this time period individuals took their faith and religious beliefs very seriously. With Henry appealing to something like faith that the audience members held so dearly he was able to not only capture their attention, but keep their attention and ultimately persuaded them to his sentiments.
Martin Luther King exposes a dignified and immaculate way of sharing and transferring his views onto others. His analysis of history, his tactics of relating others that seemingly don’t think the same way, and referring back to what is defined or what is meant when an individual is categorized as an American. His text was written with an understandable sense of persuasion. By understandable, the text incorporated valid arguments that needed to be brought into the minds of the clergymen he was writing to. The mood that the reader feels is an empathetic, yet understanding of what he feels needs to be accomplished.