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…
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self-justification. The same applied to the moderate white and white churches when Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Martin Luther King Junior. Although the two agreed on the importance of justice and equality almost no action was taken to bring real changes to the society. Instead, there was always stories and reasons to back up their apathy. Martin Luther King Junior dedicates almost half of his letter in tackling their logic by showing the flaw and selfishness it contains. Stories that…
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Martin Luther King Jr. is considered one of the greatest social reformers of modern history. Many advancements in civil rights came from his usage of nonviolent civil disobedience. However, despite being known for his peaceful tactics, many of his fellow clergymen questioned the ethics of his choice to break laws. In Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he addresses this commonly held viewpoint that this nonviolent civil disobedience, while well intentioned, is morally wrong. However, rather…
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appreciate virtue, justice, and truth. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. practices philosophy according to Socrates through the avocation of the use of elenchus. He believes that segregation is unjust because it “distorts the soul and damages the personality” (King 4). Therefore, he wants to create tensions in people’s mind through demonstrations, to make them self-examine their view on segregation, so that they can “rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism”…
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Sociological Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail Abstract 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”…
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Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. He is remembered for many things, such as for his eloquent writings and speeches. One of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most notable work is “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” In this letter, King addresses clergymen who have criticized him on his activities to seek equality for victims of injustice. Throughout the letter, King makes…
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Carresa Greer Dr. John Smihula April 8, 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (April 16, 1963) Response #2 Word Count: 518 Waiting vs. Action Living in an era where discrimination and segregation posed life threatening dangers to African Americans triggered the immediate thirst for a nonviolent revolution. Dr. Martin Luther King lived in this time where African Americans were free but were denied their constitutional and God-given rights any Caucasian man or woman possessed…
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Martin Luther King Jr states in his Letter from Birmingham Jail that, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” (King 3) Injustice happens everywhere and can be seen on a daily basis. To most injustices, there is usually a bystander. A bystander has two choices, one being to get involved and the other to not do anything. Most people choose to show no action. Inaction in the face of injustice makes people…
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In the well-known Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sits in jail and writes a letter in response to the attacks made against him by a group of white clergymen who questioned both his presence in Birmingham in 1963 and the tactics that he used in order to stop racism and segregation. King responded to show that his nonviolent actions were necessary for African Americans to move forward in this country. These white clergymen had the power to do something about segregation but…
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Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” In Martin Luther King Jr’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, several stances are taken against injustice and the segregation of African Americans. One of King’s main thesis is that brotherhood and peace can never rise in this world with the presence of segregation and oppression. Firstly, King asserted that action is needed for change to occur in a society. He blamed the moderate folk for superficially relying on patience…
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