Dr.Martin Luther king Jr was a Baptist minister and social activist.He led the civil rights movement and he used non violent protests to get the freedom that other blacks and himself deserved.Martin Luther King Jr. delivered this speech in a time of great civil unrest and the increasing of racial tensions.He showed many outstanding qualities ,perseverance,organizational ideas,dignity and respect. He was influenced by the idea of refusing to cooperate with an evil and unequal system. He was also said to be greatly influenced by many others such as Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Mays, and many more.Martin Luther King, Jr. did many things to bring greater equality to America and to ensure civil rights for all people regardless of race.In his work he used rhetorical strategies such as ethos pathos and logos to promote racial uplift and social change. First King appeals to ethos which is a statement that would possibly qualify him as trustworthy or ethical.The letter from a Birmingham jail is addressed to clergymen who criticized Martin Luther King Jr.'s actions ,they disapproved of SCLC during protests in Birmingham. For example he says “We have eighty five affiliated….i have organizational ties here(LFBJ 1)”.Dr king says this to let his …show more content…
And we can do the same thing to Russia and China."(Page 5)he uses this example to show how corrupt america was because the wrong leaders are in place.The right decisions were not made because of the leaders. He uses the drum major as a symbol as a leader to give his point .King argues that the Drum Major Instinct is one of the leading causes of racism and classism, however, when he gave the sermon it helped the black community in their drive to fight for
Martin Luther King Jr wrote The letter from Birmingham Jail because the white clergymen through him and his pro black American organization in jail. They were demonstrating non-violent actions against racial justice and injustice of black Americans in Birmingham. Kings thesis was "Reasonable refutations of the white clergyman's criticism of his direct action – nonviolent resistance campaign was "unwise and untimely”. His reasonings are that direct action is the only way for a compromise when the white people fail to negotiate with him and his group.
The time is now to “Let Freedom Ring!” Dr King, whom is an avid extremist, is an enormous advocate for civil rights. In his speech “I Have A Dream” and his news excerpt “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” With every political and religious piece of literature he’s published, there is always persuasion. The two i’m going to focus on are logos and pathos.
Martin Luther King Junior was a prominent social activist during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 1950s up until he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. MLK played a major role in ending segregation in the South and other areas of the nation, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. During his years as an activist, MLK was arrested numerous times and from one of these arrests, came the Letter from Birmingham Jail. In this letter, MLK Letter From Birmingham was addressed to several clergymen who criticised King’s actions during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s protests in Birmingham. Dr. King starts the letter off by letting the clergymen know that he does
Dr. Martin Luther King penned the letter from Birmingham jail to address the criticisms directed towards him and the praise of the bigoted police by the clergyman, in an attempt to illustrate the reasons for his civil disobedient protests and action. The letter was addressed to the Birmingham clergyman who opposed his stance and actions, residents of Birmingham and people who also opposed Dr. King’s opinions and action. In the Letter, Dr. King mainly relies on pathos with a hint of logos to develop his essay in order to convey the message effectively. Dr. King’s demeanour when he begins the letter by addressing his fellow beloved clergyman (mlk) is admirably restrained despite him discovering the statement issued by the Birmingham clergyman
In his letter he mentions how ministers have said, "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern. " The Christian church classified the African American movement for freedom as merely a social issue and King disproved that. In his letter he wrote, "…I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. " The mistreatment of people is morally wrong, and the church has always been about goodness, but they have decided to turn a blind eye. By discrediting an established system, he has put forth the idea that not everything is set in stone.
Both Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King both spend time in prison for not abiding by the law and practicing civil disobedience, although they are for very different causes. Henry David Thoreau wrote “Resistance to Civil Government” in 1849, he went to jail for not paying a tax that supported the Mexican-American War to expand American territories. He refused to pay this tax because he did not agree to expand American territories because the expansion would lead to more slavery, which he opposed. While Martin Luther King was arrested in 1863 for protesting the treatment of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. In jail, Dr. King experienced harsh conditions and more segregation than he did in Birmingham as a free man, so he wrote Letter From Birmingham Jail.”
Martin Luther King Jr. was civil rights activist, speaking out against racism and equality.
King elaborates about his position and the weight of his organization, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (King, 164). Perhaps King’s intentions were to set an equal level between him and the Clergymen by showing that the Civil Rights was a serious matter that organization have been working on. Demonstrating how although their actions seem to be anarchistic since the movement “disrupted” the order by peacefully protesting in the streets of Birmingham, their intentions are beneficial for the African American community rather than a malicious movement. Along with his position as the leader of the SCLC, he is an African American referring to an issue affecting exclusively the African American community. His race validates the anecdotes he shares as an African American being constantly segregated and being looked down upon due to their ethnic background.
With alluding to Saint Augustine Dr.King was successful in justifying the need to protest, because he demonstrated the distinction between unjust and just laws, and why the African Americans should, or shouldn’t follow them. Furthermore, he also alludes to early Christianity when he states, “early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being ‘disturbers of the peace’”(27). Christians used to be considered “disturbers of the peace”, from the majority of the people around that time, but they were able to bring an end to the “ancient evils” that were occurring. The allusion was used to show the similarities between the African Americans and the Christians, to show the actions the white community are putting
Martin Luther King Jr' "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written after he was arrested for exercising his constitutional rights while peacefully protesting in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. This Letter was written while Dr. King was in jail in one of the most segregated cities in America at the time. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent chapter of the KKK, their governor at the time, George Wallace, despised the idea of desegregation, and the law enforcement encourage the use of blunt force and brutality on African Americans protesters. In the letter Dr. King states that he was brought to Birmingham, along with other members of SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) to engage in a nonviolent direct action and take Murray 2 time to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community. He
The most important decision of a leader is the style of leading they decide to use when inspiring others, or providing a vision for the future. By looking at the past, it is proven that some leadership styles are guaranteed to be more effective than others. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights provides significant evidence of how different styles of leading can turn out to be a major success or defeat. Malcolm X’s leadership style included using violence to protest against violence and unequal rights, as well as supporting the segregation of African Americans and the whites. Martin Luther King’s style included nonviolent marches and protests against violence, and peacefully fighting for integrating the blacks and whites.
In the first quote,”I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.” He uses words “serving” and “ president.” The word “serving” is important because it shows how he is humble and it makes a connection to the clergymen. Clergymen serve in the Christian church and Dr. King is explaining to them that he too serves the church just in a different way. This is also a way for Dr. King to call them out for not helping their black brothers in Christ.
Martin Luther King Jr., a minister and social activist, led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. He was an advocate for equality between all races and a civil and economic rights Activist. Because of his leadership, bravery and sacrifice to make the world a better place, Martin Luther King was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. His incredible public speaking skills and ability to properly get his message across can clearly be scene throughout the speech. Tone: Dr. King delivered his speech at the university of Oslo in Oslo Norway in front of a large group of people.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to his followers on a deep level. He was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement that influenced millions of people through words and not violence. Martin Luther King Jr. was a listener, advocate, minister, humanitarian, and a leader. He was able to create social justice through communication and listening to his fellow followers.
A Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. is a name that will never be forgotten, and that will go down in the books for all of time. He was foremost a civil rights activist throughout the 1950s and 1960s. during his lifetime, which lasted from January of 1929 to April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and a social activist and was known for his non- violent protests. He believed that all people, no matter the color, have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take a direct action rather than waiting forever for justice to come through and finally be resolved. In the Spring of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a speech that Birmingham was among one of the most segregated cities in the world.