Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being disturbers of the peace and outside agitators. But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were a colony of heaven, called to obey God rather than man. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.. Essays for Letter From Birmingham Jail. I am not unmindful of the fact that each of you has taken some significant stands on this issue. One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, are so drained of self respect and a sense of somebodiness that they have adjusted to segregation; and in part of a few middle-class Negroes who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because in some ways they profit by segregation, have become insensitive to the problems of the masses. Throughout the work, he justifies breaking laws if they are unjust, embracing extremism, and forgoing negotiations if they are not made in good faith. One recurring idea that supports Dr. Kings arguments is that group mentality supports and enables immorality, and that the individual must therefore act for justice even when the group does not share that goal. Though he makes other subsumed distinctions (like the way just and unjust laws either punish or include minorities), this general definition serves to illustrate his overarching point: that laws are not separate from morality, but instead ought to be reflections of it. A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained. In other cases, he uses unimpeachable figures like Jesus Christ or Abraham Lincoln to illustrate the basic way in which the clergymen are acting hypocritically. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. And yet he does not carry this restraint to the point of apologizing for encouraging tension. Throughout Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters, and there are some counties in which, even though Negroes constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro is registered. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. Whereas most of the Letter operates through sleight of hand logical arguments or naked pathos, this section is unusually harsh and direct, ultimately suggesting that Dr. King is now prepared to admit that while he would like the support of his audience, he and his brothers and sisters will persevere and succeed even without it. Considering it was written in a situation so infused with racial issues, the Letter from Birmingham Jail is often strangely divorced from explicitly racial issues. In "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," Martin Luther King, Jr., uses logos, pathos, and ethosto support his arguments. The letter served as a tangible, reproducible account of the long road to freedom in a movement that was largely centered around actions and spoken words. Through a variety of legally-structured arguments, Dr. King illustrates the fallacy of both these assumptions. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. In attacking moderation, he addresses himself to parties as high-ranking as the Kennedys to as everyday as students and churchgoers who are witnessing the changes of the civil rights era without admitting their own moral responsibility to support it as a quest for positive change. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. King wrote his response in the margins of the paper, in pieces, and they were smuggled back out to a fellow pastor . Subject Purpose King explains his reasons for civil disobedience and urges the religious leaders to act on what they preach about. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. It will cover the parts of the SOAPSTone method, offer examples, and give a sample introductory paragraph to an analysis essay, including a thesis, using the template described in the analysis packet. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Smothering in an airtight cage of poverty. By the end of Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King has progressed from what professor Jonathan Rieder calls a Diplomat to a Prophet. This clear declaration of self-sufficiency reflects his ultimate sentiment: while he would like the support of his audience, he and his brothers and sisters will persevere and succeed even without it. So I have not said to my people: Get rid of your discontent. Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. By the end, he is no longer arguing, but telling his audience that change will come, and that they should join him not because he needs them, but because they need it so as to not avoid later regret over their cowardice and sinfulness. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" on April 16, 1963. By suggesting that he would have broken Nazi laws because they were unjust, he challenges his audience to do the same with segregation laws. Here, he presents the stakes of such cowardice: the church will become irrelevant. His language is unequivocally harsh, likening the church to a social club without authenticity. The sense of outright disgust is attributed to young people, but is arguably Dr. Kings own. Further, he implicitly suggests that by continuing to facilitate the oppression of the black man through moderation, his audience is operating in sin and will ultimately be on the losing side. The logical and well put together letter was written as a response to a statement in the newspaper, which was written by some clergymen. While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities unwise and untimely. Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.". He makes no qualms at implicitly comparing himself with Jesus (and other figures that follow), and uses an unimpeachable sentiment (love your enemies) to justify his ground. Clue & Answer Definitions. I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. ", "But more basically, I am in Birmingham" through "live in monologue rather than dialogue. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as dirty nigger-lovers. Unlike so many of their moderate brothers and sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful action antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. Letter from the Birmingham Jail Quotes Showing 1-30 of 33. He does not wish to validate his audiences deep-seeded fears - that the black movement is an extremist set that will engender violence. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists. Over and over I have found myself asking: What kind of people worship here? I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust. LETTER (noun) The argument lays the groundwork for the Letter to pose a call to individual action, a defense of those who stand up and sacrifice themselves and their comfort in the name of freedom and justice. Now, what is the difference between the two? Letter from Birmingham Jail Audience SOAPStone Method King writes this in response to a letter sent from some religious authorities. While Rieders designations are perhaps too tight to be perfectly applicable, they do help to understand the overall progression of Letter from Birmingham Jail. At the beginning, Dr. King is playing a diplomat, attempting to reach a certain end through polite, restrained means. There was a time when the church was very powerfulin the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world. Soapstone is named for its "soapy" feel and notably contains the mineral talc. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: Are you able to accept blows without retaliating? Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail? We decided to schedule our direct action program for the Easter season, realizing that except for Christmas, this is the main shopping period of the year. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crimethe crime of extremism. Though he obviously would prefer it, he is firm in his commitment to justice and certain that his cause will succeed because of that commitment. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with Americas destiny. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern. And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom. Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator idea. SOAPS chart of MLK's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Subject Why he is in Birmingham Segregation as social justice Civil disobedience as an instrument of freedom : Occasion Accusation of misuse of the law Nonviolent protests in Birmingham Disappointing leadership of the clergy : An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. Showing a prudent and effective sensitivity to his audiences fears that angry black men are extremists who seek to destroy he frequently takes time to define his terms before admitting to them. King is expressing his apology for the demonstrations themselves, but he is not apologizing for the reasons and purposes behind the demonstrations. During the first half of the Letter, Dr. Kings arguments are marked more by their restraint than by their fire. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. It will cover the parts of the SOAPSTone method, offer examples, and give a sample. They were too God-intoxicated to be astronomically intimidated. By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" Will we be extremists for hate or for love? It is also a well-known defence of the notion of civil disobedience, or refusing to obey laws which are immoral or unjust, often through peaceful protest and collective action. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation -and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. Who is their God? All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. What does this mean, and how do these sections differ? Yes, these questions are still in my mind. The question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be. We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham. Let me give another explanation. Letter From Birmingham Jail essays are academic essays for citation. Then it occurred to us that Birminghams mayoral election was coming up in March, and we speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. Letter From Birmingham Jail essays are academic essays for citation. Cedars, S.R.. McKeever, Christine ed. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows. To validate his audiences deep-seeded fears - that the white moderate lukewarm acceptance is much bewildering. 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