He points out that everything Hitler did in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s was legal, because the Nazis changed the laws to suit their ideology and political aims. ", We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. In the course of the letter King makes extensive allusions to multiple philosophers, including Aquinas and Socrates. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. This emotional advance is a direct, response to the extremely passive and separated tone of the clergyman. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. about it. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. picture of the true events of Birmingham, forcing his audience to be involved in his cause. clergymen and their praise of the Birmingham Police, his language is anything but passive: The only answer that I can give to this query is that the new Birmingham administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one, before it will act. From But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather "nonviolently" in public. understand why we find it difficult to wait. We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham. that bypasses logic, affecting the emotions of his audience. Repetition is the action of repeating something that has already been said or written. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. How can he and others justify breaking the law? The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. 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. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious education buildings. mon, however much it derives its strength from formulaic repetition, is not mere unartistic incoherencey. Direct link to David Alexander's post You may be confusing the , Posted 3 months ago. - is used very effectively in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous essay "Letter from. As T. S. Eliot has said: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.". A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. Kings use of relatable imagery surrounding when you This letter serves as a purpose to apply the need for love and brotherhood towards one another and avoid all the unjust laws. And now this approach is being termed extremist. negative effects. Option #1: Paraphrasing Activity - "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" this assignment, you will use Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" to help you practice the important rhetorical skill of paraphrasing: . Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. It was a factor in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Act of 1965, and Fair Housing Act, but did not push for any constitutional amendments. Letter from Birmingham Jail: Repetition BACK NEXT This guy knew how to write a speech. Repetition in letter from birmingham jail 2nd Place Non-Fiction In 1963 when "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written by Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement was in full swing. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. This was during a larger campaign in Birmingham to spread the word of integration. It has been experienced by Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. His famous "Letter from Birmingham" offered a detailed response to the white moderate of his time, rebutting their claims that the direct actions of King's cause, were "untimely" and "unwise". mass experiences of unnecessary and cruel police brutality, to the extremely individual and And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. He decides to own the label, and points out that Jesus could be regarded as an extremist because, out of step with the worldview of his time, he championed love of ones enemies. And yet the point does not detract tonally from the second half of the . For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. In Kings rebuke the eight act. Who is Socrates and why does MLKJ keep coming back to him? Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. As with the extremist label, Kings position here may take us by surprise, but he backs up his argument carefully and provides clear reasons for his stance. But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. that Dr. King was smuggled a copy of A Call for Unity, a statement released by eight southern I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the "do nothingism" of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. Then, last September, came the opportunity to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community. These men, who others King wrote this open letter in April 1963 while he was imprisoned in the city jail in Birmingham, Alabama. His emotional appeal seeks to tear down the wall of composure built by these eight It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. Dr. King often used repetition and parallel construction to great emotional effect when he spoke. He called ALL Americans to a better vision of the possibilities of community. destroying the moral code of children by their lack of involvement and overall apathy toward the Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience. You may well ask: "Why direct action? Let me take note of my other major disappointment. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. blasting protesters with fire hoses and attacking them with police dogs. But he will not see this without pressure from devotees of civil rights. 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. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. Rhetorical Analysis "Letter from Birmingham Jail" In 1963 on . Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up that state's segregation laws was democratically elected? Direct link to CHOCOLATE's post Who is Socrates and why d, Posted 3 days ago. did it cause any new amendment to be made? They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy two year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: "My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest." There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. In April of 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. found himself in solitary confinement Then it occurred to us that Birmingham's mayoral election was coming up in March, and we speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. After reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", ask your students to do a scavenger hunt using the storyboard creator. Dr. King, p. 178. And I am further convinced that if our white brothers dismiss as "rabble rousers" and "outside agitators" those of us who employ nonviolent direct action, and if they refuse to support our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes will, out of frustration and despair, seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologies--a development that would inevitably lead to a frightening racial nightmare. They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience' sake. As King observes, privileged people seldom give up their privileges voluntarily: hence the need for nonviolent pressure. Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. composing what we now know as A Letter from Birmingham Jail. In his letter, Dr. Kings This letter was written when he was arrested after peacefully protesting about segregation and how the black people didn't agree with the law. This is difference made legal. Like many others, we waited to see Mr. Connor defeated, and to this end we endured postponement after postponement. We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. MLK referred to him because much of what Socrates taught is foundational to Western society. How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? Do we blame a man who is robbed because his possession of wealth led the robber to steal from him? I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. How does King balance the twin appeals to religion and patriotism throughout "Letter from Birmingham Jail"? Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Muslims, Christians, Jews, Blacks, I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Spring Hill College several years ago. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. actions may be and that any matters of civil injustice could and should be taken through the In the course of the negotiations, certain promises were made by the merchants--for example, to remove the stores' humiliating racial signs. watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see Direct link to David Alexander's post He challenged the racist , Posted 2 years ago. 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