MLK Jr.′s ‘Letter from Birmingham jail’
Essay writing
In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King writes a response to the clergymen who had criticized him by arguing that social injustices such as racial segregation should be addressed in the courts. Note that the King was the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference- a civil right organization. In 1963, the king lead a non-violent protects in Birmingham and he says that "I am in Birmingham because injustice is here" (King, 1). Thus, an important point to note is that Birmingham was a segregated city and Martin Luther started a peaceful protest but in 1963, the king was arrested for holding protects in Birmingham. While the king was in Jail, the clergymen accused the King that he used extreme measures that cause trouble and that racial issues should be handled in the courts. However, the king wrote a letter to convince the clergymen that Birmingham is surrounded by racism and segregation. He uses pathos, ethos, and logos to show the clergymen that he cannot obey unjust law as it is morally wrong. Note that the King does not dishonor the court but he clearly states that the same way the prophets and the Apostle Paul moved beyond the boundaries to spread the word, he will also go beyond the hometown and spread the gospel of freedom.
The first principle that the king uses to defend his nonviolent strategies is using ethos. First, the king defends his nonviolent ways by saying that he is the president for the African-American civil rights and he has organizational ties. Again, he says that before planning for the nonviolent campaign, he has collaborated with his staff to conduct research and have found that there are injustices that require direct actions. They have evidence that Birmingham is segregated and African Americans face unjust treatment (King, 1). Another point is that King says that before engaging in the nonviolent protest, he had talked with leaders of Birmingham and they found the need to addresses the racism by removing the racial signs. The king also says they identified the difficulties that might occur while addressing racism and injustice and they came up with a direct-action program or rather agreed to start the protest during the Easter season. Furthermore, the king says that while planning for the nonviolent protest, they discovered that Birmingham had planned for mayor election in March and for this reason, they postponed their plan to prevent their demonstration from interfering with the election. Last but important the author mentions Socrates and says that Socrates believed that tension could help individuals differentiate between myths and truths. Similarly, the king was morally right to create tension to help individuals realize the prejudice and racism in society and resist the unjust law. This example reveals that in writing the letter, the king shows the credibility and reasonability for initiating the nonviolent protest and proves the critics wrong when they argue the actions were untimely (King, 1). The king responds that before acting, they had put all things into consideration and the civil rights campaign was well timed. In general, the King and his fellow men behaved responsibly.
The king also defend his nonviolent ways by using pathos. For instance, he says that for about 340 years and more, Negro have not enjoyed their constitutional and natural rights. The king elicits feelings by saying that black children cannot be allowed to visit the amusement park. Furthermore, it is not surprising seeing a black driver sleeping in his automobile since all motels welcome 'white' and 'colored' (King, 2). The king responds using this statement to show that it is morally right to fight the injustices and to demand freedom. Having understood the ongoing injustices, the king says that they did not have the endurance. In other words, they were impatient and they could no longer wait or persevere the injustices.
Finally, as the clergymen argue that the demonstration was illegal, the king defends his nonviolent strategy using logos by saying that he had the right to advocate the breaking of an unjust law. He says that he would tell people to obey just laws because it is both legal and morally and he would also tell people not to obey unjust law because it is illegal and immoral (King, 2). For instance, segregation statues are unjust because they treat blacks as inferior hence bring negative effects on their soul and personality. Thus, the king can urge people to disobey them segregation statues as it is an unjust law and morally wrong. The king also tries to convince the clergymen of the reason for engaging in nonviolent acts by saying that the law is made for the minority but not for the majority. In other words, a minority is expected to adhere to the law and the results are a lack of right to vote.
In conclusion, the King has used emotional, logical, and factual reasoning to convince the clergymen that he had the right to conduct the demonstrations. He urges the clergymen to understand the law and the present tension and the importance of exposing injustice. He also says that his actions caused violence but condemning his actions is like condemning Jesus because his devotion to God led him to crucifixion. In general, the king and his staff were willing to suffer until they end the segregation laws.
Work cited
King, Martin Luther. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." The Atlantic, Aug. 1963.
