What Does King Symbolize In From Birmingham Jail

In response to the "Letter From Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. it is an example of how King has been such an influence on the people of this country. Through his powerful words, the reader can see what a difference he has made in history. He wrote this letter to other clergy men while sitting in a jail cell in Birmingham Al, being punished because of following his beliefs. In his letter, he expresses his concerns and explains his actions, because he felt they should be a unified front.

He first begins with justifying his being in jail like Socrates did as he was in jail for allegedly corrupting the young. As King is fighting for freedom in a respectable manner, he is also corrupting the laws that the Whites set-forth to segregate them. He brings up the argument that “Socrates felt it was necessary to create 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 appraisals, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to ride from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood” (King 4). King does just that when he questions the morality of the laws that were put into place only to preserve the rights of Whites and not of the African Americans. As Socrates did, King tries to find a way that makes a law just and unjust.

Assignment 3.08 I.King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a prime example of how to construct an effective edict. II. The precise construction of King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" had the intended effect of awakening his fellow clergy to become responsive to the plight of African Americans. Instead of alienating them at the beginning of the letter. A. King responds to his fellow clergy in the first paragraph of his letter with a pacifying tone, (Paraphrase) When he expresses they are also sincere in their beliefs and critiques of his protests, so he will honor them with a justifiable debate.

Taking a look back at paragraph 10, the picture that King paints stirs emotions within the reader. By describing the struggle and horrors that blacks go through, King makes the reader question the current system and why it’s the way it is. The “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is a strong piece of literature that sends an impactful message. He is able to justify all of his actions and effectively persuade the reader into siding with him.

King had a mindset that people of all color need to come together and live as one community. King thought that African American people were to no longer be segregated and mistreated and that they must begin to be treated equally as others. King also acted on African American people must get equal pay as other people and have equal opportunity for higher positions. People loved to rally behind king because everyone of African American culture who was being mistreated at the time, loved everything king had to say. At was one Kings big Speeches he said: “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice”(Document I).

's “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, is a timeless piece that was used not only in the past but can be applied to the present and future as well. This piece holds much value because there will always be persecution and injustice present but this text reminds everyone that there can be a difference made if you stick to what you believe and fight for change. King shows us that through non-violent protests you can get your point across in an effective way because you are showing more strength by not giving your persecutors the satisfaction of knowing that they control you and your emotions. He was ahead of his time in the sense that he set the precedent for the rest of humanity to fight for equality and to love those who hate you, even if it is grueling. Too many people will choose caution over courage, and King was a prime example of why we should all choose courage no matter the adversity and detestation that may come with

He says “We waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional God-given rights.” Therefore since slavery has started the black man have been wrongfully treated, so giving it time or encouraging other black communities to sit and be patience wasn’t an option anymore. In detail he made a list of abuses the black man endured, among these abuses is his experience explaining to his daughter why she can’t go to an amusement park because of her skin color. Also explains how the white men take a black man’s name and change, first name “nigger” middle name “boy” (King1125). Lastly how the black man live in everyday fear, from day to night not knowing what’s coming next or if there is even a tomorrow.

King’s main focus in Why We Can’t Wait is the breakthrough year, 1963, as the beginning of the Negro Revolution,

He explains how African Americans know exactly how it feels to go through the pain of not having freedom given directly to them - something which is an unalienable right- but instead, waiting on someone of “higher authority” to decide when it should be given. (King 566). Martin Luther King was and still is til’ this day a very important figure of black history. He was very influential during the civil rights movement, because he consistently fought for the freedom of African Americans. In King’s words, Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.

We live in a world with currently many conflicts from the racial disparity in high incarceration rates to gun violence and the war over gun rights. In his letter, King describes that Black Americans have no identity and that the oppressed cannot remain oppressed forever. King implies that they cannot be told to “wait for justice” because if they simply

“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” (King). King calms the African Americans who are being oppressed by using the words, “this situation can and will be changed.” and “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” which gives them hope that there will be a new day when a change will take place.

He supports his claim first by comparing injustice and unjust laws with justice and just laws, then calling the African American population to action, then clarifying what exactly has been and can be done against the racial inequality, and then finally restating his personal progress and goals. King's purpose is to call African-Americans to action against racial and social inequality in order to strengthen the civil rights movement. He creates a frustrated but calm and peaceful tone for those that are infuriated by the social

King uses this appeal to logic to explain that African Americans can't really do anything to enforce a change and get treated equally because

Two score and 13 years ago people with colored skin were being segregated for everyday activities like drinking from a water fountain and going to school. Martin Luther King and many others were tired of not getting the treatment they were promised as a whole, so Martin Luther King wrote his famous “I have a Dream” speech, to address the problem that was sweeping the nation. He wanted to persuade the nation to treat Black people with equality and respect. The black population was not going to rest until they received their rights that they were promised when Abraham Lincoln said the “Emancipation Proclamation” . King has a dream and has faith that one day everyone will be equal, everyone will have rights, and that there will be everlasting

He places the strong authority of the declaration on his side to show how the American people are in contradiction to their own “sacred obligation” and the Negros have gotten a “bad check.” A metaphor representing the unfulfilled promise of human rights for the African Americans. King skillfully evokes an emotional response from all races with the use of religion: “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” By doing this he finds a common ground that brings black and whites closer with a common belief in God they share, as well as the mention of