¶ … King and Plato
Both Martin Luther King Junior's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," and Plato's allegory of the cave discuss how to find truth and how to teach others. King's letter suggests that all people can learn. He says as long as people are willing to listen, learning can free all people unlike Plato's allegory of the cave that suggests learning possible is for only a few people in society. Both authors suggested that what people considered 'reality' was wrong. King stated that the idea that the civil rights movement should hold back was incorrect. King did not take into consideration most of American history from the past. King wrote his letter in hope of changing the minds of the Birmingham ministers who criticized him, and to change the mind of his fellow Americans. Plato's allegory of the cave suggests that all human beings are born under a delusion that what they see is reality. Some people are more of the 'spirit' and thus are able to see reality or truth than other people.
The methods chosen by the two men to write their letters reflect King's democratic approach to learning. In contrast, Plato has an anti-democratic approach. King writes a persuasive letter to a group of ministers whom he believes are well intentioned, are misguided. King believes the ministers are wrong to say that King should hold back. King believes he can convince the ministers that his efforts to help people of color have equal rights and equal access to facilities across the city of Birmingham are correct. In strident response to what he sees as a foolish call for moderation to achieve social ends, King writes that "we know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct-action campaign that was 'well timed' in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear...
Drama Persuasive Letter from a Brother to a Sister To My Only and Cherished Sister Anne, The first thing I want you to know or to remind you of is that I love you. I respect your decisions as an adult, but that does not mean that I always agree with them. I know that things have never been easy for us. Life is not easy for any one. I want you to
Letter from the Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr., and "A Letter from the Clergy" by some leading spiritual clergy in Birmingham, Alabama. Specifically, it will summarize the two letters. Both of these letters provide compelling reasons for what the authors believe in, and they are both very persuasive and convincing in their own way. The clergymen believe that King's actions, in creating a march that led to many
COMBATTING OBESITY TOGETHER Office of the Mayor 200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose CA 95113 Mr. David Kirchhoff President and Chief Executive Officer Weight Watchers International, Inc. 175 Crossways Park West Woodbury, New York 11797 Dear Mr. Kirchhoff: Proposal for a Joint Venture Your organization will be well aware as we are that America has earned the reputation as the most overweight nation in the world (Balagso & Fenstersheib, 2010). The situation has become so serious as to become
Communication Statement of Proposition: The audience should gain from this speech a desire to vote for me, for President of the Condominium Association. The audience should not only feel a strong desire to vote for me, but should feel that it is the right thing to do, and be able to articulate a coherent argument in favor of voting for me as President of the Condo Association. Argument #1. I am the
Businesses, especially small businesses, must often pay for benefits for their employees, and budding American entrepreneurs would not have this additional expense to worry about when starting an enterprise, under a single-payer system. Even huge companies like General Motors and Ford are suffering because of the lack of universal coverage for all Americans. One of the greatest drains upon both automotive companies' finances has been the extravagant benefits they
Get out of your comfort zone and don't miss this once-a-year event. Use this opportunity to establish your own place in the office. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED in the EXERCISE: Direct communication and persuasive communication both aim to make the reader/listener do certain things that the writer/speaker wants them to. Their difference from each other could be seen in their construction and the way they are constructed. Direct communication requires an
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now