This aspect of the letter is incredibly important because King does not want to appear to be irrational to his opponents. One of the logical appeals King makes in his letter revolves around the issue of just and unjust laws. In his opinion, the officers that arrested him were obeying an unjust law, pointing out that a law is "unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law" (King). Here King is pointing out that those who being arrested were not even allowed the right to vote to put that law into action. This prompts him to ask, "Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up that state's segregation laws was democratically elected?" (King). Here, King is appealing to logic in that he is forcing his audience to realize that the law is flawed because it does represent the vote of all individuals involved. African-Americans were not allowed to vote and, as a result, were not given a representative voice. King wanted others to become aware of how unjust this act was and wrote, "Throughout Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters" (King). In addition, he wanted to emphasize that this type of injustice was occurring across the globe, noting that there are "counties in which, even though Negroes constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro is registered" (King). King wants the injustice exposed because it simply does not make logical sense. In a country, the majority should at least have the right to speak and vote. It seemed unconscionable that things would operate otherwise, leading him to ask, "Can any law enacted under such circumstances be considered democratically structured? Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application" (King). King follows up this assertion with more logic, appealing to his personal...
Those who arrested him "exercised a degree of discipline in handing the demonstrators. In this sense, they have conducted themselves rather 'nonviolently' in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation" (King). This argument and point-of-view is logical in that it points out the flaw in the laws of the land. Things seem backwards when we look at them from his perspective. He also adds, "I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends" (King). King is suggesting that the law is immoral and wrong and any means to keep that law are more immoral than the causes of those who fight for freedom.
Martin Luther King's "Letter to a Birmingham Jail" In rhetoric, antithesis is defined as a "figure of speech in which sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in a balanced or parallel phrase or grammatical structure. In his 1963 "Letter to a Birmingham Jail," the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses white ministers of the Birmingham community who had criticized the stridency of King's leadership of nonviolent actions of civil disobedience, actions
" Would King align himself with Utilitarianism? J.S. Mill asserted that the good can only be measured by the consequences of an act, whether pleasurable or painful. In its well-known simplified form, the maxim of Utilitarianism says that what should be chosen is what brings "the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people." Mill nuanced the notion of happiness, subordinating sensual happiness to mental happiness. King would have
Abstract Writing a Letter from Birmingham Jail analysis essay offers the student the gift of going back in time to the courage and ferocity of the Civil Rights Movement to examine one of the most eloquent documents of that era. The Civil Rights Era was one of the uglier periods in American history—and one of the most triumphant and inspiring. No document embodies this dichotomy as fully as King’s Letter from
Martin Luther King's contribution to the Civil Rights movement in America was certainly significant. He was more than just a figurehead with tremendous oratory skills. As an advocate of non-violent protest he helped formulate, and implement, one of the most important strategies of the Civil Rights era. However, his most important contribution to the Movement was his ability to connect with a majority of Americans. His message concerning injustice and
MLK Letter From Birmingham A Rhetorical Appeal for Justice Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama as a direct consequence of his participation in demonstrations against segregation. It was during this time that King wrote "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." This letter was a response to the open letter "A Call for Unity" which aimed to promote non-violent protests in the area. In King's response to "A Call
Any law that promotes the oppression of one individual by another is unjust and should be disobeyed. This parallels your idea of conscience as opposed to unjust laws. In the case of injustice, the truly free human being follows his or her conscience instead of the status quo. However, I also agree with your assessment regarding the majority of humanity, including those in power: "...while we are living technically in
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