"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is a letter written on April 16, 1963 by Martin Luther King Jr. He writes the letter while he is in jail for his nonviolent protests. He feels compelled to write this letter because he and other blacks are tired of waiting for justice. He knows that direct action is needed to make a difference. His letter is written to his "fellow clergymen" but it is also for any mediocre white person who remains lukewarm about the issue of segregation.
During this time, black men and women keep getting their hopes up only to be let down again. Martin Luther King Jr. knows that their only choice is to take direct action. He knows that nonviolent direct action will create tension and force people to face the fact that segregation is a serious issue. This will make negotiation possible. He knows that justice will not be served to them on a silver platter. Instead, they will have to demand justice and fight for it. He makes an excellent point that we all have a moral responsibility to obey just laws and disobey unjust laws. Segregation laws degrade people who are black and make it look like white people are on some higher level. This is unjust because it degrades human personality. We should be willing to break unjust laws, but we must accept the consequences. He is mainly disappointed with the mediocre white person who is all about structure and not justice. These people like the cause, but not the act. They do not want to disrupt the peace, even if it would bring justice. The church leadership also disappoints him as they look the other way as their brothers in Christ are abused. He mainly uses ethos to make his point because he wants justice and morality for everyone. He did an excellent job at making his point because the whole letter was very passionate, yet he remained reasonable and nonviolent at the same time. He backed up every point he made with biblical examples and personal experiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment