I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Spring Hill College several years ago. You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Dr. King, p. 178. You speak of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. He establishes this by referring to the greatest indignity in black American history slavery and yet owning that period with optimism, as an indication that the black man will triumph over any adversity. And yet little by little, it becomes clear that Dr. King intends this statement for a much larger audience. Preceding this passage, he explains his disappointment, arguing that the church merely validates an unjust status quo, rather than being a force for social change and human betterment, an active part of the struggle for mans dignity in a cruel world. As T. S. Eliot has said: The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.. SOAPSTone "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" - YouTube 0:00 / 6:59 Introduction SOAPSTone "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" Melanie Wilson 1 subscriber Subscribe Share 487 views 2. In attacking moderation, he addresses himself to parties as high-ranking as the Kennedys to as everyday as students and churchgoers who are witnessing the changes of the civil rights era without admitting their own moral responsibility to support it as a quest for positive change. Here, he presents the stakes of such cowardice: the church will become irrelevant. His language is unequivocally harsh, likening the church to a social club without authenticity. The sense of outright disgust is attributed to young people, but is arguably Dr. Kings own. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his Southern Christian Leadership Conference and their partners in the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights led a campaign of protests . For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.". They have carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment. 7.7K views 9 years ago This video will SOAPSTone "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr.. Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? I'm not sure what you mean by "these people". I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws.. Let me take note of my other major disappointment. I would agree with St. Augustine that an unjust law is no law at all.. In Birmingham, Alabama, in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and in hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned dogs and fire hoses on the demonstrators. On April 19, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) wrote a detailed letter from Birmingham Jail in reply to some public releases which were directed at undermining his fight for civil equality. Letter From Birmingham Jail essays are academic essays for citation. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. Isnt this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? The article also reveals the benefit of this letter and other rhetorical strategies. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. In that dramatic scene on Calvarys hill three men were crucified. And I am further convinced that if our white brothers dismiss as rabble rousers and outside agitators those of us who employ nonviolent direct action, and if they refuse to support our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes will, out of frustration and despair, seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologiesa development that would inevitably lead to a frightening racial nightmare. How does the discussion of group immorality relate to the letters overall purpose? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? King wrote his response in the margins of the paper, in pieces, and they were smuggled back out to a fellow pastor . Arguably the most sophisticated section of the Letter is Dr. Kings distinction between just and unjust laws. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern. And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular. Discuss Dr. Kings use of allusions throughout the text. However, this passionate but restrained argument ultimately sets the stage for a declaration of what scholar Jonathan Rieder calls a proclamation of black self-sufficiency (94). Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator idea. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. Soapstone is named for its "soapy" feel and notably contains the mineral talc. First is his argument that all men are interrelated, and responsible for one another. In other cases, he uses unimpeachable figures like Jesus Christ or Abraham Lincoln to illustrate the basic way in which the clergymen are acting hypocritically. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands.. Never before have I written so long a letter. The extension is that if their most-hated concept extremism is not necessarily bad, then they ought to reexamine their various attitudes and perceptions. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands. The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. While Mr. Boutwell is a much more gentle person than Mr. Connor, they are both segregationists, dedicated to maintenance of the status quo. Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood. Cedars, S.R.. McKeever, Christine ed. When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. Essays for Letter From Birmingham Jail. They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy two year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest. They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience sake. 1. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with Americas destiny. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. The latter, he argues, allows for action that can change the world. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. His attack here on the clergy who seem to support law and order without considering the repressive segregation that comes with such order is not very subtle, comparing them to Nazis who persecuted Jews simply because their prejudices were protected by the law. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Clue & Answer Definitions. But he will not see this without pressure from devotees of civil rights. Perhaps Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of racial injustice. The letter served as a tangible, reproducible account of the long road to freedom in a movement that was largely centered around actions and spoken words. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. Birmingham was one of the most racially segregated and oppressive, to blacks, city in America. In other words, they should join his cause not only for his sake, but for their own. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. But, oh! In context, he is turning the tables on those who've caused the demonstrations in the first place. Letter From Birmingham Jail study guide contains a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the churchs silentand often even vocalsanction of things as they are. Opening through "I have organizational ties here. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. To delay justice is to be cowardly and unjust. How does the Letter deal with the subject of race? left their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. His logos throughout this passage clearly dismisses such a charge as simplistic. I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law. Though the allusion serves several particular purposes as a symbol of wisdom or of civil disobedience it often speaks to Dr. Kings overall approach in the Letter. The Socratic dialogues are masterpieces of misdirection, as Socrates does not offer answers but rather questions assertions made by other people. The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, describes a protest against his arrest for non-violent resistance to racism. Summary: "Letter from Birmingham Jail". April 16, 1963 As the events of the Birmingham Campaign intensified on the city's streets, Martin Luther King, Jr., composed a letter from his prison cell in Birmingham in response to local religious leaders' criticisms of the campaign: "Never before have I written so long a letter. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth. Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. I have hope that Mr. Boutwell will be reasonable enough to see the futility of massive resistance to desegregation. Though this passage comes earlier than the explicit discussion of the white moderate, it is one of the clearest articulations of the accusation he makes against them. For there is the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest. Dr. King tells the clergymen that he was upset about their criticisms, and that he wishes to address their concerns. I commend you, Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand on this past Sunday, in welcoming Negroes to your worship service on a nonsegregated basis. Yes, I love the church. The allusion to Socrates is important, since Western civilization treats the Greek thinker as an archetype of wisdom. He makes no qualms at implicitly comparing himself with Jesus (and other figures that follow), and uses an unimpeachable sentiment (love your enemies) to justify his ground. Small in number, they were big in commitment. We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham. Not affiliated with Harvard College. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. Whites who arrested king for no reason. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The logical and well put together letter was written as a response to a statement in the newspaper, which was written by some clergymen. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Though he makes other subsumed distinctions (like the way just and unjust laws either punish or include minorities), this general definition serves to illustrate his overarching point: that laws are not separate from morality, but instead ought to be reflections of it. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. Smothering in an airtight cage of poverty. They have gone down the highways of the South on tortuous rides for freedom. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is addressed to several clergymen who had written an open letter criticizing the actions of Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during their protests in Birmingham. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious education buildings. 1. collection of facts 2. negotiation 3. self-purification This phrase, one of the letters most famous, serves several purposes. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that countrys antireligious laws. His difficult arguments end up practically unimpeachable precisely because he has presented them through logos as well as through pathos. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. Im afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. Letter from Birmingham Jail Audience SOAPStone Method King writes this in response to a letter sent from some religious authorities. The injustices that happen in Birmingham effect other places. Though he obviously would prefer it, he is firm in his commitment to justice and certain that his cause will succeed because of that commitment. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crimethe crime of extremism. Like many others, we waited to see Mr. Connor defeated, and to this end we endured postponement after postponement. Whereas most of the Letter operates through sleight of hand logical arguments or naked pathos, this section is unusually harsh and direct, ultimately suggesting that Dr. King is now prepared to admit that while he would like the support of his audience, he and his brothers and sisters will persevere and succeed even without it. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. Letter from Birmingham Jail: S: Martin Luther King Jr. born in January 15, 1929, Atlanta Georgia, the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. Professor Jonathan Rieder argues that the Letter can be understood as having two sections: the Diplomat and Prophet sections. Site by Barrel. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.. The solution to the Letter From Birmingham Jail initials crossword clue should be: MLK (3 letters) Below, you'll find any keyword(s) defined that may help you understand the clue or the answer better. Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police department. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity. I am here because I have organizational ties here. I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the do nothingism of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. And yet even within this logical argument is an implicit use of pathos, as he implicitly asks the question would you really want to support a law that distorts the soul? Dr. Kings argument empowers the individual to be conscientious of injustice in the world, and to let that be his guide, rather than relying on socially dictated truisms like the law is the law., We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." Over and over I have found myself asking: What kind of people worship here? I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Similarly, the passage slyly integrates the stakes of inaction into its construction. Nourished by the Negros frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible devil.. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. The larger implication of this assertion is that moderation and patience must be replaced with action and impatience. Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. He was invited there 2. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates. The letter from the Birmingham jail of Martin Luther King, Jr. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: Are you able to accept blows without retaliating? Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail? We decided to schedule our direct action program for the Easter season, realizing that except for Christmas, this is the main shopping period of the year. He is clearly addressing people who represent the power class, but assumes in several arguments that they support the ideals of justice, at least on the surface. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals. To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail. A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom. As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us. 1 - Line 1 Audience The reader (s) to whom this is directed. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience. A Letter in Pieces. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as dirty nigger-lovers. Unlike so many of their moderate brothers and sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful action antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Was not Amos an extremist for justice: Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Was not Martin Luther an extremist: Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God. And John Bunyan: I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience. And Abraham Lincoln: This nation cannot survive half slave and half free. And Thomas Jefferson: We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . He is a U.S. citizen and no U.S. citizen is an outsider anywhere within the U.S. 3. Then it occurred to us that Birminghams mayoral election was coming up in March, and we speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. His argument here is that allowing a law to reign supreme without assessing its moral quality produces a situation like that of Nazi Germany. Martin Luther Kings' Use of Pathos and Logos However, because he stipulates that his audience is ostensibly interested in the virtue of justice, he argues that moderation allows them license to live in a sinfulness of inaction. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides -and try to understand why he must do so. I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, Wait. But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?; when you take a cross county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading white and colored; when your first name becomes nigger, your middle name becomes boy (however old you are) and your last name becomes John, and your wife and mother are never given the respected title Mrs.; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of nobodinessthen you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. 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