Throughout American history, those that have been let down by society have challenge the norms to bring about change. Truthfully, the United States was founded because of civil disobedience as colonists decided to fight against the British after years of injustice. In 21st century America, the nation faces issues with immigration, Islamophobia, and racial discrimination. Activists use methods from those that came before and accept the consequences of disobeying laws they believe to be wrongful. However, for decades, political analysts have questioned the moral of civil disobedience. Is it right to purposefully break the law? Are there not lawful ways for change? How does it affect society? The answer is quite simple. The act of civil disobedience …show more content…
One of the most well-known uses of civil disobedience was done by Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Dr. King and his colleagues would meticulously question what laws they would violate while preparing for the consequences that would come whether physical, psychological, or spiritual. In Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he addresses the criticism that his actions are “unwise and untimely.” The significance of this letter is King’s calm, yet powerful tone and the fact that this is a dialogue between two religious leaders who believe and practice the same faith. From this letter, people can understand how dedicated King was to his cause. He addresses the steps taken by himself and his fellow activists in changing oppressive Birmingham. He discusses how those involved in the movement have assessed how and where injustice exists. Therefore, King’s actions are not a spur-of-the moment decision …show more content…
King’s letter when boxer Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted in the Vietnam War. During the time, his action was seen as un-American and disrespectful. However, Ali was not a draft dodger. As mention in Mullen’s article, “Muhammad Ali’s Anti-War Stand…,” Ali had in no way tried to evade the draft decision; he stayed in the US to bravely fight the call and to let his voice be heard. Ali even went on to state that, “[his] enemy’s white people not the Vietcong, the Chinese or the Japanese.” Hence, he makes the argument that the Vietnam War was not for him especially when there was still discrimination that should be addressed in the United States—an argument that is similar to Black men during World War II. Though Ali was not as educated as Dr. King and other activists, he knew how to get his voice and opinion out to the public. He knew that there would be penalties for his actions, but he did not falter his stand. With Ali’s stand against war, people today can understand that it does not take a college education or a government position to let your voice to be heard. What people need is unwavering courage and determination to call out what is wrong with the
While in jail, Martin Luther King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” one of Dr. King’s longest letters. This letter talked about about why some laws should and be broken and why there was such a need for the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King wrote “when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity”. This quote is important to the Civil Rights Movement because it emphasizes how many black brothers and sisters were being drowned, beaten, and hated purely on the color of their skin. They were being segregated, one example being “Funtown”, an amusement park for the white children only, Dr. King demanded this to stop. Alongside writing about the Civil Rights Movement, Dr.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proves that he is well knowledgeable in the happenings in Birmingham. By providing a surplus of examples of events and details which he finds alarming, King was able to persuade the clergymen to like at the way the Negro community is being treated in the south using the appeal to logos, pathos and ethos. He displays his willingness to continue with respect and dignity, but because of the emotional ties that he has towards this cause, he will not remain inactive.
History has encountered many different individuals whom have each impacted the 21 in one way or another; two important men whom have revolted against the government in order to achieve justice are Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. Both men impacted numerous individuals with their powerful words, their words carried the ability to inspire both men and women to do right by their morality and not follow unjust laws. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” by David Henry Thoreau along with King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, allow the audience to understand what it means to protest for what is moral.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written while he was “confined in the Birmingham city jail.” His letter was a direct response to the eight Alabama clergymen who insisted that King’s use of nonviolent direct action was unlawful. The clergymen questioned his method of protests even though they had similar goals as King. In his letter, King illustrates the hardships and injustices that African Americans in the United States were enduring during the mid-twentieth century; doing so allows King to justify the nonviolent actions of his fellow protestors. King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, along with his rhetorical situation, to support his claims about the racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.
Argumentation has followed humans from the dawn of time as a way for us to express our ideas and for our ideas to be heard. People naturally obtain the knowledge to persuade others, either backing their opinions by fact or touching others emotionally, from growing up and through their own experiences in life. We can be persuaded by a numerous amounts of different factors pertaining to the argument. There are four different types of strategies in which an argument can be presented and make the argument effective. Martin Luther King is a key example of the utilization of the strategies as he wrote, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Nicholas Carr also portrays the strategies with his essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Both authors perfectly
The letter from Birmingham jail by Dr. Marin Luther King was written as a response of King to nine criticisms made against the Southern Christian leaders and King’s participation in demonstration in Birmingham. King handled many rhetorical devices to convince his opponents such as the white clergymen with his rights to protest, create tension for direct action and to achieve the racial justice. The devices fluctuate between Logos, Pathos and Ethos in a clever way to appeal to his audience and criticize them at the same time. King provided logical supports such as biblical figures, historical and philosophical references. In addition, he used verities of metaphors, allergy and poetic language. In my essay, I will point out some of the rhetorical devices and
Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau each write exemplary persuasive essays that depict social injustice and discuss civil disobedience, which is the refusal to comply with the law in order to prove a point. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King speaks to a specific audience: the African Americans, and discusses why he feels they should bring an end to segregation. Thoreau on the other hand, in “Civil Disobedience,” speaks to a broader, non-addressed audience as he largely expresses his feelings towards what he feels is an unjust government. Both essays however, focus on the mutual topics of morality and justice and use these topics to inform and motivate their audience to, at times, defy the government in order to establish the necessary justice.
Throughout history, many historical figures that has had a very astounding impact on the world today were people who were willing to go against the norm or sometimes even the law. This act of civil disobedience is not a crime but rather it is a eye opener. This is because sometimes it takes breaking the law to show the flaws hidden within the law itself. In the case of Rosa Parks, her civil disobedience is what sparked change and allowed the nation to see the unsightliness of the law that put her and others into confinement.
Justice is often misconceived as injustice, and thus some essential matters that require more legal attentions than the others are neglected; ergo, some individuals aim to change that. The principles of civil disobedience, which are advocated in both “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. to the society, is present up to this time in the U.S. for that purpose.
Non-violent direct action and respectful disagreement are a form of civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. King is most famous for his role in leading the African American Civil Rights Movement and using non-violent civil disobedience to promote his beliefs. King also firmly believed that civil disobedience was the way to defeat racial segregation against African Americans. While leading a protest march on the streets, King was arrested and sent to jail. In response to his imprisonment and an article he read while there, King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, explaining that an injustice affects everyone and listed his own criteria for
Dr. Martin Luther King addressed many topics in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. He answered all the issues that were aimed at him in a very skillful and well thought out manner. These issues came from “A Call For Unity”, which was a letter published by eight local clergymen expressing their feelings about what Dr. King was doing. One concern, in particular, that King did an outstanding job of confronting was that of the clergymen’s anxiety about him breaking the law. King addresses the question of, “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?”
King's main thesis in writing the Birmingham letter is that, racial segregation, or injustice to the black American society, is due to the continuous encouragement of the white American society, particularly the powerful communities in politics and religions. King defends his primary thesis all throughout the length of his letter, and the arguments that he has made to prove that his thesis is true and valid will be the focus of this rhetorical analysis.
of the entire non-violent movement in the South. could take a significant turn. It was our faith. that as Birmingham goes, so goes the South 3. King saw the root of the problem in a place he could assist in rescuing.
Martin Luther King Jr. produced the image of if one knows of an injustice that is continuing, there is no real justice in the world with the following quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr). If there isn’t true justice everywhere, no one can truly enjoy it. In the letter, Dr. King uses this quote to relate to it on difficult levels to write about. There were countless of examples in his time that would’ve fit the exact definition of an injustice, but he only used a few cases.
In 1967, 64 percent of all eligible African-Americans were drafted versus only 31 percent of eligible whites (Black 2009). Nearly all African-Americans found themselves protesting against the Vietnam War not only because of draft discrimination but because of the lack of civil rights in the United States. They saw no purpose in fighting for the rights of another people when their own freedom is not guaranteed. African-Americans were not alone in their anti-war position; the majority of the entire world, specifically the U.S, also opposed the war. As the war dragged on, people saw no purpose in fighting in Vietnam and believed that the United States should prioritize their own citizens first.