Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Declaration of independence analyzed
The declaration of independence in modern day
The declaration of independence in modern day
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Declaration of independence analyzed
Letter from a Birmingham Jail and The Declaration of Individualism
Although the time periods and goals may be different the method for
bringing about change is usually the same, this method is protest. This method
is supported by two different people, in two different time periods, with two
different goals; these two people are Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King
Junior.
Martin Luther King Junior's letter from a Birmingham Jail was an
expression of his encouragement for protest against tradition and established
laws and a justification for his actions. King, a leader of a civil-rights
group that supported protest against traditional views, encouraged protesting
against tradition and established laws that are unjust. In his letter from
Birmingham Jail King states:
"It was illegal to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am
sure that, had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have aided and comforted
my Jewish brothers. 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 anti-religious laws."
This excerpt shows that King encourages protest because in some situations he
deems it necessary, be it in Hitler's Germany, a Communist country, or any
situation in which injustices are occurring. In the last sentence of the
excerpt King openly admits that he would protest against established laws or
traditions. King was against the traditional views and unjust laws, which
discriminated against him and his fellow people. He felt that the only way that
these unjust laws and traditional beliefs would ever change would be by means
of protest. He felt that without protest the laws and traditions would remain
the same forever. Along with encouraging protest, King's letter was also a
justification of his actions. The letter was written to his fellow clergymen to
explain his prior actions and to attempt to justify them. In the letter he
tried to explain to the clergy that his actions although illegal were justified
and appropriate for the situation. He expressed that he exhausted every other
option possible and direct action was the only available option left, which
could make a difference.
Similarly to King's letter from Birmingham Jail, The Declaration of
Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson to encourage the protest of
established laws and justify possible actions. But unlike King, Jefferson also
encouraged individualism in his declaration. His views are distinctly stated in
the first sentence of The Declaration of Independence:
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to
Kershaw later depicts a comment made by Hitler discussing the dire need to deport German Jews, away from the ‘Procterate,’ calling them “dangerous ‘fifth columnists’” that threatened the integrity of Germany. In 1941, Hitler discusses, more fervently his anger towards the Jews, claiming them to responsible for the deaths caused by the First World War: “this criminal race has the two million dead of the World War on its conscience…don’t anyone tell me we can’t send them into the marshes (Morast)!” (Kershaw 30). These recorded comments illustrate the deep rooted hatred and resentment Hitler held for the Jewish population that proved ultimately dangerous. Though these anti-Semitic remarks and beliefs existed among the entirety of the Nazi Political party, it didn’t become a nationwide prejudice until Hitler established such ideologies through the use of oral performance and
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” built an empowering voice for his oppressed race over the unjust treatment given to them by the white men who discriminated his people’s color. King addresses how the Negroes have always been told to “wait” throughout all these extensive amount of years. In paragraphs 13 and 14, King emphasizes the word by using anaphora to establish its true meaning, which is “never”.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther Kind JR. uses ethos and antithesis to advocate his view on civil rights. Dr. King’s use of ethos is shown when he says, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King, 7). Dr. King uses this quote to build his credibility through the use of the word “we”. With this, King tells the reader he is a credible source as he has experience fighting in the Civil Rights Movement in the past, and being a member of the oppressed minority. As a result, King is getting the reader to use this information to believe King’s points more. Along with ethos, Dr. King also uses antithesis to further elaborate on his message,
After listening to a testimony from Ralph Fischer, a Holocaust survivor I have gained a new level of understanding to what happened in those few years of terror when the Nazi party was at power. On top of that I have learned that they are just like other people in many different ways. As a child, Ralph went to school, played with friends, and spent time with his family. All that is comparable to any other modern-day child. However, as the Nazi party rose to power he was often bullied, left out, or even beat for being Jew. Although not as extreme, I have often been mistreated because I was different, and it’s easy to understand the pain of being left out just because you are not the same. Eventually he had to drop out of school and then had
To establish ethos, arguments must attain three things: credibility, authority, and unselfish motives. Together, Martin Luther King has an excellent display of ethos in his letter, “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”. King “came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause … Struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice” (1963) His dream of equality is not selfish at all. He goes on to explain his experience being black, being segregated and treated badly as if his people was an exile in their own land. Containing personal experiences and knowing this topic very well, King has an authority to speak. He affirms his credibility by showing he has done his homework by referencing to hard evidence like Jesus Christ, Thomas Jefferson, John Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther to support his own cause. Once
I think he felt that if he got your forgiveness then he could die in peace for all the bad he had done. A lot of Jewish people had died due to what Hitler ordered everyone in Germany army to do. Albert Speer was a high-ranking Nazi member and he was also Hitler’s minister and even though he knew he was going to jail no matter what was said at the Nuremberg trials he had confessed to all the things he had done. According to Speer “My moral guilt is not subject to the statute of limitations, it cannot be erased in my lifetime” (245). In making this comment, Speer knew that even though he was punished with twenty years of imprisonment that they only punished his legal guilt. Speer was haunted by the things he had done and he knew that he did not deserve anyone’s forgiveness. Even Speer, Hitler’s minister, knew that no one in the German army deserved anyone’s sympathy or
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by author Ray Bradbury we are taken into a place of the future where books have become outlawed, technology is at its prime, life is fast, and human interaction is scarce. The novel is seen through the eyes of middle aged man Guy Montag. A firefighter, Ray Bradbury portrays the common firefighter as a personal who creates the fire rather than extinguishing them in order to accomplish the complete annihilation of books. Throughout the book we get to understand that Montag is a fire hungry man that takes pleasure in the destruction of books. It’s not until interacting with three individuals that open Montag’s eyes helping him realize the errors of his ways. Leading Montag to change his opinion about books, and more over to a new direction in life with a mission to preserve and bring back the life once sought out in books. These three individual characters Clarisse McClellan, Faber, and Granger transformed Montag through the methods of questioning, revealing, and teaching.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written in 1963 by Martin Luther King, Jr. During this period, the African Americans were involved in a battle for white and black equality. This is evident from the vocabulary used by King including “Negro” which was common during that period but not used commonly afterwards. Moreover, the letter’s context tells it argues that King wanted was African Americans to have freedom. The letter’s purpose is that King wants to persuade the clergymen what he together with his people were demonstrating since it was extremely necessary during that period. In achieving this, King utilizes persuasive and condemnatory tones so that the reader can consent with him. King Luther King, the author of Letter from Birmingham Jail, presents a valid argument through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in the entire piece with the intention of explaining his actions and changing the audience’s opinions.
When reading historical letters and or other types of reading materials, one cannot bear to become intrigued when reading these didactic and informative pieces of art. For example, one of the most known and most important pieces of historical masterpieces’ would have to be Martin Luther King’s “ Letter From Birmingham Jail.” This letter was written in response to the published statement that was written by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama. Those eight fellow Alabama clergymen were Bishop C.C.J. Carpenter, Bishop Joseph A. Durick, Rabbi Hilton L. Grafman, Bishop Paul Hardin, Bishop Holan B. Harmon, the Reverend George M. Murray, the Reverend Edward V. Ramage, and the Reverend Earl Stallings.
In Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham Jail, pathos, ethos, and logos are vividly expressed throughout it. All three rhetorical devices are vital to the meaning of the letter; the most influential being pathos. MLK takes advantage of the human body’s strong response to emotion. It is illustrated in his appeal to empathy, exercised mainly through gruesome depictions; his call for action to his peers, as shown when he expresses his disappointment in them as they preserve order over justice; and his strategic use of pathos as a supporting effort for both ethos and logos arguments.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Mr. King was a man of honor and respect even in the troubling situations of serving jail time. People who were supposed to support him questioned his actions, Dr. King still stood by what he believed in. In Birmingham, Alabama Dr. King hoped that the white religious leaders will come to his aid but instead found reluctance and opposition. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. refutes his critics claims through the use of passionate tones, metaphors, and allusions.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of a peaceful movement to end segregation in the United States this mission led him in 1963 to Birmingham, Alabama where officials and leaders in the community actively fought against desegregation. While performing sit-ins, marches and other nonviolent protests, King was imprisoned by authorities for violating the strict segregation laws. While imprisoned King wrote a letter entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, in which he expresses his disappointment in the clergy, officials, and people of Birmingham. This letter employed pathos to argue that the leaders and ‘heroes’ in Birmingham during the struggle were at fault or went against their beliefs.
made law to help a jew in Nazi Germany. What King said in his letter has to
The biggest life decisions can be made by the symbols we see in everyday life. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, Montag is a fireman in a future dystopia. In this dystopia, the firemen burn books so then the people cannot read them. Montag still decides to read books anyway. He is trying to figure out things about society and why things are the way they are. His neighbor, Clarisse, is a young girl who is filled with curiosity, but is an outcast to the society. Mildred, Montag’s wife, is an example of a conformed citizen. Beatty, the fire captain, is extremely dangerous. He just wants to slow Montag down. Montag eventually meets Faber who teaches him how to be an individual. Granger is another mentor who helps Montag with his questioning self. Montag has to make major life decisions throughout the book and symbols used in the novel contributes to our understanding of his decisions. Hands, water, and fire are three primary symbols that enhance the plot, characters, and theme.
According to Don Marquis, the fetus is a person and has the right to live because it is a biological human being and a human being in a moral sense (Lewis,2013, pp. 320). A fetus is a person some may say because it possesses some of the personhood characteristics. In the woman’s womb, a fertilized sperm turns into a blastocyst after 5 days and later turns into an embryo (human fetus), which eight weeks later the fetus develops a brain, heart, and all the other body cells and tissue (Lewis, 2013, pp. 293). At that moment, the fetus is conscious and alive, because the brain is slowly functioning and is pumping blood throughout the whole body. Soon, the fetus would form into a human figure and kick the mother’s tummy, and when the mother places her hand on her tummy, the fetus stops kicking shows a communication or connection. So, it is a wrongful act to abort the fetus because it has the potential to develop into a person.