Kemisa Doumbia Time is a luxury we don't have. The eight white Clergymen who were the authors of the letter “A Call for Unity” lacked understanding of this concept. The clergymen said that they “recognize[d] the natural impatience of people who feel their hopes are slow in being realized”(Carpenter, C.C.J., et al.). Recognition has two meanings. To recognize, by definition, means “to identify [someone or something] from having encountered them before; it can also mean to acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of [someone or something]”. The Clergymen’s recognition is surely referring to the latter because they had never encountered the kind of suffering that provokes “the natural impatience of people who feel their hopes are …show more content…
slow in being realized”. Suffice it to say, it was ignorant of them to call the demonstrations in Birmingham “unwise and untimely”(Carpenter, C.C.J., et al.); this is the revelation that Martin Luther King, Jr. brought upon his “fellow clergymen”(King.1) ever so graciously in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” written in April of 1963. King utilized his beautiful word choice to show that he and his fellow African-American protesters did not have the luxury of time, to show that they had suffered immensely, and to show that there was no better time than the present to make a change. He thoroughly justifies his ideologies behind nonviolent protest by explaining that “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. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”(King.2) His omission of aggression and violence is what set his movement apart from others such as The 1965 Watts rebellion which was violent; 34 died and thousands were injured. Although many might say that violence is more effective, Martin Luther King, Jr. effectively disproved the claim of the clergymen that the Birmingham protests were “unwise and untimely” by showing the effectiveness and exigencies of immediate action and nonviolent protest; therefore, these strategies are the most proactive and successful methods of protest in that, they provoke necessary tensions and advantageous responses rather than discord and further separation of the parties involved. Is violence ever the answer? A number of people believe that violence is sometimes the only answer. This is believed to be the case, at times, when an oppressed group of people believes that violent outburst is the only way for them to be acknowledged. This demeanor is provoked by the mindset that the loudest is the one that is heard. However, as former United States Senator, John C. Danforth once said, “The loudest voices we hear are those who advocate conflict, divisiveness” (Danforth, J.) Yes, the loudest voices are often the easiest heard but, they also often bring conflict rather than peace, as Danforth said. There are other ways to firmly express discontent, this is the purpose of direct action in the form of non-violent protest. Violent protest have been utilized many times throughout history and they have often proven to be counterproductive and have had detrimental results. The element of violence can obstruct the virtue of a protest. For example, in today’s version of the Birmingham Protest, the Black Lives Matter movement, a peaceful protest in Dallas, Texas erupted into a violent outbreak. Micah Xavier Johnson, an armed protester with a vendetta against white police officers, shot and killed 5 police officers and injured several others on Thursday, July 7th, 2016. Johnson was later killed via bomb robot by the authorities because they “saw no other option”, said officer Brown. Unfortunately, this was not a single occurrence, there have been several shootings of the police by Black Lives Matter supporters. This violence does not exemplify the values of the Black Lives Matter protests, which are for the most part are peaceful. However, incidents such as the one that occurred in Dallas, Texas undermine the integrity of the Black Lives Matter movement because while their intent is pure the execution of their endeavors is sometimes dangerous and violent. Whilst the Black Lives Matters movement combats the negative stigma which Black Americans are often predisposed to that Blacks are dangerous criminals, people like Johnson counteract the positive image they are developing. This is an example of the counterproductivity of violence. As world-renown civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There are many causes that I am prepared to die for, but no causes that I am prepared to kill for”(Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments With Truth, 1927). This is the same philosophy that Martin Luther King, Jr. enforces when he says, “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”, by stating that one must be willing to accept whatever penalty is doled out for one’s civil disobedience when they believe what they are doing is for the greater good. With all that said, how can one argue that violent protest are effective when violence simply breeds more violence? One cannot argue the effectiveness of violent protests because they are not effective; in reality, they ignite more conflict.
Nonviolent protests such as Gandhi’s Indian independence movement (from Britain) have shown to be highly more effective than violent protest.一Even Though, Gandhi was assassinated, his movement was a success and his legacy lived on; he’s much like King in that way.一 In fact, two women, Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan did a study on the effectiveness and success rates of nonviolent and violent protest in comparison to each other and wrote a book titled “Why Civil Resistance Works”. The book provides statistics that show that nonviolent protest are a lot more successful than violent protest. Chenoweth and Stephan analyze these statistics alongside results from case studies in different countries. Once they conclude that nonviolent protests are more effective, they proceed to analyze the reason why. They came to the deduced that one reason nonviolent protests are more successful is that more people feel inclined to participate in nonviolent protest because they are not risking their lives or obstructing their values. Another reason they believed nonviolent protests are more successful is that a government is less likely to retaliate against a nonviolent protest because they would lose international support based on conflict of morality. Also, a government overthrown sans violence is more likely to become democratic whereas a government overthrown …show more content…
violently is more likely to become tyrannical. King understood all of these factors, which is why he so diligently enforced his policy of nonviolence in all his protest. King was well aware of what the results of his non-violent protest would be. Not only was he willing to accept his consequence but he was ready to embrace his success. Martin Luther King, Jr.
successfully depicts the hardships that the African Americans had suffered at the hands of their oppressors, reinforcing his rebuttal of the white clergymen’s statement that the demonstrations in Birmingham “unwise and untimely” by showing the urgency of their predicament. He often indicates how time is a factor by showing how long they have been experiencing such oppression to further show the white clergymen why they cannot simply wait around for change. They have to make the changes happen themselves. King describes how merchants were to remove the demeaning, racist signs from store displays, however, “[a]s the weeks and months went by, [they] realized that [they] were the victims of a broken promise”(King.2). After a long period of time, the signs were still not removed. King went on to quote William E. Gladstone, saying that “justice too long delayed is justice denied”. African Americans were indeed denied justice for too long. He was beginning to show the white clergymen that they had waited for results before and got nothing in return. He was showing them that the time for patience is long gone. King further emphasizes that it’s time for him and his fellow colored protesters be given a chance to voice their thoughts and to no longer be oppressed when he says “too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.” (King.3) King often employs the phrase “too long” a few times to
reinforce his argument that the Birmingham protests were not “untimely”. He somewhat ironically also says,“I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time” in the closing of his letter, referring to the length of the letter. However, if read out of context its seems as though he is saying that they have been oppressed for too long and cannot afford to wait any longer before making a change. We as people have the ability to fix so many of the things we don’t like about the world around us. But why don’t we? Why do we still live in a world in which young girls are married off to old men, a world where a parent, in order to feed their child is forced to deny themselves those same nutrients, a world where children die by their own hand, where those who are employed for our protection are killing us? We as a people have the ability to stop these things and yet, we’ve been living in a world where all these horrible things surround us. We are crippled by procrastination and violence. We’re forever waiting for the right time to act and never realizing that the right time is, always has been, and always will be now. We also always approach problems with aggression rather than peace. King understood this, so did Gandhi. They understood that we were capable of something better if we would just act immediately and without hostility. Not only did they understand it but they executed these principles with great success because they remembered two things: violence is never the answer and time is a luxury we don't have.
When you are fight to get peace and fairness back to your government, does it involve nonviolent or violent acts to get what you want? When Gandhi came back to India after getting his law degree, Gandhi started a movement to bring peace and fairness back to their government. What made Gandhi’s nonviolent movement work? The reason Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked was because he didn’t believe in segregation, didn’t follow the British’s rules for Indians, went to jail for his movement, and he was determined.
In his "Letter," Martin Luther King Jr.'s ability to effectively use pathos, or to appeal to the emotions of his audiences, is evident in a variety of places. More particularly in paragraph fourteen, King demonstrates his ability to inspire his fellow civil rights activists, invoke empathy in the hearts of white moderates, and create compassion in the minds of the eight clergyman to which the "Letter" is directed.
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 his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. uses his personal experience to convince others of the importance of revising the segregation laws that were in place during the 1960’s. In paragraphs 13 and 14 in particular, there is a lot of language used to persuade the reader’s opinions and emotions toward King’s argument. He does this not only to convince his fellow clergymen, but to inform others of the reality that African Americans faced in the 60’s. Right away in paragraph 13, King uses irony to give his earlier statements about freedom the sense of urgency that it needs: “For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’. It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity.
By appealing to ethos, King establishes his credibility and trustworthiness as a writer. King quotes, “We have waited more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights.” This quote alludes to the constitution, the nation’s founding document. This claims the United States is a “free country” and that “all men are created equal.” King’s inference is if we are a free country, then why isn’t our country granting “all men” their freedom. This stresses that the wait for freedom needs to end and the American Negroes need their rights granted to them. He alludes to God and the God-given rights stated in the bible which expresses that God loves and treats all his children the same. King’s interpreted question is: if God loves everyone the same, then why does it seem as if the whites are loved more and treated better than the Negroes. God’s rights are the most important that make up the natural and moral laws of the nation. The quantity of 340 years adds emphasis to the anticipated rights of the American Negroes. The origin of the quote, “justice too long delayed is justice denied” is controversial, however, King’s reference to this quote shows that he is a credible writer. The reference shows parallelism by the repetition of the word justice. King argues to the Clergymen that they cannot tell him that his acts are untimely because the Negroes have waited so long that there is not enough patience left. The quote goes along side of...
In lines 144-145, King uses the quote “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”to explain how to “wait” means never and he knows that waiting would only delay the obtention of the rights that they have been fighting tirelessly for. King notes that those saying to “wait” have not dealt with the pain and struggles associated with segregation and racism. He uses pathos, which inflicts emotion upon the reader, to describe why the movement simply cannot “wait” any longer. He tells of how he needs to explain to his children why they are treated differently from the white children, how he sees innocent African Americans being lynched, and how places would not provide them service simply because they were not white. This use of pathos, or emotional appeal, exemplifies their need to take direct action and waste no time on
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.
Dr. King explains that the African American community in Birmingham had faced unjust treatment with the justice system, and he spoke of unsolved bombings of their homes and churches. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King brings attention to the reality of racial inequality in the 1960s. King writes this letter in response to clergymen addressing their apprehensions regarding the timing of the nonviolence demonstrations. The letter addressees specific arguments presented in the clergymen’s letter and his direct response. King’s goal in writing this letter is to convince the clergymen that his strategies are right and just. In this section, King rebuts the allegation made by the clergymen that his actions were untimely. In his counter argument, King uses repetition, metaphors, emotional appeals in order to persuade the audience to support his cause.
applies the principles of civil disobedience in his procedure of a nonviolent campaign. According to him, “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action” (King 262). The first step, which is “collection of the facts,” clarify whether the matter requires civil disobedience from the society (King 262). The second step, “negotiation,” is the step where civil disobedience is practiced in a formal way; to change an unjust law, both sides come to an agreement that respects each other’s demand, (King 262). Should the second step fail, comes the “self-purification,” in which the nonconformists question their willingness to endure the consequences without any retaliation that follow enactment of civil disobedience (King 262). The fourth and the last step, “direct action,” is to execute it; coordinated actions such as protests or strikes to pressure no one, but the inexpedient government to conform to them, and advocate their movement, and thus persuade others to promote the same belief (King 262). This procedure along with principles of civil disobedience is one justifiable campaign that systematically attains its objective. King not only presents, but inspires one of the most peaceful ways to void unjust
talks about how African Americans in the South were being arrested and publicly chastened by the police force for their nonviolent protests. But, he extols these protests because of what they stand for. He says they “…preserve the evil system of segregation…I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation” (94). Because these people were aiming to end the discrimination they were facing, and did this in a peaceful manner that respected their Judeo-Christian values that all men are created equal, King saw it as exactly what this oppressed group needed. They needed a push of confidence to know that they were being treated unjustly, and that they did have the power to stand up to
King’s critics wrote that he was “unwise and untimely” in his pursuit of direct action and that he ought to have ‘waited’ for change, King explains that “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’”. This short statement hits home especially when followed up with a lengthy paragraph detailing injustices done towards African Americans, including lynching and drowning. In his descriptions King uses familial terms such as ‘mother’ and ‘father’, which are words that typically elicit an emotional response from an audience, to picture ones family in such terrible situations would surely drive home the idea that the African American community cannot ‘wait’ anymore for a freedom that will probably never be given to them
Within this period of Civil Rights Movement, in 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama, the strain of racial segregation that was imposed on African Americans was reaching the point where the African Americans were treated badly in the public. After being arrested for his part in the Birmingham Campaign, King wrote rhetorical appeal letter in response to “A Call for Unity”, which was written by eight white clergymen from Alabama. In order for King to get the heart of the clergymen and his audience, he uses logos to elucidate to the clergymen by comparing racial injustice to a boil: King state, “Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured” (King 4). Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” is an emotional gaze into the authenticity of racial discrimination in 1960s America. King established this letter to his fellow clergymen which aims to address their concerns on the subject of the wisdom and timing of the nonviolent actions and the unjust demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama that he and other fellow leaders carried out in 1963. King employs all three types of appeals ethos, pathos and logos; however, I discover that I am particularly moved by pathos and ethos in his letter. So much thought that I must admit I was primarily mystified by my own emotions. King’s letter evoked strong feelings of compassion, indignation, and even pride in his audience. King use of logical statements and established facts to influence a strong opinion toward the clergymen and the people of Alabama, King uses logical reasoning in several occasions throughout his letter. For instance, when in
As a result, the impact of the African Americans waiting for over three centuries for justice is causing them to be impatient and create tension throughout the society. Works Cited King, Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham.” The Arlington Clergymen Contexts and. Connections.
The demonstrations resulted in the arrest of protesters, including Martin Luther King. After King was arrested in Birmingham for taking part in a peaceful march to draw attention to the way that African-Americans were being treated there, their lack of voter rights, and the extreme injustice they faced in Alabama, he wrote his now famous “Letter from Birmingham.” In order to gain an understanding of King’s purpose for the letter, it is important to begin by explaining “A Call of Unity”, a letter written by a group of white clergymen urging the end to the demonstrations. The letter was published in the Birmingham Post Herald with a copy given to King. The letter made many claims including that the demonstrations were led by outsiders, they were unwise and untimely, and urged the black community to withdraw their support (Carpenter, Durick, Grafman, Hardin, Murray, Ramage, Stallings, & Harmon, 1963)....