The cost For Martin Luther King Jr

858 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Thoughts about the letter from birmingham jail

Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to eliminating discrimination towards African Americans. He has risen to a national icon status in the history of civil rights due to his peaceful protests and his proven approach in achieving equality. Nevertheless, like most changes in American history, the battle for equality was not won without a cost. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for civil disobedience during his campaign to end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. He and other civil rights activists were protesting the unfair treatment of blacks. During his time in jail he wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to his fellow clergymen. His letter supports the nonviolent battle to end racism and argues that people have a right to fight against unjust laws, via civil disobedience. Although he sacrificed his freedom, his letter fights for a good life for everyone; and in the end brought equality to African Americans.
So what is a good life? The term has a different interpretation from person to person, as what may constitute a good life to some, may not for others. For some it is a successful career, nice possessions and riches. For others it is having a great love, making a family and surrounding themselves with people who care about them. A good life can even be considered as a life lived for others and living with a purpose; this is true for Martin Luther King Jr. For Dr. King a good life was one with nondiscriminatory and just laws and equality for all people no matter the color of their skin. He fought constantly and tirelessly to achieve fairness for all, and to give everyone, even blacks, an equal and good life. As an activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luth...

... middle of paper ...

...n beings shows that they believe everyone should be treated fairly; and that there should not be discrimination against African Americans. Just like Martin Luther King Jr. the Brice brothers made sacrifices in order to achieve a good life for all people.
A good life is something that must be accomplished, but getting there usually comes at a cost. For Martin Luther King Jr. he paid the price of going to jail in order to attain his good life. In the end, his sacrifice was worth it; segregation was illegal and there was equality for African Americans. The Brice brothers also risked their lives in order to fight for what they believed was right. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Brice brothers were willing to go to jail and risk their lives for equality. Both Dr. King and the Brice brothers had the same mindset that a truly good life is a fair and good life for everyone.

Show More
Related

  • Letter from Birmingham Jail Analysis

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his famous “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 while he was imprisoned in the Birmingham Jail for being involved in nonviolent protests against segregation. The letter is directed at eight white clergymen from Alabama who were very cynical and critical towards African Americans in one of their statements. Throughout the letter, King maintains an understanding yet persistent tone by arguing the points of the clergymen and providing answers to any counterarguments they may have. In the letter, King outlines the goals of his movement and says that he will fight racial inequality wherever it may be. Dr. King uses the appeal three main rhetorical devices – ethos, logos, and pathos – in order to firmly, yet politely, argue the clergymen on the injustices spoken of in their statement.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the southern states needed to be changed. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade the clergymen and convince them in assisting him in putting an end to segregation laws of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responds to an article by eight clergymen, in which he explains the racial injustice in Birmingham, and reasons why King's organization is protesting for Civil Rights. He introduces himself and his actions at the beginning of his letter. He states that the purpose of his direct action protest is to open the door for negotiation on the Civil Rights. He tries to convince his audience by providing evidence in order to gain his audience to be involved in his movement and support him. He also highlights police actions against nonviolent Negros and crimes against humanity in Birmingham city jail.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony’s Effects on The Brunswick Community

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    This very legacy is the idea that has impacted many young minds: Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony have both positively affected the Brunswick Community by directly helping Women’s and African American’s rights, indirectly by changing their and the general population’s thought process when meeting and judging someone they’ve just met, and raising people’s confidence despite being different; no matter how different this person may be. Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr. both helped the Civil Rights movement through their actions. Anthony was amazing with getting women their right to vote as was King with being active in helping desegregate African-American communities. A list of quotes found on Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes show this particular thing MLK Jr. has said. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

    Read More

  • King's Refutation Toward the Clergymen

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr. is known to be a civil rights activist, humanitarian, a father, and a clergyman. He is well known for fighting for the equal rights of colored people and ending discrimination. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an important part of history that showed King’s opinion of a letter that he happened to read in the newspaper written by a group of clergyman. In this letter, the group of clergyman report that colored people, also known as black people, are being violent towards Birmingham City. Also, the clergymen believed the time that will allow segregation to be diminished was not happening anytime soon because it is not convenient. King refuted the clergymen’s argument in a variety of ways using tactics of argumentation and persuasion like appeal to emotion through real life examples, appeal to logic, and even articulating certain phrases through metaphors and word choice. Many of these different tactics of argumentation and persuasion made his letter very effective and is now seen as a great piece that is looked upon highly today.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail '

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", was written to answer a critical "Call For Unity" by a group of clergymen in Birmingham. The clergymen were critical of King for "interloping" in the activities of their city. Dr. King said that he had every right to fight unfairness in the country that he lived in. The letter he wrote, in response to the "Call for Unity", and a statement that he would battle racial inequality wherever it was. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was the main point in his life. In this letter, he perfectly described his reasons why he felt this way, appealing to logic, emotion, and ethics.

    Read More

  • The Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King, Jr.

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, was well known for his nonviolent movement to bring justice and to an end to the segregation of the people in the United States back in the 1950s. With King being the leader of a peaceful protest, it failed to bring equally to the colored people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was labeled as an “outsider” who was “hatred and violence” and that his actions were “unwise and untimely” from the Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen (clergymen). In response, on the day of April 16, 1963, he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail to declare and defense his movement was not “unwise and untimely” at all. To analyze his points, King used the powerful literary devices of pathos- use of an emotional appeal.ethos-

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through King’s peaceful protest, he works to find his definition of good life in equality, where peaceful protest can “create a situation. [and] inevitably open the door to negotiation,” (King). However, King’s attempt to overwrite centuries of oppression and rise against unjust laws doesn’t come without its own set of consequences and benefits.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • A Letter From Birmingham Jail By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    After being arrested in downtown Birmingham on a Good Friday, Reverend Martian Luther King Jr. wrote his famous letter, “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” responding to the criticism demonstrated by eight prominent white clergymen. This letter has been found important through out history because it expresses King’s feelings towards the un-just event and it is an example of a well-written argument.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1963, Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the South, so civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. brought his campaign of nonviolent resistance to Birmingham. After leading a demonstration on April 12, 1963, King was arrested for violating demonstration ordinances. Shortly after, eight white clergymen in Birmingham sent out a public statement claiming that although they support desegregation, they advise against anymore protests advocated by King, stating that the “demonstrations are unwise and untimely” (Carpenter et al,). While in jail, King took an opportunity to continue his campaign by responding to these eight white clergymen. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King uses religious and philosophical allusions to

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King: Letter from Birmingham Jail

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King is a famous Civil Rights activist who played a huge role in the desegregation in the United States. While confined in the Birmingham prison, he wrote a letter to his clergymen and describes and defends his plans of how to desegregate the black and white communities in harmony. A major part of his plan was to take nonviolent direct action as it was necessary. Martin Luther King wrote,

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Research Paper

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King was one of the greatest civil right activists in American history. Martin Luther King impacted American society in many ways and one of the most important things he did for America was weakening racism in America. At the time when he was living, colored people living America were treated differently with white people. For example colored people needed a pass to go through certain places, they could not go to the same school as white people and it was much harder for colored people to get a job compare to white people. Martin Luther king thought these were wrong. He also thought these were against American dream. For him American dream meant every people having equal rights, opportunity and freedom. What was happening in America were completely against these. To fix this problem, Martin Luther King moved around the country and did nonviolent protest and organized a peaceful marching which attracted national attention showing brutality of police that were trying to stop the march. Martin Luther King also delivered a lot of speeches that inspired many people all over the world and one of his speeches include “I have a Dream.” One of the most famous speeches in America. In this speech he clearly explain his own opinion of how he think everyone should be treated

    Read More

  • Nonviolent Protests: An argumentative essay

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the Civil Rights Movement and the Pro-Life Movement of the 1960s, to the Tea Party Movement and Occupy Wall Street Movement of current times, “those struggling against unjust laws have engaged in acts of deliberate, open disobedience to government power to uphold higher principles regarding human rights and social justice” (DeForrest, 1998, p. 653) through nonviolent protests. Perhaps the most well-known of the non-violent protests are those associated with the Civil Rights movement. The movement was felt across the south, yet Birmingham, Alabama was known for its unequal treatment of blacks and became the focus of the Civil Rights Movement. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, African-Americans in Birmingham, began daily demonstrations and sit-ins to protest discrimination at lunch counters and in public facilities. These demonstrations were organized to draw attention to the injustices in the city. 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.”

    Read More

More about The cost For Martin Luther King Jr

Open Document