He decides to own the label, and points out that Jesus could be regarded as an extremist because, out of step with the worldview of his time, he championed love of ones enemies. Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self purification. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. But he will not see this without pressure from devotees of civil rights. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. clergymen (seven Christian, one Jewish) on the recent events in Birmingham. Full text of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. 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. The Letter is essentially a written sermon that both answers charges and exhorts to action. But, oh! the conflict on children all become a part of the readers experienceyou cannot hide from it. You can read the letter in full here if you would like to read Kings words before reading on to our summary of his argument, and analysis of the letters meaning and significance. So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. But this does not mean that what they did was moral: quite the opposite. Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. MLK was arrested on April 12, 1963 in Birmingham. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. What effect does King's repetition of the word/phrase hope have on the development of his idea 27 in paragraph? So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. When there is no alternative, direct action such as sit-ins and marches can create what King calls a tension which will mean that a community which previously refused to negotiate will be forced to come to the negotiating table. faade of false information. in Birmingham, Alabama. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? This is difference made legal. How does King balance the twin appeals to religion and patriotism throughout "Letter from Birmingham Jail"? 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. You speak of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. In the course of the negotiations, certain promises were made by the merchants--for example, to remove the stores' humiliating racial signs. When we discovered that the Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene "Bull" Connor, had piled up enough votes to be in the run off, we decided again to postpone action until the day after the run off so that the demonstrations could not be used to cloud the issues. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality. My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. is able to show that apathy will not prevent such tragic distortions, but will instead cultivate I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in." Also, an imitation of St. Paul, who also wrote from prison, and inspired generations of Christians. I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Spring Hill College several years ago. Arguing that time is "neutral," Dr. King illustrates the importance of individual action. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with moral law. One of the basic points in your statement is that the action that I and my associates have taken in Birmingham is untimely. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of King, Martin Luther Jr. Letter from the Birmingham jail. Why We Cant Wait, ed. 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 likens this to the tension in the individual human mind which Socrates, the great classical philosopher, fostered through his teachings. Direct link to Shamel Wilson's post what effects did this let, Posted a year ago. Other religious figures, as well as American political figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, might be called extremists for their unorthodox views (for their time). - is used very effectively in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous essay "Letter from. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. And now this approach is being termed extremist. Jefferson, for example, was considered an extremist for arguing, in the opening words to the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. In Letter From Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. uses repeated words and phrases at the beginning of clauses and sentences, in order to emphasize the importance of the phrase and develop a memorable message. Can any law enacted under such circumstances be considered democratically structured? negative effects. Before closing I feel impelled to mention one other point in your statement that has troubled me profoundly. King found out about this through a news paper that was smuggled in for him to read. On the edges of that very newspaper, Dr. King began The "Letter from Birmingham Jail", also known as the "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" and "The Negro Is Your Brother", is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr.It says that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts. It called for the local Negro community to wait for a more suitable Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; -then you will One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. By using repetition and emotional appeals, King engages his audience and creates a sense of urgency around the issue of . 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. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. 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 can't 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? of speaking directly at you. He is not talking to the world. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative. I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail directed so We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." 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. In King's letter, written during his incarceration in Birmingham Jail at the time of the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, antithesis is used to express King's key concern that there is one rule in. What did a clergyman do to get arrested? This letter serves as a purpose to apply the need for love and brotherhood towards one another and avoid all the unjust laws. And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." Direct link to CHOCOLATE's post Who is Socrates and why d, Posted 3 days ago. ." actions may be and that any matters of civil injustice could and should be taken through the It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. 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. Who is Socrates and why does MLKJ keep coming back to him? Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. But why? 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. Yes, it was unfair. Yes, I love the church. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. It sounds really unfair, he was trying to make a point. seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement A Letter from Birmingham Jail: To You In April of 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. found himself in solitary confinement in Birmingham, Alabama. We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied. Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. Similarly, King identifies white moderates as being more dangerous to progress than white nationalists, because they believe in order rather than justice and thus they can sound rational and sympathetic even as they stand in the way of racial integration and civil rights. MLK referred to him because much of what Socrates taught is foundational to Western society. There is something powerful in looking at this from a fathers m.pdf. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. mon, however much it derives its strength from formulaic repetition, is not mere unartistic incoherencey. This letter was written when he was arrested after peacefully protesting about segregation and how the black people didn't agree with the law. The anaphora "If you were to" (ll. together. That would lead to anarchy. I'm not sure on the specifics of King's arrest, but he was arrested because he was a large, central leader in the nonviolent protest. 3. 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. The early Christian church was much more prepared to fight for what it believed to be right, but it has grown weak and complacent. Direct link to Rylee howl 457's post But what did he do wrong?, Posted 2 years ago. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Ending the "Letter" with his celebration of the black man's perseverance might have made a more fitting and appropriate ending, but Dr. King continues into this final argument, which he acknowledges almost as a post-script: "one other pointbefore closing" (184). repetition of if you and when you combined with the vivid descriptions Dr. King paints the Dr. King knows that these men feel, but because of their lack of The letter is dated 16 April 1963. clergymen. Our first reading on this front was Martin Luther King Jr.'s " Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963). about it. On the basis of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations. detailing the emotional cause and effect that occur, Dr. King creates a reality that one can almost 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. "In this sense they have been publicly. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail", King typically uses repetition in the form of anaphora - repeating the same word (s) at the beginning of consecutive clauses. Nourished by the Negro's 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.". This cascade of examples makes the idea of waiting absurd, and by the time the sentence finally ends with "then you will understand" there's a very well established understanding. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail.