Antithesis in Letter From Birmingham Jail Antithesis is the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure, and if properly used, . Instrumental and Constitutive Rhetoric in Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. A historical allusion King uses is on page 286 paragraph 16 Martin Luther King Jr. states. He then productively demonstrates juxtaposition and compares this claim to condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery, or 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, or even condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to Gods will precipitated the evil act of crucification (6). In this published letter, the clergymen expressed their strong disapproval of the civil rights demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. He also includes examples from American history, thus placing his critics in the place of historical villains, such as the British. King redefines and embraces the term extremist. Like the other extremists he lists, King believes that his cause will win out in the long run, and that he is on the right side of history. He rejects this argument, pointing out that this kind of logic (if such it can be called) can be extended to all sorts of scenarios. Your time is important. They believed that these [], In the Letter from Birmingham Jail by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. he explains the injustices happening all over the United States but especially in the city of Birmingham. He then reminds his critics that the protesters are American citizens, and therefore they are not outsiders in their own country. But this does not mean that what they did was moral: quite the opposite. At the end of his letter, he assures that he is willing to forgive the religious leaders for their misguidance and would happily work alongside them to abolish racial oppression. We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. . Here, King conveys a sense of panic and urgency to the audience by suggesting that the once almighty Church could falter without changes in spirit and behavior by people. For a given word , choose the letter of the word that is most nearly opposite to it in meaning. It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. specific to broad logic In the letter kind defended Kings beliefs on Nonviolent Protests, King also counters the accusations of him breaking laws by categorizing segregation laws into just and unjust laws. Dr. King was arrested for violating the anti-protest junction and was placed in solitary confinement. 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). His critics vehement condemnation of the protests, then, is a sign that they are, indeed, creating the pressure needed to spark change. An unjust law degrades human personality and contradicts the moral law (and Gods law). No one should be restricted from rights and opportunities that others are given for that long. The Letter from Birmingham Jail was important in the history of the civil rights movement. If you fit this description, you can use our free essay samples to generate ideas, get inspired and figure out a title or outline for your paper. He states, Was not Jesus an extremist for love: Was not Amos an extremist for justice: Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: Was not Martin Luther an extremist: Was not John Bunyan an extremist.Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremistWas not Thomas Jefferson an extremist (King Jr, 1963). The purpose of this letter was to effectively respond to the eight clergymen attempting to suppress his activism. The preservation of order is not as important as the fight for justice. He quotes St. Augustine, who said that an unjust law is no law at all. A just law uplifts human personality and is consistent with the moral law and Gods law. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. The culmination of pathos and anaphora makes Letter from Birmingham Jail very effective in how the whole matter would be interpreted to change the existing situation towards equality in the United States. Incorrect email. King puts his words to good use in trying to appeal to the readers by persuading them to support his cause. . The overall tone of the last section is very emotional and he urges the readers of the letter to adopt the same sense of concern. He reminds his readers of the time when the Christian church was powerful and functioned as an agent of change; he no longer sees that in the contemporary church, which he calls an archdefender of the status quo. If this continues, warns. Dr. King includes many biblical references in his writing to compare the similarities between actions in the bible and his. Repetition. King also uses anaphoras throughout his letter and he uses this to build emphasis on the grievances he and other african americans had to endure: When you have seen vicious mobs lynch you mothers and fathers When you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters (King par.14). .if you were to see them slap and kick. GradeMiners certified writers can write it for you. He says, Was not Jesus an extremist for love was not Amos an extremist for justice.. was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel was not Martin Luther an extremist and John Bunyan and Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. Kings appeal to logos in this quote is very effective because it has an impact on his target audience white preachers. Martin Luther King Jr. effectively crafted his counter argument by first directly addressing his . We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied. King draws sympathy for his cause from the reader who sees the unjustness of the situation he and his followers are dealing with. The other is examples from American history: Abraham Lincoln (who issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War, a century before King was writing) and Thomas Jefferson (who drafted the words to the Declaration of Independence, including the statement that all men are created equal). To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: By clicking Send, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. 1,342 Words The most evident aspect states, when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people (King Jr, 1963). The phrase judgement of God is associated with fear of the power of God, in reference to biblical stories involving consequences of Gods disapproval, causing the audience to feel fearful (an effect of pathos) and to feel a need to change in order to avoid Gods wrath. King describes the white moderate as complacent, hypocritical, and condescending toward African Americans, agreeing on the surface with their overall goals (freedom, political participation, and equality) but unwilling to take any steps to fulfill them. King emphasizes that the protests are a necessary action based on African Americans current social and political conditions. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity. refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. This emotional and descriptive narrative combined with the use of the second person you have a very strong effect. Martin Luther King then justifies his fight for an extremist cause by providing specific examples of other historical extremist causes that actually brought about changes for the better. . to confront the audiences perception and present his evaluation. Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The first two lines read, Your door is shut against my tightened face, / And I am sharp as steel with discontent. McKay uses imagery to help the reader visualize the isolation of African Americans from a society they desire to be a part of. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/26/article/55773/summary), Mott, W. T. (1975). In paragraph 24, King repeats this phrase multiple times, Was not ____ an extremist. This is both a rhetorical question and anaphora. If todays church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. He effectively demonstrates the impact of the trials the African American people have gone through and proves that what they are fighting for is a just cause on both legal and moral grounds. The incorporation of pathos and anaphora makes the letter effective in conveying the intended message. uses the device anaphora at many points in his letter to convey the importance of what he is repeating. The anaphora "If you were to" (ll. King expresses his disappointment with the white church for failing to stand with him and other nonviolent activists campaigning for an end to racial segregation. He is disappointed in te church and his disappointment is worse because he feels so strongly for the church, as is evident through his tears. He adopts an indignant tone in order to present unjust law that Clergymen were making. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love (8). Pathos, an appeal to emotion, is, Martin Luther King Jr. promotes allusion in many different paragraphs of. Letter from Birmingham Jail Summary & Analysis Next Themes Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Martin Luther King, Jr. directs his letter to the eight white clergymen who publicly condemned his actions in Birmingham, Alabama. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me. Complete your free account to request a guide. 688-695) is meant to inspire his . Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. will we be extremist for hate or will we be extremists injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. He then goes on to reveal some of his more personal feelings. Martin Luther King Jrs Letter from Birmingham Jail, expressed his beliefs and his actions about the Human Rights Movement. The sentence has an extreme appeal to pathos, with such vivid imagery such. languages, ditchs, quizzes, torpedoes. if you were to watch them push old Negro women and young Negro girls. An anaphora is a rhetorical device that consists of repeated phrases or words in the beginning of neighboring clauses (not to be confused with just simple repetition). For instance, King Jr (1963) repeated the phrase was not to lessen the word extremist by pointing to historical figures. For instance, uses repetition in the form of anaphora to add emotions of empathy. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. He is telling them that he has credibility on the matter of injustice, not because he is the recipient of white privilege, but because he is well researched on the subject. One word in the following group of words is misspelled. By using religious examples which appeal directly to his audience, the preachers, he attempts to gain their support and legitimize his course of action. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Term. This rhetorical question forces the white moderates to support Kings cause.
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