Letter from the Birmingham Jail (Essay Sample)

Letter from the Birmingham Jail
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Letter from the Birmingham Jail
The letter of the Birmingham jail has its roots in King’s arrest while participating in a peaceful demonstration. It has to be noted that one of King’s tenets was peaceful demonstrations. It is then not surprising that he was arrested for participating in a peaceful demonstration. The grounds for his arrest were his lack of a permit for the demonstration which had been aimed at protesting the perpetuation of the segregation laws that had been instilled into the nation’s culture. Martin Luther had expected that the demonstration would receive support from the local religious figures. However, this support was not forthcoming. Rather than support King, the local religious leaders condemned King and his approaches to the realization of change in the society.
The local religious leaders published a letter that had been titled A Call for Unity. In this letter, the local religious leaders voice out their reservations pertaining to the approach that has been adopted by King. The letter is a critique of both King and his followers. The intent is to simply point out his weaknesses in leadership as well as the flaw in his approach to instigating change in the then American society. A total of nine criticisms are leveled against King and his followers. In defense of himself and his followers, King pens a response that is known as the Letter from the Birmingham Jail. Essentially, the eight religious leaders argue that King’s approach is both unwise and untimely. As a result, his efforts are ineffective and a waste of time. In line with their adopted understanding, racial justice was an unfeasible goal at the time.
In his letter, King addresses each of the nine criticisms that have been leveled against him and his supporters (King, 1994). Essentially, the initial target audience is the white church and the religious leaders. It is critical for the religious leaders to be addressed given that they responsible for the criticism that has been leveled against King. The structure of his letter is thus in line with the nine charges that have voiced out. In meeting this criterion, it is immediately apparent that the first target audience is the religious leaders and the white church.
King’s letter has not only been targeted to the religious leaders but to the general public. The approach that has been adopted is such that it targets greater illumination of the rationale for racial justice. His argument has been based on three key themes. The first theme is that of church. He addresses the misconceptions of the white church and the flawed understanding of its religious leaders. The second theme...