Martin Luther King: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (Essay Sample)

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Martin Luther King: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Dr. Martin Luther King was one of the main figures in the 1950s and the 1960s’ civil rights movements. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter that he wrote effectively and vividly as a response to the eight White American clergy that criticised his intentions in Birmingham, calling him an “outsider” and defence of a nonviolent resistance against racism. According Dr. Martin Luther King in his letter, he argued that every person has the moral authority to determine just from unjust or unethical laws while stressing the significance of unity among brothers to overcome racism and segregation. The letter is a mix of logical precision and emotional passion that seeks to achieve a significant objective. In some way, the letter was structured to agree with his critics while using their own words and definitions against them in a harmonious and logical way (Fulkerson). This paper examines key issues that can be extracted from Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter, including its purpose and effects to the leader; its subject of race, justice, and emotions; the use of allusion; Dr. King’s reference to Socrates and finally his judgement and position on just and unjust laws.
The tone of Martin Luther King’s letter restrained because he considered the purpose and objective of its context. Several opponents of Dr. Martin Luther King during his entire career believed that he was too distinctive towards White Americans and those in authority because they promoted segregation and implemented racist policies in the country (Bass). However, this was not the case in his letter which had a tone that served different purposes.