My Essay for The Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Jennifer Gonzales
Eng 1A 9-950


I feel Dr. King's thesis in the Letter from a Birmingham Jail is why engaging in a non-violent direct action program is necessary to demand the freedom and justice people deserve but have been denied for so long. Dr. King says, "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." (paragraph 12), There are many pieces of evidence that support his thesis. Dr. King lived in a time where injustice flooded his nation. He became available to affiliates when action was needed. Dr. King said, "so I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond his own home town," (paragraph 3 ) by demonstrating his non-violent campaign in Birmingham. King knew it was necessary for this to arise because it had been too long and the people should not allow this to continue any longer, he said, "it was unfortunate that the demonstration took place, but felt it was even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left Negro community with no alternative." (paragraph 5) , /, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and god given rights. " He felt it was time to end the injustice.


I believe the type of argument Dr. King speaks upon is based solely on value and policy. It is of policy and value because he strongly believes that we have only 2 types of law: just and unjust. He feels that everyone not only has a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws but also to disobey unjust laws. Just because it is a law that does not mean it is right. An unjust law is a law that is man made and goes against our morals. A just law makes the human personality rise above immoral things. He never wanted anyone to disobey laws because that would only lead to anarchy. Dr. King knows just from unjust, and just is what everyone should follow, but If they did break an unjust law, they had to do it from the heart, knowing and accepting the consequences. He states, "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over it's injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law." (paragraph 18)


Dr. King has a very diverse style of writing. He has been influenced by many historical people so he repeatedly mentions many well known religious leaders throughout his letter like: Apostle Paul, Socrates, St. Augustine and even Adolf Hitler. He uses these leaders and their actions to explain his point of view. By using these men as examples, he shows the audience that he is not the only one who has believed in something so strongly, that they fought and preached the same way he did. I also noticed he repeatedly uses questions as a style to answer the curious audience, because he is concerned about what others think about his actions. As he expresses empathy so strongly, that shows me that he understands both sides.


The audience is mainly his fellow clergymen but I also believe the entire future of the nation is his audience as well. He wrote the letter so that when the clergymen read it, they can then relay the message and information down to the other disciples, who will then spread that news to the other followers. Because he was in jail that was the only way to communicate with his fellow leaders. He is a very sophisticated man and he knew without any regard to the nation, that by him writing this letter would impact his followers and believers. Although he did not know we would be reading his letter today, I think he wrote it for the sake of mankind. That is why I feel we are the audience too.


The way Dr. King addresses many of the issues he faced back in the day, universally it appeals to what we are going through right now. We have many issues and injustice behavior lurking in our nation, for example: sexual orientation, anti-abortionists, iraq/palestine war, Guantanamo Bay prisoner acts and the Grant homicide. We have won battles and lost some, but as long as we have that flame burning inside of us for freedom, justice and equality then Dr. Martin Luther King's dream will live on forever through us. As a civil rights activist, integrationist and christian brother, Dr. King gave a perfect example of what we stand for as people, as a nation. In his letter he expresses so much empathy towards his people, devotion towards what he believed in, hope and honesty. He emphasizes a dream that he knew could come true and that's what makes it a great piece of literature.


Ali-Dinar, Ali B. Ph.D. (Page Editor) "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]" 16 April 1963 African Studies Center - University of pennsylvania. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html