Letter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis

I find it disturbing to know that fighting for our God given rights could end us up in jail. Martin Luther King Jr. experienced this very thing when he nonviolently protested against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' was written while he was in jail in order to address the biggest issue in the United States at the time and argues the great injustice toward the black community. It is safe to say that the letter was in fact a kind of declaration for human rights in the country.

In his letter, Dr. King conveys an eloquent call to his readers by holding a persistent non-violent approach to obtain just laws that colored people deserved.

In his letter, King explains affectively the injustice of the segregation. Especially Birmingham is where King sees inequality between whites and blacks, oppression of the white people, the burning of the black churches and cruelty of the police force. He gives details why the Southern Christian Leadership Conference has been doing everything purposely and explains that he does all this to acquire freedom for black people since it is time for them to get it.

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He says that those are the only way they can obtain their freedom because Birmingham left them no choice. He declares that the oppressor will never give freedom willingly, the oppressed have to fight for it. The black community was always told to wait that they had to take direct action eventually. Dr. King points out that blacks have waited too long to get the freedom which they deserve and is promised in the constitution that it became unendurable which is why it was time take action.

After reading “Letter from Birmingham Jail”rhetorical analysis by Martin Luther King Jr. I find it heartbreaking that during the 1960’s African American were fighting for their freedom and equality and this was only like yesterday. 1960’s is only about 50 years ago. That being said, civil rights that they deserved like everybody else should have been given them much long time ago. Yet with such revolutionary action being taken by activists like Martin Luther King Jr, now in the 21st century certain aspects are still the same. “. . . When your first name becomes “nigger,” your middle name becomes “boy” (however old you are) and your last name becomes “John,” and your wife and mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.”.” Many of us have been wrong believing that racial segregation has been ended and that everybody is equal now while it actually still continues. For instance, according to the news on cnn.com Wilcox County High School in Georgia hosted their first integrated prom on April 27, 2013. For decades the parents of Caucasian students have held a “white student only” proms counting out colored students. So African American students had to have their own “black prom”. I found it sad to read that some community members did not like the change. It seems like everything is fixed from the outside but it still continues to this day.